- Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
It’s time for Eichel to bust out and have that 40-goal, 80-point season. No more excuses. Sabres GM Jason Botterill has added a ton of talent this off-season, from Jeff Skinner to Patrik Berglund to Vladimir Sobotka to Conor Sheary up front to Carter Hutton in goal, and the Sabres have two legit Calder Trophy hopefuls in Casey Mittelstadt and first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. Eichel is set up for success better now than at any other point in his young career. Look for him to do what Nathan MacKinnon did last year. - Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
The eyes deceive us. He may not appear to play with urgency, but the advanced stats tell us Dougie Hamilton is a dominant defenseman at both ends of the ice. Still, he’s long carried a reputation as being a square peg in a round hole in most NHL dressing rooms, as he reportedly keeps to himself more than most and enjoys intellectual activities. Now, Hamilton is a Carolina Hurricane. He’s capable of posting Norris Trophy-caliber numbers and has plenty of motivation to make the Flames regret dealing him away. - Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins
Life seemed easy for Murray the moment he turned pro. He was a legendary AHL goalie, setting a league record with a 304-minute shutout streak. He broke into the NHL, won a Stanley Cup before even losing Calder Trophy eligibility, then won a second Cup in his “rookie” season. He roared into the league like Ken Dryden.Entering his second season since safety net Marc-Andre Fleury left and now crownless for the first time, Murray should be as motivated as any goalie in the league to rebound. He’s still just 24 years old – younger than Connor Hellebuyck and two months older than Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Penguins badly need Murray to be a star-caliber netminder again. - Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens
Max Pacioretty should have as much fire in his belly as any player in the league right now. In a contract year, he’ll want to bounce back from a horrible 17-goal campaign after four straight 30-goal efforts. He’ll want to showcase himself as a trade candidate – or maybe even play so well that he’ll change Montreal’s mind about re-signing him. For a litany of reasons, 2018-19 sets up as a crucial season for ‘Patches.’
- Filip Zadina, Detroit Red Wings
Most rookies need to manage their expectations if they jump to the NHL as teenagers. Not Zadina. If he makes the Red Wings, he has every intention of lighting up the scoresheet. Openly angry that he fell to the sixth overall pick in June’s draft after most prognosticators had him going third or fourth, Zadina spoke out against the teams that passed on him, vowing to “fill their nets with pucks.”
Source: The Hockey News
