Every hockey player develops at their own pace. Some are instant stars in the NHL, while others take longer to find their footing. Below, we look at five players primed for breakout seasons who could provide immense value relative to their fantasy draft slot.
Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW, Predators
It's taken Tolvanen longer to establish himself in the NHL than many expected after he set the KHL record for goals by a teenager in 2017-18. He didn't produce out-of-this-world numbers in the AHL in subsequent seasons, but he finally arrived in 2020-21, tallying 11 goals and 11 assists in 40 games for the Predators during his rookie campaign last season.
Tolvanen, 22, especially caught fire down the stretch, recording 13 points in his final 18 contests, which has him trending in the right direction entering 2021-22.
The Preds are entering a transition stage, having sold off assets such as Viktor Arvidsson in the offseason. That opens the door for Tolvanen to grab a top-six role and run with it. He currently projects to be on the team's second line and top power-play unit, putting him in a strong position to log more than the 14:48 per game he did a season ago.
Tolvanen also offers substantial upside in leagues that reward hits, as he averaged nearly two per game last season.
Jared McCann, C/LW, Kraken
McCann is set for a huge breakout season, largely thanks to his new surroundings in Seattle. The 25-year-old has spent most of his career as a secondary player, but with the Kraken, he's projected to center the team's top line alongside Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle and play the left flank on the top power-play unit.
Last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, McCann recorded 14 goals and 18 assists in 43 games while averaging 14:07 per contest. A career-high 15.1 shooting percentage helped his personal-best season, and while that figure may not be sustainable, playing four-plus more minutes per night should more than make up for it.
Sam Bennett, C/LW, Panthers
No player benefited from a change of scenery last year more than Bennett did. After struggling to carve out a consistent top-nine role for himself in six seasons with the Calgary Flames, the 25-year-old hit his stride after being dealt to the Panthers, racking up 15 points in 10 games while averaging 18:04 with his new club down the stretch. He also added a goal and four assists in five playoff contests.
Yes, it was a small sample size with his new team, but it provided a glimpse of what the former fourth overall pick is capable of over 82 games. Bennett is firmly entrenched as Florida's No. 2 center behind Aleksander Barkov, but he'll get the benefit of playing on a line with an elite playmaker in Jonathan Huberdeau and skating on the team's No. 1 power-play unit.
Bennett also averaged over two hits per game last season and nearly three per contest after he got dealt to the Panthers, giving him added value in leagues that reward such stats.
Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres
Dahlin appeared bound for stardom after his rookie 2018-19 campaign, in which he recorded the second-most points ever (44) for an 18-year-old defenseman. He followed that up with another strong season, but 2020-21 was a disaster for both him and the team on multiple fronts.
Ralph Krueger's ultra-safe system proved to be ineffective and also counterproductive to the development of the team's young players. Dahlin seemed restricted and unsure of himself in his first 28 games. After Don Granato took over for the final 28 contests, Dahlin started to play with more confidence.
The difference didn't show up in his basic counting stats, but it did in the underlying numbers. Under Granato, Dahlin's expected goals share increased by 4% and his individual expected goals per 60 minutes doubled, per Natural Stat Trick.
The team around him isn't great, but with Granato back as full-time head coach, look for the uber-talented Dahlin to take a massive leap in his development.
Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars
Heiskanen is already an elite defenseman at age 22. However, he hasn't quite fulfilled his offensive potential, as he's played at around a 40-point pace in each of the last two seasons. The 2017 third overall pick is capable of much more, though.
Banking on a breakout campaign from Heiskanen is simply just betting on his abilities. He's one of the most talented skaters in the entire league, and he possesses exceptional intelligence, vision, and puck skills to go with it. It's only a matter of time before he grows offensively and produces in the 50-to-60-point range. Don't be surprised if it's this season.
Josh Wegman has been theScore's resident fantasy hockey expert since 2015. Find him on Twitter @JoshWegman_.
