5 NHL players ready to breakout in 24-25!
By John McTaggart
SI Collects Writer
Is it ever too soon to talk about hockey?
In short — nope.
So, that said, less take a pre-pre-season look at five players who could have a breakout season in 2024-25, thus meaning a breakout moment in the hobby.
1. Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal Canadiens)— 2022 Upper Deck #451— Slavkovsky wrapped up the 23-24 campaign with 50 points (20 goals/30 assists), which, considering the struggles the No.1 overall pick had prior, this is progress. More than that, he finished last season looking like a player worthy of his draft spot. Slavkosky can really shine in Montreal this season along side Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. A season topping the 70 point mark is a very real possibility here.
2. Elias Lindholm (Boston Bruins) — 2013 Upper Deck #469 — He’s been a bit of a travelin’ man recently, but now that he is in Boston, Lindholm may have finally found the perfect fit. Look for his 15 goal/29 assist 23-24 output to increase in 24-25 as he plays with the likes of Pastrnak and Marchand.
3.JJ Peterka (Buffalo Sabres) — 2021 Upper Deck #711— JJP tallied 50 points (22 goals/28 assists) last season, which could be classified as a mini-breakout, for sure. This season, however, I can easily see that number bump up to 70-plus points. He’s got that sort of potential. Couple that with a Buffalo team that was plauged with injuries, player regression and bad puck-luck last season — all of which seem unlikely this year — and JJP has an opportunity to shine for the Sabres.
4. Bowen Byram (Buffalo Sabres) — 2020 Upper Deck #205 — Byram is new to the club, having come over in a trade with Colorado last season, and simply put, he is a great fit for this offense. For many of the reasons mentioned for JJP, Byram has the opportunity to breakout, and I believe he that’s what will happen in 24-25. Colorado had just too many bodies in front of him on the bench, that's not the case here in Buffalo. He'll get his opportinuty to shine, and I belive he will sieze that chance.
5. Daniil Miromanov (Calgary Flames) — 2021 Upper Deck #736 — Okay, admittedly, this is a reach (and raw versions of his Young Guns can be had for less than $2 right now), but, for starters, he’s a Flame (for those who don’t know, Calgary is my team), and secondly, I really think this defenseman can turn some heads this season. Sure, he only had 7 points last season, but that’s doesn’t worry me. He played in Vegas most of last season, and was buried there. After the trade to the Flames, however, he looked way better. He shot the puck more (40 of his 46 total shots last season came in a Calgary uniform), and he started to flash some of that offensive potential he showed in the KHL. He’s a top-pair defenseman on the Flames, and he has potential to be an standout offensive blue-liner.
John McTaggart has been in the trading card industry officially since 1986 (unofficially since 1979 when he opened his first pack of Topps baseball cards) when he and his younger brother started setting up at local card shows. Since then, his passion and love for the hobby, and the business-side of the hobby, in particular, has not wained one bit. John is an award-winning sports columnist, writer and photojournalist based in Detroit, Michigan. He currently is an executive editor for a big media outlet and the proud owner of The Detroit Trading Card Company LLC. He shares his home with a wife, four adorable dachshunds, two goldfish, his beloved golf clubs, and about a million sports cards (for real) on shelves in his basement. You can contact John at info@detroittradingcardco.com