2. Simon Nemec
Simon Nemec was just acquired by the Calgary Flames this off-season, and after being under utilized throughout his career with the New Jersey Devils, he's set up to find immediate success with the Flames. In his third season in the NHL last year, Nemec had a career year of 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games played, with that production being made even more impressive given that he had little power play time and spent most of the year on the third pairing.
In Calgary, Nemec will not only be getting to play the PP QB role on either PP 1 or 2 (depending on Zayne Parekh's deployment), but he'll likely be on the Flames top pairing with Kevin Bahl, allowing him to thrive as an offensive threat on the right side.
It's unclear whether or not he'll ever live up to the billing as a former No. 2 overall draft pick, but Nemec thrived when given the opportunity at the Olympics, and now, he's going to get that same chance in Calgary.
1. Morgan Frost
In 2025/26, Morgan Frost showed flashes of what he can do when he posted 43 points on the year, his highest mark since 2022/23 with the Philadelphia Flyers. Most of that production came late in the year when he was put on a line with two other young names in Coronato and Matvei Gridin, and with that trio expected to be the top line in 2026/27 with all three being on the top PP unit, the possibilities are exciting for Frost.
His growth as a playmaker last season was promising, but Frost also had 22 goals, the first time he's crossed that threshold in his career, and given that he won't turn 28 until after the 2026/27 season, it appears as though he's finally coming into his own in the NHL.
Sure, he's still not going to profile as a 1C on a genuine, contending team, but if Frost can get off to a hot start in 2026/27, not only could he put together his first 50, potentially 60 point campaign, but he could earn himself a long-term deal with the Flames.
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