The NHL preseason is coming to an end, and it’s time to predict which players will make a significant jump in their role and production during the upcoming season.
Last season, Dylan Guenther and Matthew Knies were among the players who saw a considerable increase in their participation and performance. For the 2025-26 season, several players who did not stand out the previous season, for various reasons, are emerging as potential breakout stars.
A “breakout” doesn’t always translate into greater offensive production. It can mean a larger role in normal game situations, more time on special teams, or facing stronger opponents. Many of the players on this list are expected to see a significant increase in their role, and some of them should excel in the traditional sense.
Connor Bedard
Center, Chicago Blackhawks. The most obvious player to include on this list.
After two seasons below seemingly impossible expectations, it seems this is finally Bedard’s year. Let’s remember that Nathan MacKinnon didn’t become the player we know until his fifth season in the NHL, so let’s give Bedard a chance.
Although the preseason isn’t always indicative, Bedard’s elite shot and vision were consistent in September. If he stays healthy, he should score more than a point per game. If he wants to be part of the Olympic team, he’ll need a pace of 85 to 90 points when the list is announced, which is achievable for someone with his skill.
Everyone has seen Bedard’s brilliance when he’s at his best. Across two years, he hasn’t been consistent. He will likely play over 20 minutes each game and should generate between three and four shots per game. His shooting percentage should start to rise, something often seen in players with elite shots like Bedard. If Bedard shoots at 13% on 270 shots, he would score 35 goals, a significant increase from his 22 and 23 goal campaigns.
He needs more opportunities to work his magic, both through his own creation and through the situations in which he is placed. It is reasonable to suggest that he finishes with 32 goals and 55 assists this season, which puts him at 87 points.
Quinton Byfield
Center, Los Angeles Kings. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound center will be a key piece for the Kings as he prepares to take on the role of first-line center when Anze Kopitar retires at the end of the season.
Kopitar is still an incredible player, but the Kings will need to put Byfield in difficult minutes to further develop his game on both sides of the puck. Byfield has everything to be a player who can score 80 points and be defensively reliable. He will have more opportunities on the power play, and his offensive game in normal play situations began to take off last season.
After two consecutive seasons with a total points in the mid-50s, Byfield is expected to use his speed, strength, and skill to physically dominate his shifts. There is a real path to a 30-goal, 45-assist season for him as he takes on a more prominent role in the Kings’ top six.
Matty Beniers
Center, Seattle Kraken. The first-line center for the Kraken is one of the best two-way players in the NHL at the young age of 22. Beniers is reliable in all situations, a rarity for players under 25. Beniers hasn’t found the next step offensively, and it’s something Seattle desperately needs.
From a true breakout perspective, this could be the year Beniers firmly enters the conversation for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Winners are often accompanied by offensive production (not that they have to be), and Beniers will see time on both special teams units to make an impact.
The Kraken’s new coach, Lane Lambert, wants the penalty kill to be aggressive and will encourage his players to generate scoring chances when the opportunity arises. That, combined with minutes on the first line and time on the power play, should allow Beniers the opportunity to increase his offensive production.
Beniers’ rookie campaign saw him produce 57 points in a second-line role. He is taking on tougher matchups on the first line, and if he can get over 60 points while effectively shutting down the opponent’s best player, he will be in the Selke conversation. That is a big step forward for a player at this point in his development.
Zach Benson
LW, Buffalo Sabres. A promotion to the first line with Tage Thompson and Josh Norris is all Benson needs to enter the list. Whether he stays there, or plays as the second line center to allow Ryan McLeod to thrive in the third line role, Benson is poised for a big increase in every statistical category.
After a 28-point campaign last season in which he averaged less than 15 minutes of ice time per game, he is likely to play close to 19 minutes per game this season. He will also have opportunities on the power play and will be in a position to play with better players than in previous campaigns.
Considering everything, there’s a clear possibility that the young and talented player will double his offensive production from last season and score between 55 and 60 points. He will play more difficult minutes due to his matchups against the best defenders, but Benson can create offense, and should thrive with more talented linemates and more time in the offensive zone.
The Sabres are counting on him this season, so scoring around 22 goals and 35 assists is within reach for the player chosen in the first round of 2023.
Cole Perfetti
C, Winnipeg Jets. With Nikolaj Ehlers signing with Carolina, Perfetti is finally in line to get a major upgrade in offensive opportunity. Combine that with his standout performance for Winnipeg in the playoffs, and there’s no defensible reason to keep him off the first power play or to give him consistent minutes in the top six.
With increased opportunity in normal play and special teams situations, there’s every reason to believe Perfetti could be a 70-point player in 2025-26. Increasing his ice time from 15 to 17 minutes per game will lead to an increase in shot opportunities. If Perfetti matches his shooting percentage from the last two seasons, he should score between 25 and 30 goals. Increased time on the power play will naturally increase his offensive production.
Finally, it’s Perfetti time in Winnipeg, and he’s well-prepared to seize this well-deserved opportunity and run with it.
Logan Stankoven
C, Carolina Hurricanes. The diminutive center saw his opportunity (and, therefore, his production) increase after the trade from Dallas to Carolina.
The Canes deployed Stankoven as their second-line center and were rewarded for it. As is the case with Perfetti, Stankoven is likely to see 17 minutes of ice time per game this season, adding two minutes to last season’s average. Whether he’s flanked by Andrei Svechnikov or Ehlers on his left, he’s going to have a very talented player capable of scoring a lot of points.
Stankoven’s playmaking ability could be what elevates Svechnikov to that increase in goal production that many have been waiting for. If he plays with Ehlers, both are dual-threat offensive players, and Stankoven has the ability to finish the opportunities that Ehlers creates.
Regardless of who he plays with, an improvement in the skill set and more opportunity should lead to increased production for the young center of the Canes.
