Who has been the recruit of the year? Listen to high-profile commentators like Gerard Healy and Jonathan Brown, the answer is obvious: North Melbourne's Shaun Higgins.

But ask a Collingwood fan and a case for key pick-up Jack Crisp would follow.

And if Melbourne supporters felt strongly enough, they might raise Jeff Garlett as a part of the conversation.

Higgins, Crisp and Garlett.

That those three names are the leading choices in this debate – one that only covers players who have crossed from another club this year – highlights not only the admirable job they (along with their club's recruiters and coaches) have done, but also the underwhelming impact so many other big-name recruits have had this season. Much to our surprise.

No disrespect to the Higgins-Crisp-Garlett trio, but they would not have been at the top of many lists had this topic being raised at the end of last year's trade period.

One of the most eventful off-seasons in AFL history promised a number of game-changing moves in 2015.

Patrick Ryder was the missing piece in Port Adelaide's premiership puzzle, Nick Malceski would only top off a Gold Coast list already good enough to play finals, Mitch Clark would form a dangerous one-two punch with Tom Hawkins to give Geelong the equal of any forward line and ditto Dayne Beams and Allen Christensen in the Brisbane midfield.

Then there was the Ryan Griffen-Tom Boyd mega deal, which was to leave Griffen free to return to his best football unburdened by the Western Bulldogs captaincy, while Boyd would be the long-term answer to the Dogs' forward line problems.

The short-term, however, was unclear, but certainly no one could have predicted that – if the Dogs developed one of the best attacking systems in the league, such as they have done in recent weeks – that Boyd wouldn't play at least some role in that. Right now, he is playing VFL but could yet announce himself come finals.

Indeed, very few storylines have played out as planned. 

To be fair to Beams, his play might be worthy of a ranking alongside Garlett.

He has been the most damaging player in a Brisbane midfield cruelled by injury, leading the team for disposals, inside 50s and clearances.

But who would have expected the Lions would have gone backwards even with the injection of 26 Dayne Beams touches every week?

Elements outside of Beams' control have led to that scenario, just as injury has cut down Clark's bright start to the year at Geelong, which included three bags of three goals from eight matches.

Rhys Stanley showed the flexibility he could give the Cats' best 22 in an impressive ruck display against Port Adelaide in round 11 but suffered a season-ending injury the same night.

And there have been other clubs for which things have quietly petered out to an anti-climax. Adam Cooney spoke pre-season of hopefully playing finals and providing the Bombers with the outside run they needed at somewhere near his Brownlow Medal best, while Liam Jones was looking forward to greater opportunity at Carlton under now sacked coach Mick Malthouse.

James Frawley is still finding his groove at Hawthorn – a task made difficult by injury – but his true value or otherwise will be judged in September, not now.

And of course there are teams and players for which things have worked out.

Take Collingwood, who knew they were receiving more than just a "set of steak knives" with the arrival of Crisp, but have been pleasantly surprised with the level the former Brisbane midfielder has been able to reach so soon, ranking second at the Pies for tackles and third for clearances and inside 50s behind only Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury.

And while an ankle fracture limited Levi Greenwood's influence in his first season, Travis Varcoe has bobbed up with goals and forward pressure at important times to more than pay his way.

Heritier Lumumba has been solid, not outstanding, at Melbourne but the Demons could not have asked much more of Garlett, who has kicked the second-most goals for the club - averaging nearly two a game – and which could have been more with better execution.

Which leaves the mixed bag at the Roos, who would be hoping Jarrad Waite gives them more of his best – like the seven-goal haul against Brisbane in round two – than his worst in the next month with a finals position still not guaranteed.

But it seems hard to go past Higgins.

The former Bulldog is on track to the kick the most goals in any of his previous nine seasons. He is currently on 31, one behind his previous 2009 best, but more importantly it has been the consistency of his output that has lifted his status in the eyes of many.

At least statistically, the 27-year-old is in career-best form, free from a raft of injuries that he has never wanted to use as an excuse but remain a factor in why the former No.11 draft pick has not been able to replicate this standard more often.

He has relished being fit enough to settle into a forward-midfield role.

"I've always thought that's where I played my best footy, but I probably haven't got my body in a position to be able to play that in the modern game ,where it's probably the hardest-working position on the ground," Higgins said on Monday night as a guest on Fox Footy's On The Couch, which in itself is an endorsement of his season.

"All the ducks have lined up over the past 12 months and my footy is where I always wished it would be," he said.