10 NHL players who experienced post-hype breakouts in salary cap era
Is 2026-27 the Year of the Late Bloomer?
Several prominent players who have taken longer than planned to realize their NHL potential seem to be having their moments this season. Alexis Lafreniere, the 2020 Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, has emerged as the New York Rangers’ top forward. Bruising power forward Vasiliy Podkolzin has earned a prominent role with his second NHL team, the Edmonton Oilers, and is on track to destroy his career highs in less than half a season. Sniper Jack Quinn looks like one of the Buffalo Sabres’ most important players right now. Jesper Wallstedt is poised for a Vezina Trophy push as the Minnesota Wild’s starting goaltender, two years after he was barely meeting the standard of play in the AHL, let alone the NHL.
What caused these post-hype breakouts for highly touted first-round picks? Lafreniere needed an increase in coach trust. Wallstedt played much better once he had NHL defensemen protecting him rather than AHL ones. The reasons are numerous. But these four players offer hope for any fan base wondering if their top prospects are ever going to become go-to players. And they aren’t the only examples of post-hype breakouts in recent memory.
Which other players have rallied from potential bust status to become stars during the NHL’s salary-cap era? Here are 10 to remember.
The rules for the exercise:
– Skaters must have been drafted in the first round
– The breakout season had to come in Year 5 or later after being drafted
– Goaltenders must have been drafted in the first or second round
Let’s get to the list.
Jacob Markstrom, G
Drafted 2008 (Fla), broke out 2015-16 (Van)
The towering Swedish puck-stopper was a mainstay on top prospect lists for what felt like half a decade. But he didn’t get his big opportunity in the NHL until he went to the Vancouver Canucks in the trade that brought Roberto Luongo back to the Florida Panthers. By 2015-16, Markstrom was one of the better young netminders in the league, cracking 30 starts for the first time. From 2018-19 through 2021-22, he finished top-10 in the Vezina vote three times, including a runner-up finish in 2021-22, during which he led the NHL with nine shutouts. A key catalyst for Markstrom’s delayed breakout was the tutelage of Canucks goalie coach Ian Clark, who helped refine Markstrom’s technical play with some brutal tough-love tactics.
Victor Hedman, D
Drafted 2009 (TB), broke out 2013-14
It’s not like Hedman was bad when he jumped directly to the NHL as an 18-year-old after going second overall in the 2009 Draft. He averaged close to 21 minutes of ice time per game as a rookie. But, reminiscent of Chris Pronger, Hedman took time to grow into an all-around dominator who put up big offensive numbers and used his 6-foot-6 frame to bully opponents. Playing for a defense-minded head coach in Guy Boucher limited Hedman’s scoring, too. But that all changed when Jon Cooper took over behind Tampa Bay Lightning bench late in 2012-13. Hedman busted out for 13 goals and 55 points in his fifth NHL season and put together a prime run that included winning a Norris Trophy and finishing as a finalist six seasons in a row, capturing Two Stanley Cups and taking home a Conn Smythe Trophy. The big D-men always just need a bit longer to cook in the oven.
Kyle Palmieri, RW
Drafted 2009 (Ana), broke out 2015-16 (NJ)
Palmieri had shown promise as a goal scorer at every developmental stop in his career. But he couldn’t quite push his way into the Anaheim Ducks’ circle of trust in his first couple NHL seasons, and they weren’t happy with his inconsistency. They didn’t think too hard about dealing him for a second- and third-round pick. But he immediately found a groove as a New Jersey Devil, burying 30 goals in his first season and scoring at least 24 in five consecutive seasons. He was entrusted with a much larger role right away as a Devil, particularly as a power-play weapon, and he enjoyed some peak years as one of the league’s more reliable snipers.
Phillip Danault, C
Drafted 2011 (Chi), broke out 2016-17 (Mtl)
The 2015-16 Chicago Blackhawks were a pure win-now operation, having won three Stanley Cups in five years, and GM Stan Bowman had no problem moving future assets to load up at the Trade Deadline in hopes of keeping his team’s championship window open. Danault had missed a large chunk of the 2015-16 season due to a hip injury and wasn’t a lineup fixture for the loaded Hawks when healthy. They improved their depth in acquiring veteran forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise from the Montreal Canadiens, who bought low on a Quebec-born kid. Danault became a full-time NHLer by the next season, and from 2018-19 through 2024-25, he was one of the best defensive centers in hockey, finishing top-eight in the Selke Trophy vote four times in a row at one point. He was the top shutdown forward on the Cinderella Habs squad that made a shocking run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21.
Valeri Nichushkin, RW
Drafted 2013 (Dal), broke out 2019-20 (Col)
Nichushkin had the tools on paper. The size and skill were tantalizing. But a zero-goal 2018-19 season across 57 games was enough to convince the Dallas Stars that Nichushkin would never reach his potential. They bought out the final season of his contract, deciding he wasn’t worth $2.95 million the following season. The Colorado Avalanche scooped him up for $850,000, and he immediately established himself as one of the best two-way forwards in the league. By 2021-22, his offense caught up to his defense, and he was key cog on Colorado’s Stanley Cup-winning squad. Nichushkin has battled off-ice problems and has struggled to stay healthy, but for a meaningful period in Colorado he became the player Dallas thought he could be when it drafted him.
Sam Bennett, C
Drafted 2014 (Cgy), broke out 2020-21 (Fla)
Bennett was hyped in his draft year as the second coming of Doug Gilmour, a dawg of a forward who could beat you with his scoring but also beat you up with this killer instinct. Bennett teased the idea that he was a high-stakes player with 11 goals in 30 playoff games as a Calgary Flame, but they grew tired of his underachieving, and he requested a trade to a team that would play him higher in its lineup. They sold him to the Panthers at the 2021 Trade Deadline for a package of futures. Bennett immediately ripped off 15 points in 10 games upon arriving in Florida and never looked back. He’s been a key component of the franchise’s peak era; he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when Florida secured its second of back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024-25. Bennett’s hard-nosed play even earned him spots with Team Canada for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics.
Adrian Kempe, RW
Drafted 2014 (LA), broke out 2021-22
Nothing was going particularly wrong with the Los Angeles Kings’ Kempe pick. He was a full-time NHLer three years after being drafted. He averaged 15 goals per 82 games across his first four full seasons; perfectly solid for a late first-round pick. But it was shocking to see him explode for 35 goals seven years after being drafted. Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, he sits 20th among all players in goals, and he has scored at least 35 in four of his past five seasons. A permanent move from center to the wing spurred his post-hype breakout.
Tage Thompson, C
Drafted 2016 (Stl), broke out 2021-22 (Buf)
Maybe the “slow developing big man” theory applies to more than just defensemen? The centerpiece of the Buffalo Sabres’ return for Ryan O’Reilly was underwhelming for a while. Thompson’s size and skill were intriguing, yet he felt like a project for his first several pro seasons. But Sabres coach Don Granato had worked with Thompson at USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in the past. He moved Thompson back to center, and everything changed. Thompson was more engaged in the play, and he became a physical matchup nightmare for opponents. His deadly one-timer made him that much more dangerous. He’s now one of the game’s best goal scorers, topping 40 in three of his past four seasons and winning gold with USA at the 2026 Olympics. Turns out the O’Reilly trade was win-win.
Filip Gustavsson, G
Drafted 2016 (Pit), broke out 2022-23 (Min)
The goaltender position is so fickle, with so few starting spots available, that it sometimes feels like all a good goalie needs is that chance. The Ottawa Senators thought they were upgrading in net when they traded Gustavsson to the Minnesota Wild for Cam Talbot in the 2022 offseason. Instead, Gustavsson outplayed Marc-Andre Fleury and became a star in the Wild net, posting a .931 save percentage. By 2025, Gustavsson had earned a chunky contract extension at a $6.8-million AAV. He’s since ceded the No. 1 job to Wallstedt, but Gustavsson still has a bright future as a high-end NHL goalie, whether it’s in the State of Hockey or somewhere else long term.
Gabe Vilardi, RW
Drafted 2017 (LA), broke out 2022-23
Vilardi’s upside as a pure scorer made him a top-11 pick even though there were questions about his skating. But he battled serious back problems early in his career, and he was nearing “Is it ever going to happen?” status by 2022-23. He showed promise in the AHL in 2021-22, however, and his crafty release finally led him to success the following season, when he popped 23 goals. He ended up part of the Kings’ ill-fated trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois and has since become an important member of the Jets’ top six. He set a career high last season with 30 goals.
Honorable mentions: Brock Nelson, Dylan Strome, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
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