In a wild week in the NHL, several big names ended up with new teams. Whether it be by trade, like Ryan Johansen, or off of free agency, such as Mike Richards, these new players will look to contribute immediately for their new clubs.

1. Ryan Johansen, Nashville Predators

While there were rumors that Johansen’s time in Columbus may be up, its still hard to believe that a team would trade possibly their best player. Johansen is a top line forward, and the Predators haven’t had many of those in recent memory.

Currently, the team is ranked 17th in the NHL in offense, scoring 2.5 GPG. There highest scoring player is the defender Roman Josi, with 31 points. With the Predators halfway through the season, only two of their forwards are on pace to get 50 points. That's not good enough when you are trying to compete in the Central Division.

Enter Ryan Johansen, who has gotten 63 and 71 points in his two full seasons in the NHL. At 23, Johansen should improve as he gets more and more experience in the NHL. Also, he gets to play with another up and coming forward in Filip Forsberg.

2. Mike Richards, Washington Capitals

The one thing that we know about Mike Richards, is that he is a winner. He won the Stanley Cup, Calder Cup, Memorial Cup, World Juniors and has an Olympic Gold Medal. He also captained a team to the Stanley Cup Finals. That does not happen by accident. The great thing about Mike Richards is that he is good at every aspect of the game. He can produce on the top line, and he can be your ace on the penalty kill.

With the Capitals, Richards will probably play a smaller role. He did the same in Los Angeles, and has 37 playoff points to show for it. That kind of production in crunch time is exactly what the Capitals need after seeing talent teams crumble when the stakes got higher in the playoffs. Getting a pressure player like Richards mean that the Capitals are serious about winning the Stanley Cup this season.

3. Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets

Being the worst defense in the league is one thing, but having a 3.2 GAA is just terrible if you are trying to compete in your division. With Sergei Bobrovsky injured, the defense completely fell apart and in January, they have given up four goals in each game. Three of those games are losses.

They desperately need talent on their blue line, and that is exactly what the 21-year-old Seth Jones gives you. The former fourth overall pick is 6’5’’ and has the athleticism to go one on one with just about any player in the NHL. With the Predators, the established veterans already on the team overshadowed him, but in Columbus he should immediately play top line minutes and be given experience in all situations.       

4. Luke Schenn, Los Angeles Kings

At this point, we all know what to expect from Schenn. He is a big, physical defender that is prone to more than a few mistakes. Schenn was brought in by the Flyers because they expected him to eventually become a top line defender. Good news for the Kings is they do not expect the same thing.

Schenn is a second or third pairing defender that fits in perfectly for the Kings system. The Kings want their defenders to guard in front of the net, and that means they have to be more physical than the forwards that are crashing the net. Schenn can do just that, and give the team more depth at the blue line.

5. Emerson Etem, Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks are really struggling on the offensive side of things, scoring 2.4 GPG. Whats worse is that they only have three players, the Sedin twins and Jannik Hansen, who are on track to break the 40-point threshold. They need more potential scorers on offense.

Etem is still a young prospect, but he was not given a chance to really show how well he can produce offensively with the deep Ducks and Rangers. As a part of the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL, Etem got 13 goals and 21 points last year. He also got 61 goals and 107 points in the WHL, which led to him getting drafted in the first round. With more ice time, he will produce more.