Stud: ADA. He is supremely talented and will likely consistently get big minutes this year. Working with AP on the PP and this being a contract year won’t hurt either.
Breakout: Lias surprised me this pre-season. He has a good hockey mind and seems far better conditioned than he did last year. I look forward to seeing him play, especially if he becomes our 2C, which I expect.
Dud: The obvious choice is Staal or Smith. At the risk of being controversial, however, I will say Chytil. He has regressed, and I look forward to seeing him next year, but this looks like a nasty sophomore slump—based purely on his preseason and training camp.
Naturally, I hope I’m wrong about FC, just as I was (apparently) wrong about Lias — but we’re talking about one season here. I still think FC will be key to our long term success.