NHL Pre-Season Breakout Candidates: Kings' Byfield Among West's Players to Watch

Every year, some players break out and become impact players. Some help put their team over the top and contend while others take advantage of ample playing time on teams that lack the top-end talent to compete.

Some players emerge from the depths of the shadows after working their way up through the minors and taking the long road to the show. Others finally live up to the expectations of their high draft slot. 

Let’s take a look at a few of the names that could pop off when the 2023-24 NHL season finally gets underway.

With the opportunity that he seems to have in the top six this upcoming season and the flashes of brilliance that we saw late last season, we may finally be on the precipice of Quinton Byfield coming into his own. 

Byfield possesses the size and skill that teams drool over. His game in junior was based on his ability to blend power and skill effortlessly. With COVID forcing him into pro hockey immediately, Byfield has had to learn to adjust to the strength of pro players while being a lanky teenager.

Now having just turned 21 this past summer and looking much more comfortable toward the end of last season when he was moved to the wing with Anze Kopitar, it may be time. Byfield flying up and down the wing while he learns from Kopitar this season could be excellent for his development. He is still so young, and his tools remain elite. It very well could just be a case of needing to fill out and get stronger. This could be the year we see Byfield eclipse the 60-point mark.

After a very solid rookie season, Perfetti is going to be asked to do more in his sophomore year. 

Slotted into the second-line center role in training camp, he will have plenty of opportunity to put up some solid numbers. Pairing him with Nik Ehlers gives Perfetti a player who is excellent at the biggest weakness in his game, as Ehlers can take care of the transition game while Perfetti creates the offensive chances in the attacking zone.

Perfetti is a tactician who thinks the game at a higher level than most of his opponents. His season was cut to just 51 games as a rookie thanks to injury, so if he can play a full 82, there is a good chance that he will surpass 60 points. 

The 21-year-old is a building block for the future in Winnipeg and a big season for the second-year pivot could be huge.

The opportunity to play with Connor Bedard and establish chemistry with the franchise’s new superstar early on could be huge for Lukas Reichel moving forward. 

Reichel is a smart winger who plays with speed and skill while also displaying plenty of pro habits in all three zones. His proficiency as a forechecker should allow him to help Bedard stay away from having to do the dirty work while still having the requisite skill to play with a star of Bedard’s level.

There is an opportunity for Reichel as he looks to play in his first full season despite wearing out his rookie status by playing in parts of each of the last two seasons. This should provide him with an excellent jumping-off point for his career, and if he finds success, he could kick off a long-term run with one of the league's biggest upcoming stars.

When the Canucks drafted Podkolzin tenth overall in the 2019 draft, there were big expectations for the in-your-face, high-energy forward. 

He plays with aggressiveness and has a very good shot. There are so many factors that made Podkolzin worthy of a high pick in his draft class, and many of those traits have allowed him to play NHL games early in his pro career. Unfortunately, those same traits have relegated him to the bottom six for a long time, but this upcoming season may be finally the time to see if he can bring his brash style to the top six.

Podkolzin has skated with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser in the training camp, which could make for a dangerous combination. He compliments their offensive firepower quite well with his aggressive forechecking and high-energy game. Podkolzin had a bad year and spent time in the AHL after a decent rookie season, so a bounce back would be a great way to break out.

The timing of the Ducks beginning to add talent and Mason McTavish beginning to find a comfort level in the NHL couldn’t have coincided better. 

McTavish needed time to work his way up the lineup, and by the end of the season, he was one of the most dangerous rookies in the league. McTavish established himself as the Ducks second line center and was showcasing his versatility as a goal scorer and a developing knack for playmaking.

This year, the Ducks added veteran winger and Stanley Cup winner Alex Killorn who should slot in nicely next to McTavish. The duo could make opposing teams' lives miserable with their blend of power and speed while they look to bury pucks in the back of the net. The Ducks will be looking to emerge from the depths of putridity, and McTavish taking a big step will be key to making that happen.

First things first, Drysdale needs to get his contract situation figured out. The longer his RFA saga plays out, the less likely he is to get off to a hot start. 

With that said, Drysdale has looked very good whenever healthy with the Ducks. He has often been their most dynamic defender and best puck mover, and he plays a modern, up-tempo game that gives the Ducks an offensive presence from the blueline outside of Cam Fowler.

Drysdale had 32 points as a rookie in 2021-22 before dealing with a shoulder injury for the vast majority of last year. Other young offensive-minded defenders are coming through the pipeline, so Drysdale is going to need to establish himself in the lineup to assure himself and the team that he is a long-term pillar of the franchise.

In his first full NHL season last year, Hayton managed to reach 43 points and looked closer to the player that the entire country of Canada fell in love with at the World Junior Championship in 2020. 

Hayton was finally able to functionally blend power into his game last season as he started to mature physically. At 23 years old, Hayton should be ready to finally impose his will in the NHL and power his way around the ice a bit more this season, dropping his shoulder and attacking the net.

Hayton hasn’t quite lived up to his fifth overall selection at the NHL level, but for a player with the in-your-face power style that Hayton has, it takes a bit longer to round into form. 

He will have the chance to play with Dylan Guenther or some of the other young talent coming into the lineup and he won’t be tasked with being the number one center as Logan Cooley can take some of that load off his shoulders. After a half-point per-game performance last year and an improved roster around him, could Hayton reach the 65+ point mark?

It’s been no secret that Byram has dealt with concussions and their aftermath for the last few years. Still, he has proven himself to be a highly effective and productive player when healthy. Last season, Byram played a career-high 42 NHL games, and he posted 24 points in that span. He is certainly no slouch from a point-production standpoint.

Availability is a skill, and as of yet, Byram hasn’t been regularly available – and it’s not fault of his own. He has expressed how excited he is for the upcoming season and how much playing in 82 games (or close to it) means to him. It’s safe to say that everyone in hockey would love to see Byram play a full season and bring the high level of excitement and play that we are used to seeing from him.