With opening night 36 days away, it is time to break down young players from each division across the league who have the most to prove. To fit the criteria, contenders must be under 25 with respectable NHL experience. Not really prospects anymore, still, they face a crucial season ahead to prove themselves or else a change of scenery may be in order.

Conor Geekie – Tampa Bay Lightning

Conor Geekie was acquired two years ago for Mikhail Sergachev before ever playing a professional game. The 2022 11th overall selection was a great way for the Lightning to get younger, facing cap trouble at the height of their contention. Fast forward to the present, Geekie is still just 22, but he’ll need to show Tampa Bay something. Playing in 52 games for the big club in his first season out of the WHL, the 6’4″ center posted 14 points from 12:20 a night, looking like a solid start to build on. Last season he was unable to get going, spending all but 14 games in the AHL, as the Lightning were wise enough to not let the talented youngster waste away in the press box or on the fourth line.

Thankfully the AHL results were quite encouraging, lighting it up for the Syracuse Crunch with 59 points in 57 games, third best on the club. It’s not like the seat is burning hot for Geekie, but entering the final season of his entry-level contract, there’s a big opportunity to step up. Tampa Bay focused on improving their bottom six this off-season, led by the addition of Ilya Mikyehev, so as a result there’s a real chance at a top-six role even if it’s on the wing to start. With the upside to becoming a strong middle-six power forward center, it’s a critical season for the Manitoba native. He’ll hope to become an everyday player, a leap somewhere in the realm of his brother Morgan who exploded into a 39-goal scorer in Boston.

Marco Kasper – Detroit Red Wings

This time last year the idea of Marco Kasper being in such a standing seemed impossible, but that’s the case for the 22-year-old who had 19 goals two seasons ago, with much changing in Hockeytown since. A candidate to step up into a bonafide young star last season, it didn’t happen for the center. Suiting up for 81 games but coming away with just nine goals and 19 points, Kasper’s ice time dropped nearly two full minutes under Todd McLellan. To be fair, sophomore slumps happen, experiencing rotten luck with a shooting percentage just under 7%. The youngster who received Calder votes showed a nice improvement on the face-off dot, winning 51.5%, worthy to consider him a true pivot with second-line upside.

The wheels are officially off the Steve Yzerman plan. It’ll benefit Kasper greatly in the final season of his entry-level deal, with question marks surrounding the entire veteran core, especially 1C Dylan Larkin. If he can come in and impress during camp, the Austrian has a chance to play alongside a winger like Alex DeBrincat. Andrew Copp just turned in a career-best in assist totals at age 32, but if Detroit is ready to embrace the future, it would be smart to set up Kasper in the best possible situation, easing him into a larger role for stretches all season.

Leevi Merilainen – Ottawa Senators

Names like Boston’s Matthew Poitras don’t quite fit the bill, still without a contract, so there’s an off-the-board pick between the pipes to wrap up the Atlantic. Ottawa’s Leevi Merilainen has flashed potential at age 24 but has a lot to prove in 2026-27 after a tough campaign. They brought in Samuel Ersson as a result, so it looks like the 24-year-old Finn will have to start out in AHL Belleville. Drafted in the third round with a pick acquired from Winnipeg for Dylan DeMelo, Merilainen was excellent in 2024-25, managing to hold a .925 save percentage in 12 games, winning eight of them.

With the uncertainty surrounding Linus Ullmark, last season presented a perfect opportunity but it didn’t materialize. Merilainen was fourth worst in the NHL among qualifying goaltenders with a -17.3 saves above expected, according to Moneypuck, although he was the only struggling puck stopper in the bottom 10 to play less than 27 games (20). It was tough enough that Ottawa tapped into the January free agent market with a 37-year-old James Reimer. Merilainen earned a one-year deal in July with “prove-it” written all over it. Feasibly holding NHL backup potential, everybody alike wishes that Ullmark’s personal matters are in order, ready to hold down the crease in Ottawa next season and beyond. Hopefully so, there’s still question marks behind him, Ersson having his own lackluster play last year in Philadelphia. A strong AHL campaign would get Merilainen right back into the NHL conversation. His Belleville club ranked 27th in the league last year, so they’ll be looking for a bounce-back all around.

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