Poor shooting luck, injuries, or just a down season compared to career norms, there are always bounce-back candidates heading into a new season. After looking at 10 players who could regress this coming season, let’s look at 10 who could rebound after tough 2023-24 campaigns.
Lukas Reichel
Lukas Reichel is obviously not Connor Bedard, but he was once one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ top prospects. Still 21 years old, there’s good reason to believe he can bounce back from a disappointing 2023-24 season that saw him total just five goals and 16 points in 65 games.
The reason Reichel could improve is the Blackhawks have a much better roster around him heading into 2024-25. They added Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi in free agency, and a healthy Taylor Hall should bring more pop to the lineup. That should benefit Reichel by having more skill around him.
It’s also worth noting that Reichel put up some pretty impressive numbers in his time in the AHL. He posted 57 points in 56 games in 2021-22 and 51 in 55 contests in 2022-23. That usually translates into results in the NHL, which may come this season after some bumps in the road.
Yanni Gourde
The Seattle Kraken added Chandler Stephenson in free agency to help boost their offense, but internal improvement will be the key to the team bouncing back in 2024-25. That means rebound seasons from a player like Yanni Gourde would go a long way in helping them get back into the playoff race.
Related: 10 NHL Storylines to Watch for in 2024-25
Gourde struggled in 2023-24, totaling only 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games. He shot just 7.1 percent, well below his career average of 13.3 percent. Plus, moving to a more offense-oriented system under new head coach Dan Bylsma should help Gourde and other players, like Matty Beniers, find new life after regressing under Dave Hakstol.
André Burakovsky
Gourde’s teammate with the Kraken, André Burakovsy, is also a prime bounce-back candidate. Health has been an issue for him over the last two years, with him playing in just 49 games each season. But there are signs that there still may be a quality player here.
Burakovsy totaled just seven goals and 16 points in 49 games a season ago, but his shot generation (92 shots on goal) was around his career rates. He shot just 7.6 percent, well below his 13.8 percent career average, and his individual point percentage (IPP) of 50 percent was the lowest he’s posted since his rookie season in 2014-15. He needs to stay healthy, but like Gourde, he could find new life under Bylsma.
Ilya Sorokin
Our first goalie on this list may be a bit of a surprise. Ilya Sorokin wasn’t awful in 2023-24. Far from it, but he certainly wasn’t himself, either. Sorokin finished with a .908 save percentage and stopped just 1.4 goals above expected, a relatively steep drop from his 2022-23 campaign when he posted a .924 SV% and stopped 38.7 goals above expected.
Stopping 38.7 goals above expected in back-to-back seasons is an unreasonable ask, but you still presume Sorokin to be better than just slightly above average. The one concern entering 2024-25 is that Sorokin had offseason back surgery, causing him to miss the start of training camp. The New York Islanders’ brass doesn’t seem too worried, but it’s something to watch. If there are no lingering issues, I’d expect Sorokin to be much better than he was a season ago.
Ryan Graves
Ryan Graves was one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top additions during the 2023 offseason, but his first season in the Steel City could not have gone worse. His 14 points in 70 games weren’t too much of a dropoff from his previous career outputs, but everything else imaginable went wrong.
Graves may not be a big point producer, but he’s always been a trigger-happy shooter from the point. That did not happen last season, as he fired just 77 shots on goal. He struggled mightily to defend the rush, one of his strengths before joining the Penguins.
Graves is 28, and players his age usually don’t fall off a cliff overnight. He was a more-than-capable top-four defender in his two prior seasons with the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins just need to find the right fit for him, especially since he’s under contract for five more seasons, 2024-25 included.
Trevor Zegras
“Progress isn’t always linear” would be a good way to describe Trevor Zegras’ 2023-24 campaign. It started with a contract dispute that caused him to miss the start of the regular season, and then injuries ruined any chance he had at building on his previous two campaigns.
Zegras finished last season with 15 points in 31 games — a 40-point pace over 82 games; he was a 60-plus point-scorer in his first two NHL seasons. Health would go a long way, but not missing training camp and the start of the regular season should help since there’s no contract dispute to worry about. I don’t expect the Anaheim Ducks to be playoff contenders, but they should take a step forward, and Zegras should be part of that.
Patrik Laine
Patrik Laine seems easy to root for, and I’m sure plenty of people will cheer for his success with the Montreal Canadiens. After struggling with his mental health, he’s getting a new start in Montreal after getting dealt there by the Columbus Blue Jackets this offseason.
Aside from the mental part of the game, Laine has struggled with his physical health in recent seasons, too. He needs to stay on the ice, but when he is in the lineup, he’s still a very productive player; he posted 108 points in his final 111 games with the Blue Jackets. Laine is one of the best shooters in the game, and there’s some talent to work with in the Canadiens’ top six. Assuming injuries don’t keep him off the ice, I like his odds of bouncing back this season.
Juuse Saros
There’s a lot of hype around the Nashville Predators after the offseason they had, but they will need their star goalie to be better than he was a season ago to make a significant leap forward. Like Sorokin, Juuse Saros wasn’t awful last season, but he certainly wasn’t himself. He finished with a .906 SV% while giving up three more goals than expected.
Goalies are the hardest position to predict from year to year, so you can’t guarantee a rebound effort from Saros. Still, his career averages would suggest he should bounce back. He posted a .920 SV% across his previous three seasons, and with an improved roster, one would have to think he finishes closer to that number.
Dougie Hamilton
Dougie Hamilton played just 20 games a season ago before tearing his pectoral muscle. Still, he was highly productive, producing at a 21-goal, 66-point pace over 82 games. Now, he’s entering the 2024-25 campaign healthy, and should make a significant difference for the Devils in multiple areas.
One) Hamilton is one of the best five-on-five play drivers from the back end. Two) The Devils’ power play stunk last season, and not having Hamilton was a significant reason. His shot from the point should make a difference, and there aren’t many better power-play quarterbacks in the NHL. Assuming he stays healthy, you can bet on him to flirt with 20 goals and 60 points again.
Joonas Korpisalo
I’m taking a bit of a gamble calling Joonas Korpisalo a bounce-back candidate because it doesn’t seem like there’s much middle ground with him as a goaltender. He’s either a top-15 or bottom-10 netminder in the NHL. Last season, he was in the latter, finishing with an .890 SV% while allowing 16.1 goals above expected. That latter number ranked second worst in the NHL to Arvid Soderblom.
However, I’d bet on Korpisalo’s struggles being partly due to a porous Ottawa Senators defense. Now, he’ll be part of a Boston Bruins organization that knows how to get the most out of its goaltenders.
This isn’t to say Korpisalo will become a Vezina contender, but he did post a .914 SV% between the Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings in 2022-23. Behind a sound Bruins defense, it wouldn’t shock me if he flirts with a .910 SV% again. And the Bruins may need that if they can’t get Jeremy Swayman re-signed before the start of the regular season.
Like players who may be due to regress, bounce-back seasons may not be a guarantee for these ten players. However, changes in sceneries, better health, etc. put them in a position to rebound after struggling in 2023-24.
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, MoneyPuck
