Will Smith, Demidov, Nazar also on cusp of becoming difference-makers in NHL
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As part of the celebration of NHL Young Stars Week, NHL.com has looked at the crop of players either recently joining the league or on the cusp to find the true difference-makers in the next few seasons. Today, we present a roundtable on predictions about the breakout star among players who have been in the League for two seasons or less. The top three vote-getters in the Calder Trophy voting in each of the past two seasons — Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber and New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes — were ineligible to be selected because they have already become stars.
It’s tough to predict the trajectory of young goalies, but the 23-year-old Russian looks primed for a big season. Acquired from the Nashville Predators on Aug. 23, 2024, with forward Nolan Burke and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft for forward David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona and a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, Askarov went 4-6-2 in 13 games (12 starts) for the Sharks with 3.01 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage on a rebuilding team. But he was one of the top goalies in the 2025 American Hockey League Calder Cup Playoffs, going 3-2-0 with a league-leading 1.68 GAA and .935 save percentage for the Sharks’ AHL affiliate in San Jose. He was 11-9-1 in 22 regular season games with a 2.45 GAA, .923 save percentage and four shutouts. The Sharks are banking on Askarov, who signed a two-year, $4 million contract ($2 million average annual value) shortly after the trade. — William Douglas, staff writer
PIT@SJS: Askarov denies O’Connor’s penalty shot with a pad save
Fans of the Canadiens should be excited about the acquisition of this forward, not only because he is a native son – born in Trois Rivers, Quebec – but because he will help the team get better. Bolduc was traded to Montreal on July 1, in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. He arrives as a forward with a ton of promise. In his second NHL season, Bolduc arrived as a full-time player, scoring 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 72 regular-season games. His 19 goals would have put him fifth among Canadiens in that category and he played 12:48 a game for the Blues. He should get more time per game with the Canadiens in an expanded role, which could help his goal total grow. The defensively sound forward might not challenge Cole Caufield (37) for the team lead, but 25 goals is not out of the question. — Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Some are suggesting this forward could become the next Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Wouldn’t that type of player become a nice option for Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. The 19-year-old is as dynamic as they come and was, perhaps, the most complete offensive package from the 2024 NHL Draft class. After scoring 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) in 65 regular-season games with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League last season, Demidov joined the Canadiens and scored two points (one goal, one assist) in two regular-season games and two assists in five Stanley Cup Playoff matches. He’s a player who wants the puck, thrives on the challenges to generate scoring chances and possesses elite skills and attributes. All signs point to him becoming a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year in 2025-26. — Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer
The first-round pick (No. 8) by the Capitals in the 2023 NHL Draft, Leonard gained invaluable experience playing in nine regular-season games and eight games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after turning pro following his sophomore season at Boston College. Jumping into the NHL at the most intense time of the season after never attending training camp or playing in a preseason game was a challenge for the 20-year-old forward and he struggled to produce, getting one goal in the regular season and one assist in the playoffs. Learning how quickly everything happens in the NHL will benefit Leonard, though, heading into this season and he will learn to better utilize the offensive skills that helped him score 30 goals in 37 games with Boston College last season. He also might get a chance to play on the Capitals second line with Connor McMichael potentially being moved from wing to third-line center. — Tom Gulitti, Staff Writer
CHI@WSH: Leonard scores into empty net for first career goal
The Russian forward was still learning about life in the NHL and North America last season and yet led NHL rookies with 26 goals and tied for second with 63 points in 80 games. With a season of experience under his belt what is the 20-year-old capable of accomplishing? Michkov developed good chemistry late last season when he was placed on a line with center Sean Couturier and left wing Travis Konecny on March 22, finishing with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in his final 12 games; that average of 1.33 points per game was tied for eighth among all players to skate in at least 10 games during that span. Michkov could have a chance for the first 100-point season by a Flyers player since Claude Giroux (102) in 2017-18 if that line returns intact under a more offensive-minded coach in Rick Tocchet. — Adam Kimelman, staff writer
Question: Who finished tied with Logan Cooley of the Utah Mammoth as the leading scorer with 12 points (six goals, six assists) for the United States at the IIHF World Hockey Championship two months ago? Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres? Utah’s Clayton Keller? Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets? Wrong. Heading into the event, not many prognosticators would have picked Nazar, who used the U.S.’s first gold medal at the tournament in 92 years as his breakout performance on the pro hockey stage. Now it’s time for him to carry that momentum into the 2025-26 NHL regular season. Truth be told, he already was trending in that direction as a rookie at the end of last season, racking up nine points (five goals, four assists) in his final eight games after having 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in his first 48 NHL games. Add it all up, and there’s more than just Connor Bedard to be excited about in Chicago. — Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
I’m looking north for my breakout player. The No. 9 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft made an impressive debut for the Flames at the end of last season, scoring a goal in his single NHL game, becoming the sixth-youngest defenseman to score in his NHL debut. I’m betting there’s more there. The 19-year-old is almost certainly going to get the opportunity to play with the Flames, since he is too young for the American Hockey League and is coming off two consecutive 33-goal seasons for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. His 96 points in 2023-24 and 107 last season demonstrate he has little left to prove in junior. He’s ready for the NHL and I think a big year is ahead. -– Amalie Benjamin, senior writer
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Getting your feet wet in the NHL as a young defenseman isn’t always easy. But while it’s a small sample size, Rinzel certainly looked like he was ready for the League when he made his debut with the Blackhawks last spring. The No. 25 pick by the Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old spent the past two seasons at the University of Minnesota before joining Chicago on March 30. He had five assists in nine games, including an assist in each of his final four games of the regular season. Rinzel is one piece of a very young defense group in Chicago. After 32-year-old Connor Murphy, each of remaining five Blackhawks defensemen in the starting rotation are 24 and younger. Rinzel will get a big opportunity this season and I think he’ll make the most of it. — Tracey Myers, staff writer
Selected by San Jose No. 4 in the 2023 NHL Draft, Smith had a solid rookie season with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 74 games for the Sharks. The 20-year-old forward is a big part of San Jose’s youth movement and played in a top-six role, at times, alongside center Macklin Celebrini, who was a finalist for the Calder Trophy for most outstanding rookie last season, won by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson. Smith was a member of the United States gold medal-winning team at the 2025 World Championships and had seven assists in 10 games in the tournament. A speedy player with tremendous skill, Smith is a candidate to have a breakout season in 2025-26, helping the Sharks along in their rebuild. San Jose will be looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2019 with Smith expected to play a bigger role offensively. — Derek Van Diest, staff writer
“He plays the game the right way and he plays it the way we want a player to play.” That’s from Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky. He’s right. Stankoven is a perfect Hurricane. He started to come alive for them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was one of their best forwards for long stretches against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. When the Hurricanes traded Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars on March 7, Stankoven was the player they HAD to have in return. He had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 24 games with the Stars in 2023-24. He had a combined 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 78 games with the Stars and Hurricanes last season. Stankoven signed an eight-year, $48 million contract ($6 million AAV) July 1. He’s in the right system with the right team and the right coach. — Dan Rosen, senior writer
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