Who's gonna have their Breakout Season this Year?

[Koivu11]

Alex Galchenyuk

 

[Mikeyg]

2nd year in a row I am saying this but Zacha

Better send him a rabbits foot or the only thing he’ll be breaking is your heart

 

[blinkman360]

John Tavares will no longer be saddled with dead weight. He'll breakout.

40 goal scoring "dead weight". Tough crowd...

 

[BM14]

40 goal scoring "dead weight". Tough crowd...

It was like Sundin turning Hoglund into a 29 goal scorer. You'll see.

 

[Tavares to Marner]

40 goal scoring "dead weight". Tough crowd...

yeah Lee proved himself as a top goal scorer in the league prior to Tavares lol

 

[blinkman360]

yeah Lee proved himself as a top goal scorer in the league prior to Tavares lol

So that translates to him being "dead weight"? How idiotic.

 

[Tavares to Marner]

So that translates to him being "dead weight"? How idiotic.

dead weight is not deserved but he's not the best dude around

good 2nd liner imo

 

[Hockeyholic]

Larkin (70 points) and Mantha (30g) The talent is there.

Non homer picks would be Nolan Patrick, Dylan Strome, Fiala, Vrana (who constantly impressed me this playoffs despite me knowing very little about him).

I also think this is the year Eichel steps his game up to Dominant 90+ point pace level

So will he get 90 points or not? I keep hearing this " Pace" stuff being thrown around.

 

[blinkman360]

dead weight is not deserved but he's not the best dude around

good 2nd liner imo

Perfectly reasonable statement.

 

[MasterMatt25]

Id nominate Oliver Bjorkstrand as Columbus' top breakout candidate

Above Josh Anderson?

 

[ForsbergForever]

Going to second Dylan Strome and Nolan Patrick... 60+ points each

For the homer picks going to go with Nikita Scherbak and Noah Juulsen.

 

[stevo61]

Above Josh Anderson?

Personally I think Anderson is what he is. Think he has limited playmaking so he is likely a 20-25 goal 20ish assist guy. Personally feel Bjorkstrand is better in both areas and just needs to be more aggresive. He himself has admitted to this aswell

 

[FerklundCGY]

Nylander this year puts it all together and gets 80+. Had some terrible luck finishing high end chances set up by his linemates. For around the league, Kevin fiala becomes a 30+30 player this year.

Nylander's advanced metrics show he was much more lucky than not last season. His 5v5 oiSH% (12.03%) and PDO (105.7) were both way above his career averages.

Only 1 forward (Auston Matthews) had a higher oiSH% and PDO than Nylander last season.

The Leafs also scored 18 more goals (71) than expected (53) with Nylander on the ice last season.

So saying Nylander was unlucky last season is a false statement.

 

[Mitch nylander]

Here's a few. 2 from each division

 

[sabrebuild]

Here's a few. 2 from each division

Like the Erod call. He looked pretty solid when healthy last year. Could be playing with Mittlestat, if so 50 points is in play for him.

 

[Heldig]

Homer vote = Christian Dvorak.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Brett Connolly is finally gonna hit 20 goals.

Not really a breakout as he's only gonna be a mid 30 point player but Anthony Cirelli should establish himself as top 3C in the league.

 

[puckIuck]

eichel

 

[Jets4Life]

Jack Roslovic

 

[Gargyn]

yeah Lee proved himself as a top goal scorer in the league prior to Tavares lol

Luckily Nylander has Matthews as his center or he would be useless too apparently.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

For the Blues hopefully Barbashev or, by some miracle, Dmitrij Jaskin FINALLY puts it all together.

 

[JPeeper]

 

[Tage2Tuch]

Eichel could top 95 points, was on pace for 80 the last two injury shortened seasons on a dead last team in offense and overall, add two of the best prospects in the world in Mittlestadt and Dahlin to the PP, which opens up space then give him a quality sniper like Skinner in a CONTRACT YEAR as well as a linemate like Reinhart who had 37 pts in his final 38 games and things could work for him big time. (THat's already worlds better then Girgensens/Rodrigues and aging Pominville as linemates) then factor in the fact there's also Connor Sheary who has proven he has potential with big name Centres and could work if either of them don't, plus he should be healthy now and another year older.

Team could be better which means higher motivation for every one and if even one of the goalies works that should help a team overall who's rookie coach isn't in the first year of his carer, and potentially toxic attitudes like E. Kane and ROR "I lost my love for hockey" are gone. Who knows, this may be similar to a Colorado type situation last year and it could be addition by subtraction, (with Duchene) only we added tons. Berglund is a good third line center, there are holes but there's also lots to like. I don't think Buffalo is a playoff team but if Eichel plays 80 games, he's getting 90 points. 100 is not out of the realm of possibility, he has 121 pts in his last 128 games, anyone that only looks at numbers after a season is done is going to be shocked at the amount of points Eichel gets this year assuming he doesen't get another freak accident which is unlikely 3 of your first 4 seasons.

I don't think Buffalo makes the playoffs like Toronto and COlorado did after being deadlast but I think they improve to at least 25th, and as I said if Eichel plays, he produces and now even more-so, no reason at all to think otherwise although anything is certainly possible.

So will he get 90 points or not? I keep hearing this " Pace" stuff being thrown around.

"PACE" doesen't hold much stock if it's 20 or so games. When he put up 57 in 61 after that miserable high ankle sprain, then with no help around him got 64 in 67, now the word PACE holds merrit and is to be taken seriously. 121 in 128 as said above. Add in the 4 players I listed, two of whom will be on his line (the other two on the PP, with 1 on the back-end regularly) which upgrades his game even further. If you haven't seen him play many games I understand the "PROVE IT." Feeling but he's one guy that said his name, I'm two, not everyone is guaranteeing this can happen, we all know how unliked he is around these parts.

He's already one of the games elite skaters, and play-makers (39 assists in 67 games on a team with 199 goals?) Never had less then 30 assists, add in a former figure-skater Sniper in Skinner in a contract year, and a Rasmus Dahlin type skater, things are going to be miserable for other teams who are on the PK I'd imagine.

Eichel lead the Sabres to the best PP in the league in 16-17 after they were near dead last to start that year there (He was injured when they were, shocking ) I can only imagine how good a mixture of Mittlestadt, Dahlin, Reinhart, Eichel, Sheary could be. There's also Okposo-Thompson-Berglund-Ristolainen-Nylander for another unit. I see that and think, maybe if we get goaltending things wont be so bad?

 

[Seras]

Morgan Rielly will take another step this year and have the best season he's ever had.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Not a real break-out, but if E.K. ends up on a contending team like Tampa, he will break 120 points.