10 NHL Players With Something to Prove This Season
Getting to the NHL is difficult, but staying there is even more of a challenge.
To be one of the best, you have to compete with the best, and while no player in the NHL got to where they were without facing adversity, some face harder paths than others. As the 2024-25 NHL season nears, here are 10 players with something to prove this season.
Philip Broberg & Dylan Holloway
Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway are grouped together because they are similarly situated. The two former Edmonton Oilers restricted free agents signed offer sheets with the St. Louis Blues that were not matched. Neither player was viewed as worthy of the money they received by Oilers’ general manager (GM) Stan Bowman, so now they each have the opportunity to put the accomplished GM’s comments to the test.
Determining what would define success for Broberg and Holloway in 2024-25 is challenging. However, developing into lineup regulars who suit up in most of the Blues’ games this season is an important first step. For Broberg, earning a spot in the top four, especially now with the season-ending surgery Torey Krug underwent, would be a great accomplishment. For Holloway, earning a top-six role is ambitious, but establishing a consistent role and providing significant offensive contributions would put any concerns regarding his play to rest.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Pierre-Luc Dubois was an obvious candidate for this list and he will be on his fourth NHL team in the past four seasons. After scoring just 40 points (16 goals and 24 assists) in 82 games in the worst season of his career with the Los Angeles Kings, he will be hoping to bounce back with the Washington Capitals.
There should be a lot of optimism for Dubois to bounce back given the ideal circumstances in Washington. Firstly, last season was the worst offensive season of his career. He underwent a coaching change midseason and scored just 16 goals after nearly scoring 30 in each of the prior two. In Washington, he will now go from fighting for a top-six role to being handed one, and the caliber of his linemates should improve, too.
The Capitals also have a history of developing first-line centers and elite goal scorers, so Dubois will be able to learn from some Stanley Cup Champions and future Hall of Famers. He may not become the 40+ goal scorer many once expected, but he could bounce back with a 30-goal, 65+ point season. If he puts up another disappointing season, he will go from a borderline first-line center to arguably not even a top-60 center in the NHL.
Patrik Laine
