Over the next few days, I’ll be ranking every team’s top breakout candidate for the 2025–26 season. Up first is the Atlantic Division.
Boston Bruins: Mason Lohrei
While the Boston Bruins lack a true youth movement at this point in time, Mason Lohrei is an intriguing exception. The 24-year-old blueliner saw second-pairing usage in his sophomore campaign, showing flashes of ability but struggling badly in the on-ice results department. At 5-on-5, the basement-dwelling Bruins had a 52.08% goal share when he was off the ice and a 41.94% goal share when he was on it.
Still, Lohrei’s skill set inspires growth. Despite being 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, he’s quite mobile and moves the puck effectively—both highly valuable traits. His puck-carrying metrics last season were fantastic, too. Across 77 games, he registered five goals and 28 assists for 33 points, though that was overshadowed by a league-worst minus-43 rating.
There’s a path for Lohrei to become a reliable No. 3 defenseman in the NHL, if not a top-pairing guy. However, he’ll need much better impacts to reach that status.
Honorable mention: Matthew Poitras
Buffalo Sabres: Owen Power
The still-young Buffalo Sabres had a lot of choices, but Owen Power tops the breakout list. While the No. 1 pick in 2021 has already established himself as a top-four defenseman in the NHL, he has upside beyond this.
In the present, Power’s a high-end playmaker with mobility to complement his 6-foot-6, 226-pound frame. The 22-year-old recorded seven goals and 33 assists for 40 points in 79 games last season on 21:19 of average ice time. The downside is his defensive game—while skilled at both ends, he allowed the 15th-most goals among defensemen at 5-on-5.
To some degree, it feels like Power has been forgotten by the masses. He’s still a very special talent, eyeing a breakout into elite territory. Slated to partner up with offseason addition Michael Kesselring, 2025–26 may be the season where everything starts to click.
Honorable mention: Jiří Kulich
Detroit Red Wings: Simon Edvinsson
Making it a trio of left-shot defenseman with a huge frame to start this list, the 6-foot-6, 209-pound Simon Edvinsson took substantial strides last season. He notched seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points and a plus-12 rating across 78 games in his age-21 campaign. Getting fantastic results while averaging 21:09 of ice time, the youngster is poised to assume a full-time top-pairing role in 2025–26.
After his rookie season, Moritz Seider saw his on-ice numbers plunge—he was the team’s No. 1 defenseman but lacked a stable partner. Fortunately, Edvinsson helped turn the tide. In just over 500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time together, they outscored opponents 20–12 for a 62.50% goal share. If that’s a sign of things to come, both players could soar.
Edvinsson has a strong defensive stick and good vision. He only had 25 games of NHL action prior to last season, so to take on such a big role and play the way he did was admirable. The Detroit Red Wings’ 2021 sixth-overall pick has a high ceiling.
Honorable mention: Marco Kasper
Florida Panthers: Mackie Samoskevich
When Matthew Tkachuk sat out the final quarter of the Florida Panthers’ regular season, Mackie Samoskevich got a usage boost and played some great hockey. The 22-year-old winger may be utilized scarcely in 2025–26 due to the Panthers’ stacked top-nine forward core, but with even the smallest opportunity, he has the talent to be a breakout player.
Samoskevich, Florida’s last first-round draft pick, is a skilled, hard-working player. When briefly thrust into the top six following Tkachuk’s injury, he was a natural fit. He notched 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 72 games as a rookie last season, impressive given his restricted ice time—just 13:19 per game. Unfortunately, a true breakout campaign is dependent on that number going up, and that’s an uncertainty. If Samoskevich’s play warrants extra minutes, however, head coach Paul Maurice may figure something out. He’s a player’s coach, after all.
Honorable mention: Daniil Tarasov
Montreal Canadiens: Ivan Demidov
It’s unclear how often head coach Kent Hughes will ice Ivan Demidov in 2025–26, but the 19-year-old’s superstar skill set should force his coach’s hand. Mesmerizing the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) as a teenager and providing a snapshot of the same in the NHL, Demidov is the league’s top contender for the Calder Trophy. The 2024 fifth-overall pick is the obvious choice for the Montreal Canadiens’ breakout player.
Let’s assume the Canadiens reunite Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovský on the top line. If that’s the case, Demidov won’t have a single 40-point forward from last season regularly by his side. But this probably won’t matter. Likely to be an immediate play-driving force, the Russian is already in a position to be leaned on by others. This isn’t to say that Montreal lacks talent, though. With plenty of young middle-six forwards eyeing their own breakouts, Demidov may be the one to unlock their potential.
Honorable mention: Kirby Dach
Ottawa Senators: Jordan Spence
In a sheltered role with the Los Angeles Kings last season, Jordan Spence was terrific. Among defensemen with 500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, he ranked in the 85th and 99th percentiles for points per 60 minutes and goal share, respectively. But he only mustered bottom-pairing usage on a stacked blue line.
Acquired by the Ottawa Senators via trade, they’re likely betting on the 24-year-old to excel in a more elevated role. The right-shot defenseman is on the smaller side at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, but his puck-moving game could be a serious asset. Costing the Senators a No. 67 pick at the 2025 NHL Draft and a sixth-rounder in 2026, Spence might be the steal of the offseason.
Honorable mention: Ridly Greig
Tampa Bay Lightning: Conor Geekie
Since being drafted 11th overall in 2022, Conor Geekie’s production has been consistently solid. His largest body of work last season came in the NHL, where he had eight goals and six assists for 14 points in 52 games, but that was in a depth role as a 20-year-old.
Related: Get to Know Lightning Prospect Conor Geekie
More impressively, in the American Hockey League (AHL), Geekie recorded 20 points in 24 games. In a July premium piece for The Hockey Writers‘ Substack, I examined how AHL production at specific ages corresponds to NHL odds. According to my findings, achieving top-six upside is about a coin flip for him, while being an NHL regular is all but a certainty, based on the numbers (from ‘AHL Production vs. NHL Odds: How Do They Correlate?,’ The Hockey Writers – NHL Stuff, July 2025).
A big forward who showed some promise in the net front and playmaking skill, Geekie should be a useful player for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s third line in 2025–26. He could get some looks with the team’s better forwards if head coach Jon Cooper likes what he sees.
Honorable mention: Gage Goncalves
Toronto Maple Leafs: Matthew Knies
Matthew Knies was the perfect physical, goal-scoring complement to superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner last season, forming one of the best first lines in the NHL. No. 16 being gone certainly complicates things, but the 22-year-old Knies can reasonably take another step regardless of this setback.
Knies had 29 goals and as many assists for 58 points in 78 games last season. It should be noted that he shot 19.08% individually and had an on-ice shooting percentage of 13.48%—both favorable marks that could decline. However, if he’s stapled to Matthews again, regression on this front should be minimal, at worst. If the Toronto Maple Leafs captain can play close to an 82-game slate this time around, Knies’ point totals could see an increase. With one star exiting, the hope is that the youngster can take on greater responsibility.
Honorable mention: Henry Thrun
Do you agree or disagree with these picks? Feel free to leave your thoughts below!
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Evolving-Hockey
