After a busy summer of trades and signings, the 2019-20 season brings a fresh start on a new team for several big-name players — whether they wanted it or not. For some players donning new sweaters this season, their first meeting with the old club will be an emotional affair as fans pay tribute to a longtime favourite. Others could be… a little more tense.
Mark your calendars — here’s a roundup of the most notable names sporting new threads this season and when they’ll come face-to-face with their old club.
Mark Stone, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
vs. Senators Oct. 17 | @ Ottawa Jan. 16
Unlike Matt Duchene, whose first game against the Senators just happened to take place on the day he was dealt away from Ottawa last season, Stone has yet to take on his old club.
One of the biggest pieces of the Senators’ locker room-clearing trade deadline last February, Stone found his footing as one of the league’s most underrated stars while in Ottawa and has really shone under the bright lights in Vegas as a bona fide star.
Of the deadline departures, Stone was the toughest for disgruntled fans to digest as the 27-year-old was widely considered a strong leader both on the ice and in the locker room and would certainly have set a solid example for the next wave of talent funnelling in.
https://twitter.com/MStoner61/status/1100895431880396801
Patrick Marleau, C, San Jose Sharks
@ Toronto Oct. 25 | vs. Maple Leafs March 3
Marleau’s stay in Toronto lasted just two years, but his impact on the club will be felt among the Maple Leafs for many years to come — especially by two in particular. Marleau’s friendship with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner was well-documented and quickly became one of the best storylines of the team’s rebuild as the veteran forward took the young Maple Leafs under his wing. Marleau’s signing with the Maple Leafs back in 2017 was significant for the club taking the next step in its rebuild, officially marking Toronto as a desirable free agency destination, and his departure this past summer cleared the way for Toronto to sign its home-grown talent, including Marner.
https://twitter.com/KKurzNHL/status/1182288160501456896
The longtime Shark, who returned to San Jose earlier this month on a one-year deal, was welcomed home with a warm standing ovation in his first game back in California on Sunday. He’ll most certainly be greeted warmly in his first trip back to Toronto, too.
John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs (as captain)
@ New York Nov. 13 | vs. Islanders Jan. 4 | vs. Islanders March 19
Tavares already had his humbling homecoming last season, hitting the ice in New York for the first time since joining the Maple Leafs in free agency. It, uh, didn’t go well. So, why is he on this list again? Because the next time he visits, he’ll be sporting a ‘C’ on his sweater… and based on the headlines that came out of New York after the former Islanders captain was announced as Leafs captain, well… we’ll see how this goes over for the home crowd.
Patrick Maroon, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
@ St. Louis Nov. 19 | vs. Blues Nov. 27
November’s visit to St. Louis will be a homecoming in the truest sense of the word for the St. Louis native. Maroon only spent one year with the Blues, taking a literal hometown discount to be closer to son Anthony, but that was all he needed to earn “hometown hero” status for his role in helping the Blues claim the club’s first-ever Stanley Cup this past spring.
The big winger had us all tearing up during a post-game interview back in 2016 when the then-Oiler got choked up watching a video of his son’s joyful reaction to Maroon’s game-tying goal against the Blues (oof, it got real dusty in here) and it was a full-on waterworks back in the spring when he scored the double overtime game-winner for the Blues at home against the Stars to send St. Louis to the Western Conference Final.
Expect plenty of love (and did we mention the dust) at Enterprise Center on Nov. 19.
Nazem Kadri, C, Colorado Avalanche
vs. Maple Leafs Nov. 23 | @ Toronto Dec. 4
Being traded out of Toronto wasn’t exactly part of Kadri’s summer plans going into the off-season. As Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported earlier this month, Kadri sought advice from fellow former Maple Leaf Tyler Bozak, who signed with St. Louis as a UFA in July 2018.
Colorado’s new second-line centreman, who has two goals and four points with the Avalanche so far, admitted it was “bizarre” to watch the Maple Leafs play from a distance. We suspect it’ll be even stranger to see them up close when the Avalanche host the Maple Leafs for the first time since the trade in November.
Bozak’s move to the midwest turned out pretty well, with the longtime Leaf earning the Stanley Cup. Kind of makes you wonder if Kadri might do the same on a strong Avalanche club…
The November matchup between the Avalanche and Maple Leafs will also serve as a homecoming for Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot, the two other big pieces from the July 1 exchange. Both players have fit in seamlessly with the Maple Leafs, with Barrie making a habit of breaking ankles with his dynamic defensive zone exits and Kerfoot growing into his new role on a deep Leafs club.
Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers
@ Columbus Dec. 5 | vs. Blue Jackets Jan. 19 | @ Columbus Feb. 14
If you saw the Columbus Blue Jackets’ home-opener hype video, you already have a sense of how this one’s gonna go down in Columbus.
That Panarin chose to leave town didn’t come as a surprise to Blue Jackets faithful — the winger’s pending free agency decision played out rather publicly all season long, as did that of netminder Sergei Bobrovsky — but that didn’t make the departure any less painful.
Based on how Panarin is performing with the Rangers so far (two goals and two assists in three games on New York’s top line), prepare for fireworks.
Worth noting: Matt Duchene’s return to Columbus likely won’t be filled with as much resentment considering his short stay in Ohio, but it’s a safe bet that Blue Jackets fans have also marked their calendars for those clashes with Nashville (vs. Blue Jackets Feb. 22 | @ Columbus March 14).
Phil Kessel, RW, Arizona Coyotes
@ Pittsburgh Dec. 6 | vs. Penguins Jan. 12
The union between Kessel and the Penguins proved successful (two Stanley Cups) but rocky as talk of the Penguins looking to part ways with the speedy winger long preceded Kessel’s departure this past summer.
Pittsburgh has fallen on hard luck early this season with injuries sidelining big names like Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and even Alex Galchenyuk, who was sent to Pittsburgh as part of the Kessel trade.
Considering Kessel’s healthy track record — he hasn’t missed a game since 2009-10 — time will tell just how much the Penguins wind up feeling the loss.
Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers
vs. Blue Jackets Dec. 7 | @ Columbus Dec. 31 | @ Columbus Feb. 4
Better cue up that home-opener pump-up video again…
Early December might be an emotional time in Columbus, eh? Just two days after the Blue Jackets’ first meeting with Panarin, the team will visit their old starting goalie down in Florida. Just imagine if the two Russian UFAs had signed on with the same team on the open market, like many thought could happen.
Bobrovsky is responsible for giving Blue Jackets fans some pretty great post-season memories last spring during their thrilling run, and his departure leaves a void in Columbus’s crease that’s up to young replacements Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzļikins to fill.
P.K. Subban, D, New Jersey Devils
@ Nashville Dec. 7 | vs. Predators Jan. 30
Though not as league-altering as the 2016 trade that saw Subban dealt from Montreal to Nashville, the deal sending Subban to New Jersey still sent a few waves through the Eastern Conference as it instantly upped the intrigue factor surrounding the Devils.
When you go from an elite blue line like Nashville’s to a work-in-progress in New Jersey, there are bound to be a few adjustments — we’re seeing that already, with the Devils off to a 0-4 start to the season.
Jake Gardiner, D, Carolina Hurricanes
@ Toronto Dec. 23 | @ Toronto Feb. 22 | vs. Maple Leafs March 26
Gardiner rarely got the credit due his way during his Toronto tenure — often resented on the ice, but sorely missed when injuries forced him off it — and could be remembered more for his blunders than his smooth skating and playmaking.
It took almost the entire summer for the UFA to settle on a new hockey home, but it looks like his patience could pay off after ultimately joining an elite group of defenders in Carolina that’s off to a historically hot start at 6-1.
James Neal, LW, Edmonton Oilers
vs. Flames Dec. 27 | @ Calgary Jan. 11 | vs. Oilers Jan. 29
The James Neal experiment in Calgary didn’t exactly work out as planned… and neither did the Lucic one in Edmonton. The two players will now forever be linked thanks to the summer swap between Alberta teams, and adds a fun element to the provincial rivalry. Well, maybe not so fun for those in Calgary.
So far, the Real Deal has been a steal for Edmonton, as Neal has rediscovered his scoring touch while helping the club to a 5-1 start on the season. He’s already got eight goals through six games, including a four-goal night against the Islanders last week. Flames fans are, er, not so happy, considering Neal had just seven goals in 63 Flames games last year.
The pair of wingers won’t be the only ones getting the side-by-side comparison treatment in the days leading up to this one. The clubs’ goaltenders, Mike Smith (from Calgary to Edmonton) and Cam Talbot (Edmonton to Calgary) also swapped spots — though, that was in free agency and not on the trade market.
Joe Pavelski, C, Dallas Stars
@ San Jose Jan. 11 | vs. Sharks March 14 | @ San Jose April 2
This could very well be the most emotional homecoming of the year. The man affectionately known as Little Joe held a big place in the hearts of Sharks fans and in the team’s locker room — not to mention, on the team’s stat sheet, too. Pavelski, who signed with the Stars in free agency this past summer, led the team in goals last season (38) and was a consistent scorer over the course of his 13 seasons in San Jose.
Justin Faulk, D, St. Louis Blues
vs. Hurricanes Feb. 4 | @ Carolina March 19
The Blues and Hurricanes worked out a trade just ahead of the season to send Faulk to the Stanley Cup champs. So far, so good, for both parties. St. Louis gets an offensive-minded rearguard and power-play specialist while the Hurricanes were clearly dealing from a position of strength — especially after signing Gardiner.
Jacob Trouba, D, New York Rangers
vs. Jets Oct. 3 | @ Winnipeg Feb. 11
Trouba’s debut with the Rangers saw him suit up against his old club, greeting the Jets with a goal and two assists in a 6-4 victory in New York.
Trading Trouba was the only way for Winnipeg to move forward with the unhappy rearguard, who made no secret his desire to play elsewhere, but his absence is already being felt by the Jets, whose blue line is drastically different from last year’s and could prove problematic all season. Landing Trouba seriously accelerates the Rangers’ rebuild (signing Panarin helped, too). By the time Trouba’s return to Winnipeg rolls around, we’ll know a lot more about each team involved and how this trade will be viewed by both parties.
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