5 - Dawson Mercer
Dawson Mercer’s productivity may have dipped this past season, but I’m not going to be too hard on him following a pair of promising campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23 when he put up 42 and 56 points, respectively. He was still good enough to find the net 20 times in 2023-24, and I’m expecting nothing short of a heroic rebound this year.
4 - Timo Meier
Timo Meier didn’t enjoy a strong portion of the 2023-24 season, but he still ended the year with an encouraging 28 goals. If it doesn’t take him a while to find his game this season, he should be in line for another 35-40-goal season, like he had in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
3 - Nico Hischier
Injuries kept Nico Hischier out of 11 matchups last season, but they still didn’t deter him from nearly logging a point per game, with 67 in those 71 contests. He was once again effective in all three zones and one of the best in the league at winning faceoffs. If healthy in 2024-25, Hischer may enjoy his best season yet.
2 - Jesper Bratt
Jesper Bratt has more than come into his own over the past three seasons, finishing with an incredible 229 points and 85 goals in 240 games. It’s no longer a matter of ‘if’ regarding Bratt; it’s a matter of when he will eventually hit the 85-90-point mark in a single season, and that could easily come in 2024-25.
1 - Jack Hughes
As for Jack Hughes, that matter of ‘when’ pertains to when he will hit 100 points, and if he’s healthy throughout the 2024-25 season, it will occur by the time April 2025 rolls around. Hughes logged 74 points and 27 goals in 62 games last year, which adjusts to 98 points when rounded to the nearest whole number at 82 contests.
(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)