Five players who could swing the 2025-26 NHL season
Every year, a few NHL players do things that completely change the complexion of the season.
Whether it’s taking a big leap forward or failing to meet expectations in an elevated role, there’s a class of players out there who can exert significant influence over whether their team surges to a deep playoff run out of nowhere or fails to make them at all.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are full of these players. Guys like Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling elevated their games to new heights to turn a good team led by a strong core of Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk to a monster with seemingly unbeatable depth.
Last year, Nick Suzuki’s leap to joining the ranks of the legitimate first-line centers got the Montreal Canadiens back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning went from good to great, becoming an indispensable member of Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off just in time for the 2026 Olympics.
Which players heading into 2025-2026 will have outsized influences on the fates of their teams with their performances? Here’s an educated guess.
1. Leo Carlsson, C, Anaheim Ducks
If you weren’t paying attention to the Ducks down the stretch last season, and there’s zero reason to blame you if that’s the case, you missed a heck of a breakout for the 2023 No. 2 overall draft pick.
The Swede finished the year with 45 points in 76 games, but that production was significantly backloaded.
In the month of March, things clicked into place, as he tallied 17 points in 15 games.
Carlsson is six-foot-three with 97th percentile top skating speed according to NHL Edge data, killer offensive instincts, a strong shot and a burgeoning defensive game.
With Joel Quenneville behind the bench, Carlsson is set to explode if he can earn a clear-cut first-line center role coming out of training camp.
Jack Hughes broke out in his third year, and while I’m not willing to commit to saying Carlsson reaches that level, don’t be surprised if he’s worked his way into top-10 center in the NHL conversations by the spring.
2. Brandt Clarke, RD, Los Angeles Kings
We’ll stick in California for our second candidate, as goodness, this is a massive year for Clarke’s career.
The 22-year-old notched 33 points in 78 games while averaging 16:17 of ice time last year, but the numbers under the hood are a bit more impressive.
Among regular defensemen last year, Clarke ranked 12th in 5-on-5 primary assists per 60 minutes and 28th in individual expected goals generated.
He’s got a great puck-moving skill set and massive offensive upside, but there is going to be a ton on his plate this year.
The Kings likely got worse on the back end this offseason, losing Vladislav Gavrikov and trading Jordan Spence, replacing them by signing veterans Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci.
Los Angeles has a great defensive infrastructure, but this group looks quite underwhelming in the areas in which Clarke excels.
He’s going to play more minutes than he ever has, and if he can rise to the occasion against tough matchups in a loaded Pacific Division, we may not notice any drop-off on the team’s blueline.
If not, the Kings may be facing an uphill battle to get back to the playoffs.
3. Luke Hughes, LD, New Jersey Devils
Going from a defenseman with a ton of responsibility to one who has the luxury of help around him, Hughes’ development could determine whether the Devils are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender or bound for another early exit.
The 2021 fourth overall pick was one of the New Jersey blueliners to go down with injury either before or during last year’s first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but before his shoulder injury, he was showing signs of breaking out as a top-pair option.
Hughes put up 19 points in his last 20 regular-season games while playing well more than 23 minutes a night on average.
If the youngest Hughes brother is the same player this year that he was in the last, the Devils will still have a pretty good defense with the likes of Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler joining him in leading the way.
If Hughes makes the jump to the elite ranks of his position like he flashed at the end of last season, though, the Prudential Center could quickly become home to one of the three best bluelines in the league.
With a strong one-two punch down the middle in Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier along with the solid goaltending of Jacob Markstrom, that would quickly make the Devils formidable in a weak Metropolitan Division.
4. Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars
A strong argument could be made that Johnston was one of the players who swung the season last year, but in the negative sense.
He upped his raw point total by six from 65 to 71, but he did so skating nearly two more minutes per game, so his efficiency cratered, going from 2.52 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes down to 2.13.
Johnston then pulled something of a disappearing act in the playoffs, putting up just 10 points in 18 games while posting a minus-16 rating as the Stars got virtually no offensive help behind Mikko Rantanen, ultimately losing the Western Conference Final to the Edmonton Oilers.
But anyone, Dallas fans or league-wide observers alike, would be crazy to count Johnston out after his down year in 2024-2025.
This is the same guy who rose to the occasion in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he looks like a lock to reach at least 30 goals and 30 assists due to the diversity of his offensive skill set.
If he stays at this level, it gets tougher to see the Stars as the favorite in any postseason matchup with the Oilers, but if he can become a 90 to 95-point type of player who excels both on the power play and at even strength, Dallas starts to look a lot more likely to finally get over the hump in the spring.
5. Will Cuylle, LW, New York Rangers
During a nightmarish season for Rangers fans, Cuylle stood out as an immense bright spot.
His combination of speed, size and power on the wing make him something of a throwback, but it’s the archetype of power forward that the Tkachuk brothers have brought back into fashion and proven to be a massively additive style.
New York will need every bit of growth it can get from Cuylle, who finished the 2024-2025 campaign with 20 goals and 25 assists in 82 games.
He played just more than 15 minutes a night, a number that seems likely to get a solid bump up assuming he gels well with new head coach Mike Sullivan.
Sullivan had success with this sort of player in Pittsburgh with Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist and Bryan Rust, and on a team that often looked uninspired last year, Cuylle was always the best bet to bring his A-game.
A world where Cuylle becomes New York’s clear-cut second best forward behind Artemi Panarin is likely one where the Rangers have a chance to return to the playoffs after last year’s shocking failures.
_____
The Sheet is live! Hosted by Jeff Marek, this brand-new show is your daily deep dive into the biggest hockey stories, trends, and insights across the NHL, PWHL, junior hockey, and beyond. Streaming every weekday at 3 PM ET on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel, The Sheet features exclusive interviews with top hockey figures, from industry executives to Olympic champions. Don’t miss out—subscribe to Daily Faceoff on YouTube and follow @TheSheetHockey on social media to stay up-to-date with all the latest from the world of hockey.
_____