Predicting that New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes would be a breakout player last season was about as bold as forecasting that a dog would win best in show from the Westminster Kennel Club.
Sometimes, the signs are just obvious that it’s time for an NHL player’s glow-up.
In 2020-21, his second NHL season, Hughes worked hard to add size, shoot the puck more often and even changed the curvature of his stick. His sophomore success suggested that 2021-22 would be his breakout. “I think for players like Jack, it’s like dog years. That’s how much he learned: How good defensemen are, how they take space away,” Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said at the time.
Last season, he proved those predictions accurate: 56 points in 49 games, in a season cut short by injury. A star was born, literally: Hughes played in the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, the first of his career.
Every NHL season, there are players bubbling under the surface ready to pop. Rookies who level up in their second seasons. Supporting cast members given a larger spotlight. Solid contributors who, through offseason additions or subtractions, find themselves with a promising new role.
Here are 25 players who are primed for breakout campaigns in the 2022-23 NHL season, placed into handy tiers.
Jump to a tier:
New scenery
New linemates
Young star to major star
The wait is over
Tier 1: New scenery
These players switched teams and could see their stock rise with new scenery.
After career highs in goals (28) and points (57) in 80 games last season, Bjorkstrand had his cap hit shipped out to Seattle while Columbus inked free agent prize Johnny Gaudreau. He has shown incremental improvement each season while maintaining his status as an analytics darling.
The Kraken didn’t really have a breakout offensive player in their inaugural season but should be a better-scoring team with an influx of young and veteran talent. With top-line minutes, Bjorkstrand could see the spotlight shine more intensely on his impressive game.
The venerable Scotty Bowman told Montreal Hockey Now that the Chicago Blackhawks jettisoned Dach due to a lack of faceoff success and a failure to play to the team’s identity — or at least what the identity was before it became “lose at all costs.”
He’s a prospect badly in need of a change in scenery. There are things Dach already excels at, such as passes that set up linemates’ scoring chances and defensive zone puck retrieval. There are certainly areas for improvement. With the right linemates, could he find his…
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