The NHL playoffs are where legends are made. A big goal, a statement game or a key moment can help build the hype and legacy of players around the league. Players have earned longer leashes, bigger contracts, and undying love from fans because of the moments they helped bring to their teams in the post-season.
The 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs will feature several marquee matchups in Round 1. We are getting the ‘Battle of Ontario’, the ‘Battle of Florida’ and the ‘Battle of Mikko Rantanen’, to name a few. The Montreal Canadiens are back in the playoffs, the St. Louis Blues are channelling their inner 2019, and we get to see the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings go head-to-head for a fourth-straight year.
With so many intriguing matchups, let’s take a look at some of the young players on teams across the playoff bracket that could help shape how things go in the first round and beyond.
Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have developed a reputation around the league. In all honesty, they have a couple. They are looked at as first-round choke artists. They are often called soft. They get the label of a team that can’t get it done when it matters.
While the style of play and the makeup of the team have changed dramatically this season under new head coach Craig Berube, the biggest difference for the Leafs up front is the development of Matthew Knies, who has spent almost the entirety of the year on the top line.
His physicality and powerful game have flashed at points in the last couple of years, but this season, we’ve seen him become what the Leafs had always hoped he could.
The massive winger has the bullish strength to win pucks in the corner or around the net, but also the skill to play with players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. If the Leafs are going to handle the Sens with the physicality and grit that they play with, Knies is going to have to be a key piece of that.
Jake Sanderson, D, Ottawa Senators
The feisty Sens are finally in the playoffs and there are a number of young players that could play a pivotal role. Brady Tkachuk is sure to be a monster in the playoff environment. Tim Stutzle should be the high-powered difference maker that the Sens will need to score in the postseason. Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, and Dylan Cozens are all set to play pivotal roles on this young squad. Although all of that is true, no single player may be more important than Jake Sanderson.
The team’s 22-year-old No. 1 defenseman has been a force at both ends of the ice. Not only did he put up 57 points on the year, but Sanderson’s defense was heavily relied upon.
Easily their most trusted defender, Sanderson should see big minutes against Toronto’s top players. His mobility and size will allow him to deal with both the skill and heaviness that Toronto has brought this season, but he’s going to have to be at his best if the Sens plan on sending the Leafs home in the first round once again.
Ivan Demidov, W, Montreal Canadiens
What a debut this kid had. After scoring his first goal and grabbing two points in his debut, his second game was a bit quieter but the reality of the situation is that having Demidov playing minutes for this team in the playoffs is likely the key to seeing them upset the Washington Capitals in Round 1. The Habs have been good for stretches this season, but Demidov’s dynamism and offensive potential are the kind of edge that the Habs need.
Demidov might be the most purely skilled rookie in the league and he’s only played in two games. He will surely be the front runner for the Calder Trophy next season which could give them back-to-back winners if defenseman Lane Hutson is to capture the award this season. Demidov is the Canadiens' secret weapon heading into the post-season, and he could very well be their most dangerous offensive player.
Quinton Byfield, C, Los Angeles Kings
A little cross-check from Darnell Nurse isn’t going to deter Byfield from being an impact player for the Kings. Although his season started slow, Byfield was able to hit his stride in the second half of the season, helping solidify the Kings' second line alongside Kevin Fiala. The speed at which the duo played made every shift dangerous.
The Oilers have beaten the Kings in each of the previous three postseasons with the series progressively getting shorter each year. Byfield was a minimal part of the first series, and in the last two years, he’s been held to four points each, with one goal between the two years.
This year, Byfield is going to be looked to as a key scoring threat for the Kings. They finally seem like they have the firepower to keep up with Edmonton, and Byfield is going to be pivotal in ensuring that they don’t falter.
Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are in the unlucky position of being matched up with the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, a matchup that feels worthy of a Conference Final. That means that they are going to need to combat the new and improved depth of the Avs lineup that features newcomers Brock Nelson, Martin Necas and Charlie Coyle.
Although the Stars are going to be relying on former Av Mikko Rantanen for the added offensive punch, Wyatt Johnston could be the key to the Stars winning the heavyweight tilt in Round 1.
Johnston has been a revelation over the last couple of years with a true coming-out party in last year’s playoffs, putting him on the scene as one of the best young players in the NHL. Johnston brings the ability to elevate anyone he plays with while being highly productive on a lower line. Whether he’s playing with Rantanen or not, Johnston will need to find the level that he was playing at last post-season to help the Stars take down the Avs.
Jake Neighbours, LW, St. Louis Blues
The Blues are in tough against the Jets, the NHL’s top team this regular season, and they are going to need someone to step up and bring an intensity from both a skill and physicality sense. There are very few players on the roster for St. Louis who can bring that to the game, and Neighbours is one of the best at it.
He has brought the playmaking that we saw in his junior days, as well as the instigatory nature that makes him a presence on the ice even when his offense isn’t working. Neighbours has found himself playing big minutes for the Blues, playing alongside their top offensive players and bringing the traits that help fill in the gaps with his skilled linemates. Neighbours is exactly the type of player that excels in the playoffs, so it should be fun to see his first foray into the post-season.
Zeev Buium, D, Minnesota Wild
The newly signed Buium will be making his NHL debut in the first game of the Wild’s series against the Vegas Golden Knights, playing on the third pair alongside Zach Bogosian. He looks to be playing on the Wild’s power play as well, which is where we could see him make his biggest impact.
Buium is a supremely smooth skater and puck carrier, and his passing is crisp. If he is able to provide added offense with the man advantage, he could help give the Wild an edge.
The Wild didn’t exactly finish the regular season out firing on all cylinders, but they need to find a way to get things back on track. Kirill Kaprizov is back, and he’s had some runway to get back to his early-season MVP level, which is a welcome sight, but the Wild are still going to need an added edge. Buium’s puck moving and skill could be the edge that they need.
Luke Hughes, D, New Jersey Devils
Luke Hughes' second full season has been loaded with ups and downs. There have been stretches of play that featured the highest end of Hughes' skillset from a mobility and puck handling standpoint, but his season also saw runs of play where he struggled to assert himself as the go-to blueliner.
Hughes has all of the tools to be an elite puck-moving defender. He is an aggressive, attacking skater who wants to push the pace of the game. Hughes’ passing ability is fantastic at times, threading the needle through traffic to hit teammates on the tape.
The Devils’ are going to be shorthanded heading into the playoffs against Carolina with older brother Jack Hughes out for the year, top defenseman Dougie Hamilton just returning from injury and Jonas Siegenthaler out for the year on the back end as well. The Devils need to generate offense and Hughes elevating his game to another level in the post-season would go a long way.
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