By Jared Clinton, features writer

New seasons provide new opportunities, which create avenues for players to break out. The 2025-26 season will be no different, and in this article, The Hockey News take a look at the strongest candidates to make a name for themselves or ascend into stardom on the Atlantic Division teams. 

Boston Bruins: Matthew Poitras

It was a surprise when Matthew Poitras made the 2023-24 Bruins out of camp, but a mid-season shoulder injury derailed his campaign. Then, amid this season’s rocky results, Boston bumped him back to the AHL to aid his development. He fared well in Providence, posting 17 goals and 41 points in 40 games with the baby B’s, earning his way back to The Show by season’s end. The 21-year-old is primed for a middle-six NHL role in 2025-26. His playmaking and two-way game could see him help rejuvenate the big club.

Buffalo Sabres: Jiri Kulich

If the increase in ice time Jiri Kulich saw post-trade deadline is any indication, the Sabres view him as a top-six center. That alone should result in a sharp rise in production for the 21-year-old, who was among Buffalo’s most effective five-a-side scorers this year. Per 60 minutes, he ranked third on the team in goals and seventh in points. A gifted goal-scorer with a heavy shot, Kulich will be challenging for opposing defensemen to contain. A 20-goal season is the baseline expectation for him next year.

Detroit Red Wings: Marco Kasper

The patient approach Detroit takes with prospects has paid dividends, and the development system has another success story after the rookie season Marco Kasper just had. The 21-year-old made a seamless leap to life in the NHL, with his 19 goals (fourth) and 37 points (seventh) placing him top 10 in freshman scoring. If not handed the second-line center job, Kasper will at least have a chance to earn it. His blend of speed, smarts and two-way play will make him a key cog as Detroit seeks to return to the post-season.

Florida Panthers: Mackie Samoskevich

Mackie Samoskevich grew into his role in the bottom six as 2024-25 went on, but the greatest indicator that the 22-year-old is ready to take on a larger role is how he fared down the stretch. Given a top-six role – he played 17-plus minutes in eight of Florida’s final 26 games – Samoskevich turned in eight goals and 15 points. That accounted for half of his ’24-25 output. He was bumped from the playoff lineup, primarily by the incoming Brad Marchand, but Samoskevich is in position to take a middle-six spot next season.

Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle

Despite scoring goals at a career-best pace last season, the likelihood of Kaiden Guhle, 23, becoming a 40-point player is slim. Even regular 30-point years could be a stretch. But becoming a big, physical shutdown defenseman who 31 other clubs would love to get their hands on? That’s becoming a reality. Perhaps as early as next season, Guhle could become the perfect partner for Lane Hutson. That would give the Canadiens a dynamic defensive duo who can play against any foe in any situation.

Ottawa Senators: Ridly Greig

Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson lead the Senators’ revival, but the heart-and-soul style of Ridly Greig has quickly made him a fan favorite and a thorn in opponents’ sides. Greig, 22, has already proven valuable in all situations, but age and experience stand to help him grow into a more consistent offensive contributor. Greig now has two 13-goal campaigns, and he had a career-high 34 points in 2024-25. The next step is flirting with 20 goals and 40 points. Both are realistic goals in 2025-26.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Gage Goncalves

Have the Tampa Bay Lightning unearthed another gem in Gage Goncalves? The 2020 second-rounder had spent the past three seasons as a key contributor for the Syracuse Crunch and even led the AHL squad in scoring in 2023-24, but he stepped into the Lightning lineup in 2024-25 and clung to a steady bottom-six role. Even more promising for Goncalves, 24, was the post-season. His four points tied him for second in Bolts scoring, and he played his way into top-six minutes.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson

Cap constraints and roster reshuffling will provide chances for youngsters to step into larger roles in Toronto, and Nick Robertson is among those who should benefit most. The 23-year-old has been saddled with bottom-six minutes and limited special-teams time over the past two seasons, but his natural goal-scoring acumen makes him a prime candidate for elevation to the second power-play unit. Robertson ranked fourth on the Leafs in goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time this season.

This article appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the Cup final. We also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans. In addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL season.

You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.

The Seattle Kraken are here in the NHL prospect pool overview series.

Tony Ferrari digs into the Kraken’s strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with few exceptions.

Initial Thoughts

The Seattle Kraken are a young franchise, but they’ve quickly built up a very solid prospect pool, with a focus on center depth and players who play a strong transition game. Some players don’t fit that bill perfectly, but they seem to have a type. 

Berkly Catton is among the more interesting players in the pipeline, looking like a player that could be a potential game breaker with his speed and evasiveness combined with his elite playmaking touch. Catton has surpassed the 100-point mark in each of the last two seasons, scoring at a 1.8 point per game clip over that time. He is in the awkward position of being just too young for the AHL, being a January 2006 birthday, while also having proven everything he could have at the WHL level. The NHL is an option, but that would be a big jump. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him stick out of training camp and eventually be sent back to junior before the World Junior Championship, where he could lead Team Canada. 

Leaping into pro hockey this season will be Carson Rehkopf, a winger who plays a tactical game and gets into shooting positions with ease. Whether he is attacking off the rush or hunting down pockets of space away from the puck, Rehkopf might be the most natural finisher in the Seattle pipeline. He’s grown into much more than a triggerman over the last couple of years though, developing a passing game that utilizes delays and quick cuts to change angles and open lanes. Rehkopf could be a player who makes an instant impact in the AHL and finds himself in NHL games by season’s end. 

The development of Clarke Caswell over the last few years has been interesting. He’s a strong transition forward who can weave his way up ice with speed, generating lateral quickness from crossovers. He also possesses some of the most impressive play connecting ability in the pipeline, consistently looking to make quick decisions or smart little bumper passes. He can make plays from all over the zone, going low-to-high or finding a late man in the zone for a scoring chance. Caswell is a very smart player all over the ice, and there could be a steady and tactical middle-six forward in the NHL one day. 

Jagger Firkus is a jitterbug who is an electric offensive presence with an absolute whippy shot and some incredibly creative passing. Firkus is a crafty player, and there were some growing pains in his first AHL season, but he could be in line for a breakout season. His puck handling makes him slippery, cutting laterally or shifting his weight to give himself a small shooting window or passing lane. There aren’t many more entertaining players to watch in the AHL. 

After three steady years of improvement at the SHL level, Danish forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard joined the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds to end last season and looked like he fit right in. Fisker Molgaard is a player who focuses on the details, ensuring he’s doing the little things and finding success because of it. He’s a very fluid skater who gets around the ice with ease, using his mobility to impact the game defensively, aided by excellent reads on the backcheck. He should be a player who finds plenty of success as a third-line center one day, using the intelligence and poise that he plays with to pick apart opponents tactically. 

Former OHLers David Goyette and Eduard Sale had some ups and downs in their first full AHL season. Goyette is an elite passer who sees the ice as well as anyone. Sale is a player who skates into space and fires passes through traffic on the move. Both of them struggled to deal with the physicality a bit, with Goyette in particular taking some time to adjust. Both Sale and Goyette are immensely talented players, and they will need to take a step this season in the AHL. 

It was a bit surprising to see Ty Nelson step into the AHL and have such an immediate impact. He’s always been a very engaged and driven player, but there was always concern about whether he would be able to continue that at the pro level, given his size. Nelson will throw his weight around, and he has a massive shot. In a lot of ways, Nelson plays a bit bigger than he actually is. When he’s engaged, he is a cerebral player. He will have to continue finding ways to prove his size isn’t an issue, but he’s built like a truck and loves to get involved in all aspects of the game. 

Last year was a bit tough for Caden Price. In his final junior season, he was traded, which isn’t an uncommon occurrence, but he really struggled to find his footing after the trade. Price is a mobile defender who is at his best when he’s not trying to do too much at either end of the ice. He’s a capable defender who uses his feet and his frame to cut play off and turn it around, but sometimes he can get into chase mode and loses his positioning. Offensively, he’s a very crafty passer who can activate on the backside and become a shooting threat, but his reads aren’t always on point. Heading into his first AHL season, he will need to refine things on the decision-making front. 

Lukas Dragicevic is a defender who loves attacking up ice, leading the rush and is developing a killer instinct. This past season, he elevated his offensive game even further, looking to push the pace when he had the puck on his stick. Dragicevic is a great straight-line mover, but he isn’t the most laterally capable skater, particularly at speed. That aspect usually shows up in his defensive coverage. He’s turning pro this fall, and it will be interesting to see what kind of role they give him out of the gate in the AHL. He has the offensive tools to be a rush-attacking blueliner and a potential power play quarterback, but his defensive game could limit his ice time if he doesn’t clean up his footwork a bit. 

U-23 Players Likely To Be On NHL Roster This Season

Shane Wright (C), Matty Beniers (C) 

2025 NHL Draft Class

Round 1, 8th overall - Jake O'Brien, C, Brantford (OHL)

Round 2, 36th overall - Blake Fiddler, D, Edmonton (WHL)

Round 3, 68th overall - Will Reynolds, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)

Round 5, 134th overall - Maxim Agafonov, D, Ufa Tolpar (Rus)

Round 7, 205th overall - Karl Annborn, D, HV71 Jr. (Swe)

Round 7, 218th overall - Loke Krantz, LW, Linkoping HC Jr. (Swe)

The Seattle Kraken love to draft centers, and they continued with that trend in the first round, taking Jake O’Brien out of the OHL. Part of the reason O’Brien was such an intriguing prospect who was constantly on the rise in the first half of the year was his physical gifts and the runway that he has in terms of filling out. He’s a tall, skinny kid who has already shown the elements of being a near-elite playmaker. If O’Brien can add some muscle over the next couple of years, he could very easily find himself to be a dominant blend of skill and power. 

O’Brien is one of the premier playmakers in the 2025 draft class. His vision and play-reading ability with the puck on his stick is impressive, understanding where defenders are leaning and how they are trying to structure themselves to exploit where the lanes are. He is a good shooter as well, and adding some muscle will give him a bit more of a power option. O’Brien’s top ten selection is a bet on skill and potential. 

In the second round, the Kraken took advantage of the slight fall for Blake Fiddler, adding the defensive blueliner to their pipeline. Fiddler’s not your typical stay-at-home blueliner. His game offers much more versatility. He’s not an offensive wiz by any means, but he’s more than capable of providing his partner with an outlet or taking the breakout into his own hands as a passer or skater. There are some tools that Fiddler possesses that he could use to attack offensively, but instead, he opts to be the safety blanket who is a reliable option. He has more puck skill than he leads on. 

They doubled down on defensive defensemen in round three, taking Will Reynolds out of the QMJHL. His physicality and mobility allow him to shut plays down quickly. He gaps up and closes space as attackers receive passes in the neutral zone, finishes his checks, and doesn’t mess around when the puck is on his stick. He knows what he is, and that’s not an offensive dynamo. He’s a shutdown defender, and he plays a reserved game with the puck, making the simple play. 

Seattle went back to the blueline again in round five, taking Russian defender Maxim Agafonov. He’s an interesting player because there are moments that make him look like a very capable two-way defender. He has the mobility and physical play to be a solid play killer, and his flashes of puck carrying ability are intriguing, but the wild inconsistencies and complete lack of motor at times really make him a tough projection. The Kraken drafted him for his potential because of his size, skating, and the fact that he’s right-handed.

The Kraken drafted do-it-all defenseman Karl Annborn with their first of two seventh round picks. Annborn is an interesting prospect because he’s been on the scene for a while now, consistently finding his way onto international teams and consistently playing above his age group on his club team. While he’s always held his head above water and looked solid, he’s never been a player who stood out. Whether he ends up becoming a solid pro in Sweden or a low-end guy in North America, there’s some confidence in Annborn being a long-time pro. 

Capping of the Kraken’s draft was Loke Krantz, a big forward from Sweden with a heavy shot and a physical edge. He isn’t the most skilled player, and he certainly doesn’t blow by opposing players, but he shows some good puck protection, and he excels at finding good positioning around the net. He’s a simple player in several ways, but NHL teams love his archetype on the fourth line. 

Strengths

The sheer amount of legitimate center depth that the Kraken prospect pool possesses is unreal. They have two higher-end center prospects in Catton and O’Brien, both of whom could be top-six options. Fisker-Molgaard is a two-way force who plays a detailed game. Goyette has been an offensive force everywhere he has been, so there is faith he will figure it out after a trying season in the AHL as a rookie. Ollie Josephson is a transition machine who just gets pucks up ice and makes smart plays with it. Ryan Winterton, Tucker Robertson and Nathan Villeneuve are all at least potential surprise prospects who could wind up in the NHL. Some of these guys will move to the wing, especially with the NHL club already having U23 players Wright and Beniers down the middle, but that’s okay because they’ll need wingers as well, and the added versatility will be nice. 

Weaknesses

The Kraken have a very good prospect pool and even their netminders are solid, but none of them have truly stood out as of yet. Nikke Kokko is steady, and he’s been good internationally for Finland, but he’s not really a goalie you can look at to be the guy. Kim Saarinen and Visa Vedenpaa are decent projects, but they have a long way to go to become potential NHL options. The Kraken have been lucky enough to find Joey Daccord at the NHL level for the time being, but they’ll need someone in the crease to step up and fill in behind him eventually and right now, they don’t have a guy that projects. 

Hidden Gem: Ollie Josephson, C

Although he lacks the flash of the Kraken’s top prospects, Ollie Josephson is one of the steadiest center prospects around from a defensive point of view. He leverages his high-end mobility and quick thinking to consistently put himself between the puck and the next best option. When he’s defending on the puck or the back check, he’s a hound who gets into the pocket of the puck carrier and pickpockets them. He’s a focused defensive player who always looks for the opportunity to turn the play around and attack up ice. Josephson is heading into his final junior season next year, and you hope to see him get a bit of a boost offensively just to prove that he’s able to keep up. If he can take that step offensively, something he has all of the tools to do, he should transition to the AHL the following year with ease. 

Next Man Up: Jani Nyman, RW

At the tail end of last season, Jani Nyman made the jump to the NHL, and he looked better than expected. He showed himself to be a solid complementary forward, making quick one-touch passes or smart play connecting plays to advance the puck. Nyman is at his best when he’s an off-puck finisher who can find a pocket and get his shot off as soon as he collects the pass. Nyman brought some solid secondary scoring in his dozen-game call-up. 

If he can show himself to be capable of that in camp, he should be one of the newest additions to the team to start the season. There aren’t many other prospects that might be ready to jump into the NHL outside of the odd chance that Catton, Rehkopf or Firkus jump up into the NHL, but all of them look like they are at least a year away at this point. 

Prospect Depth Chart Notables

LW: Carson Rehkopf, Clarke Caswell, Julius Miettinen, Justin Janicke

C: Berkly Catton, Jake O’Brien, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Ollie Josephson, David Goyette, Ryan Winterton, Nathan Villenueve, Tucker Robertson

RW: Jagger Firkus, Eduard Sale, Jani Nyman, Andrei Loshko, Loke Krantz

LD: Ryker Evans, Caden Price, Jakub Fibigir, Karl Annborn, Tyson Jugnaugh, Will Reynolds

RD: Blake Fiddler, Lukas Dragicevic, Ty Nelson, Maxim Agafonov, Kaden Hammell, Alexis Bernier, Ville Ottavainen 

G: Nikke Kokko, Kim Saarinen, Visa Vedenpaa, Semyon Vyazovoi

For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.

Sitting amid the NHL off-season dog days, there has been little activity in the trade market. Meanwhile, the arbitration period ended predictably with all 13 players agreeing to new contracts with their respective teams before their scheduled hearings. 

Nevertheless, the rumor mill keeps churning despite the lack of trade activity and the dearth of offer sheets to restricted free agents. 

Most of the attention is on the Pittsburgh Penguins. While management isn't openly saying they're rebuilding, it's clear that is what they're doing this summer as they attempt to move out aging veterans for younger talent. 

Most of the attention is focused on defenseman Erik Karlsson and wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. The 35-year-old Karlsson is signed through 2026-27 with the Penguins carrying $10 million of his $11.5 million average annual value. Rakell and Rust are in their early 30s with cap hits at or just above $5 million annually through 2027-28. 

Sportsnet's Sonny Sachdeva recently suggested the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators as destinations for Karlsson. That depends on his willingness to waive his no-movement clause, and if the Penguins agree to retain $3 million of their share of his AAV. 

Sachdeva also listed the Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Buffalo Sabres as landing spots for Rakell or Rust.

Cap retention is a must for the Leafs, Avalanche, and Kings, while the Sabres could be on Rakell's nine-team no-trade list. Rust could be a good fit with the Red Wings given his Michigan roots. 

Turning to Calgary, Flames center Nazem Kadri and defenseman Rasmus Andersson remain the topic of media conjecture. 

Kadri is under contract until 2028-29 with an AAV of $7 million and a full no-movement clause. Andersson carries a more affordable $4.55-million AAV with a six-team no-trade list, and is UFA-eligible next July.  

Sportnet's Ryan Dixon recently noted Kadri's value to the retooling Flames, indicating they're in no hurry to move him. However, he continues to surface in trade rumors this summer. 

Dixon suggested the Montreal Canadiens,New Jersey Devils, Hurricanes, Avalanche, and Maple Leafs as possible destinations if Kadri is moved. Cap space would be an issue for the Avalanche, Devils, and Leafs, while the Canadiens aren't likely to part with young assets for a 34-year-old center. 

The Hurricanes have the cap room and are willing to make bold moves. Kadri could be a good fit, but his age raises concerns about the length of his contract. 

As for Andersson, Daniel Austin of the Calgary Sun considers it a matter of time until the 28-year-old defenseman is moved. Still, Flames GM Craig Conroy has no problem with him being on the roster to begin this season. 

Andersson is more likely to be moved than Kadri this season, but the Flames could wait until the March trade deadline to maximize his value.

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