Don't write them off just yet: These players suffered through down years in 2025-26, but we believe they can bounce back this season.
Jordan Kyrou
Age: 28
Position: RW
Team: Capitals
The St. Louis Blues finally shipped out Kyrou following years of trade rumors, and the change of scenery could do wonders for him. After four straight years of at least 27 goals and 67 points, Kyrou was limited to 18 goals and 46 points in 72 games last season.
The Capitals give Kyrou a chance to play on a team that's extremely deep and talented up front. He projects to start the season playing alongside the Protas brothers. Aliaksei and Ilya, who are both 6-foot-6 and over 220 pounds, should be able to create plenty of space for the highly skilled Kyrou. Expect him to return to at least 25 goals and 65 points with Washington.
Auston Matthews
Age: 29
Position: C
Team: Maple Leafs
Matthews missed 22 games last season and 15 games the year before, so injuries are a question mark. But if he can stay healthy, changing the way he's deployed should help him recapture his prior scoring form.
The Maple Leafs' offseason acquisitions clearly signal a change of usage for Matthews. Toronto prioritized adding defense-first forwards for its bottom six such as Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime, and Nick Paul. That will allow the team to bury its bottom two lines in the defensive zone, leaving more offensive-zone starts for Matthews. Matthews' offensive-zone start percentage was 58.8% last season, the lowest share since his sophomore campaign. It was 64.8% during his 2021-22 Hart Trophy winning season. Expect that percentage to return to the mid-60s this season and perhaps the production will follow.
Timo Meier
Age: 29
Position: LW/RW
Team: Devils
Meier managed 44 points in 2025-26, his lowest total in a full season since his second year in the league. However, a lot of that downturn can be attributed to poor puck luck.
The 29-year-old recorded an 8.9% shooting percentage, his worst mark in five years. The Devils as a team shot an abysmal 8.5% while Meier was on the ice. Meier ranked 22nd in the NHL with 35.5 expected goals per 82 games last season while scoring just 24 actual goals. A few more fortunate bounces could allow Meier to return to his 30-35 goal, 55-60 point form.
Victor Hedman
Age: 35
Position: LD
Team: Lightning
Hedman said he's feeling mentally and physically refreshed after missing the end of last season plus the playoffs on personal leave to address his mental health. Hedman, who also missed time with an elbow injury that required surgery, wasn't himself on the ice. He was limited to 17 points in 33 games.
It's unfair to expect Hedman to return to his Norris Trophy-caliber form, but I refuse to believe the future Hall of Famer is as bad as his performance suggested in 2025-26. A 50-60 point campaign, even without quarterbacking the top power-play unit, is within the range of plausible outcomes.
Jake Walman
Age: 30
Position: LD
Team: Oilers
Walman is set to take on an expanded role with Edmonton. Darnell Nurse's departure leaves more than 20 minutes per night up for grabs on the left side of the blue line. While free-agent signing Ryan Shea could soak up some of those minutes, he's never averaged more than the 18:53 he played last season. Furthermore, fellow left-shot defenseman Mattias Ekholm is entering his age-36 season and may no longer be able to log over 20 minutes per night as he's done for the last decade.
That leaves plenty of opportunity for Walman to carve out a top-four role and quarterback the second power-play unit. Although he was relegated to third-pairing duty last season, the last time Walman averaged over 20 minutes per game was 2024-25 - and he posted a career-high 40 points in 65 contests. That type of production is on the cards again.
Linus Ullmark
Age: 33
Position: G
Team: Senators
Ullmark seemingly hit rock bottom a year ago. He took a personal leave of absence for mental health reasons in December while he was struggling on the ice with an .881 save percentage. The time away seemed to work wonders: He posted a .904 save percentage in 21 games down the stretch upon his return. He was just about the only Senator who showed up in the playoffs, recording a .932 save percentage while Ottawa got swept by the Carolina Hurricanes.
If Ullmark enters 2026-27 in a good place mentally, he could be in line for his best season with Ottawa. The Senators boast one of the most goalie-friendly environments in the league; their 2.2 expected goals against per 60 minutes ranked No. 2 in the NHL behind the Vegas Golden Knights last season.
(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Stats)
