Projecting the NHL's leap-forward players for 2025-26, led by Matty Beniers

The NHL's preseason is astir done, and it is clip to prognosticate who volition instrumentality a leap guardant this play successful presumption of relation and production.

Last season, Dylan Guenther and Matthew Knies made this list and saw large increases successful relation and production. A fewer others who did not popular past play for assorted reasons, find themselves connected the database up of 2025-26.

As is tradition, a "breakout" does not ever mean violative production. It tin mean an elevated relation astatine adjacent strength, much peculiar teams time, and vulnerability to tougher matchups. Many of the players connected this database are expected to spot large relation increases and a fewer of them should interruption retired successful the accepted sense.

Connor Bedard

C, Chicago Blackhawks

The astir evident subordinate to see connected this list.

After 2 seasons beneath seemingly intolerable expectations, it feels similar this is yet Bedard's year. A reminder that Nathan Mackinnon did not go the rhinoceros connected skates we cognize contiguous until his 5th NHL season, truthful springiness the overmuch smaller Bedard a chance.

Not that the preseason is ever an indicator of anything, but Bedard's changeable and elite imaginativeness were connected show consistently successful September. If helium stays healthy, helium should people much than a constituent per game. If helium wants to marque the Olympic team, he'll request to beryllium connected an 85- to 90-point gait erstwhile the roster is named, which is attainable for idiosyncratic with his accomplishment set.

Everyone has seen the brilliance of Bedard erstwhile he's astatine the apical of his game. Through 2 years, it hasn't been consistent. He'll apt play much than 20 minutes each game, and should make betwixt 3 to 4 shots per game. His shooting percent should commencement to climb, which is thing seen often with players who person elite shots similar Bedard. Should Bedard sprout astatine 13% connected 270 shots, helium would people 35 goals, a large uptick from his 22- and 23-goal campaigns.

He needs much opportunities to marque magic happen, some of his ain instauration and by mode of the situations helium is deployed in. It's tenable to suggest helium ends with 32 goals and 55 assists this season, which puts him astatine 87 points.

Quinton Byfield

C, Los Angeles Kings

The 6-5, 225-pound halfway is going to beryllium a cardinal portion for the Kings this season, arsenic helium prepares to measurement into the top-line pivot relation erstwhile Anze Kopitar retires astatine the extremity of the season.

Kopitar is inactive a tremendous player, but the Kings volition request to enactment Byfield successful pugnacious minutes to further make his crippled connected some sides of the puck. Byfield has each the makings of a subordinate who tin people 80 points and beryllium reliable defensively. He's going to get much opportunities connected the powerfulness play, and his violative crippled astatine adjacent spot started to instrumentality disconnected past season.

After back-to-back seasons of constituent totals successful the mid-50s, expect Byfield to usage his sp...