There should be no argument that, when it’s all said and done, Timo Meier will be considered the most impactful player moved at the 2023 NHL trade deadline.

That’s hardly climbing out on a limb, I know.

It’s why the Devils gave up a boatload for him. It’s why they hope to have him around for a long time.

But also, unsurprisingly for a player who had previously played for one NHL team his whole career, Meier took a few games to get going in New Jersey. He was pointless in four of his first five games before recently finding his sea legs and starting to show the kind of fit that could lead to some big playoff moments this spring — and beyond that.

No surprise there.

But what about players who were traded to teams looking for them to be more immediate fits? Today, let’s take a look at five players acquired ahead of the March 3 deadline who have wasted no time in impressing their new teams. They walked right in and made an impact like they’d been there all along. That’s hard to do. And it’s mighty impressive.

With some commentary provided Tuesday from free-agent NHL head coaches Travis Green (via phone) and Bruce Boudreau (via text message), here’s our top five deadline stars so far:

1. Mattias Ekholm

What a stud since arriving from Nashville. I know plus-minus is what it is as a statistic, but through his opening 10 games with the Oilers, he was plus-15! Not to mention his three goals and nine points. He’s happy to be in Edmonton, too. “It’s a lifetime opportunity,” Ekholm told me recently.

And he’s helped stabilize young defensive partner Evan Bouchard. A home run trade by any measure so far.

Green: “It’s been a while that people have talked about Edmonton needing to add a player much like Ekholm. To see what he’s done there in 10 games, the points stand out right away for me. Watching him throughout his career, he was always a guy for me that I thought probably had a little more offense in him than he showed. But his commitment level to defense has always been outstanding. And his ability to help protect leads and shut down players, that’s always been (at) the forefront of his game. And it’s showing there. He’s plus-15 in 10 games. You do the math over 82 games, that’s pretty impressive. Plus there’s the leadership factor as well. He’s been around, he’s played a lot of playoff games. That’s something that’s going to help Edmonton.”