Lane Hutson, Michael Misa among top NHL pre‑season breakout candidates

The NHL’s shortened exhibition schedule, capped at four games per team, left little room for extended auditions ahead of the 2026–27 season. Even with fewer opportunities, several young players and recent additions made enough noise in pre-season to hint at breakout campaigns when the games start to count.

Hutson drives Canadiens’ offence, Misa leads Sharks surge

In Montreal, Lane Hutson turned limited action into big numbers. The 22-year-old blueliner opened his pre-season with a three-point outing in a 4–3 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs and finished with one goal and four assists over just two appearances, tying for second in league pre-season scoring. He also led the Canadiens in ice time at 24:50 per game in that small sample.

Hutson is coming off an 82-game sophomore season in which he produced 78 points, eclipsing the 66 points from his Calder Trophy rookie year. With his usage already trending upward from an average of 23:15 last season, he appears poised to take on even more responsibility on Montreal’s blue line in 2026–27.

In San Jose, Michael Misa finished atop the NHL’s pre-season scoring list with six points in three games, including a four-point performance in a 10–0 rout of the Anaheim Ducks. Last season, a lower-body injury limited him to 45 games and 21 points, but he’s now set for a full-time role. With expectations of more ice time than the 12:49 he averaged in 2025–26, and with added support from veteran Mason Marchment and rookie Ivar Stenberg, projections around the organization suggest he could climb into the 60-point range.

Evangelista finds fit with Devils, Shea settles into Oilers’ top pair

Luke Evangelista has made a quick case for himself after a move from the Nashville Predators to the New Jersey Devils. The 24-year-old scored twice against the New York Islanders and enters the season coming off a career-best 56 points in 81 games. Slotted into the top six alongside high-end linemates like Timo Meier and Nico Hischier and tracking to see more than last year’s 16:37 per night, he is also expected to feature on the first power play, giving him a stable platform he didn’t always enjoy in Nashville.

On the back end in Edmonton, Ryan Shea has stepped straight into a prominent role. The 29-year-old defenceman posted four points in two pre-season contests in his Oilers debut while skating with Evan Bouchard on the top pair. Coming off a 35-point, plus-30 season and with only one playoff appearance so far in his career, Shea enters 2026–27 intent on chasing a Stanley Cup from a key spot in Edmonton’s defensive rotation.

Stenberg boosts Sharks youth movement, Hughes breaks through in Colorado

San Jose’s forward group got another jolt from Ivar Stenberg. The Swedish rookie put up five points in two games, including a hat trick in that 10–0 win over Anaheim, quickly showing what he can add to a young core that already includes Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Misa. Building on 10 points in seven games for Sweden at the 2026 World Juniors and experience in the Swedish Hockey League, his combination of hockey sense and two-way play points toward steady minutes and what some see as 50–60-point upside.

In Colorado, T.J. Hughes used the pre-season to force his way onto the Avalanche roster. He recorded a hat trick and an assist for a four-point night in a 5–2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets and finished with five points in three pre-season games. After splitting 2025–26 between the AHL’s Colorado Eagles and the University of Michigan, where he totalled 23 goals and 36 assists in 42 combined games, Hughes is set to debut on Sept. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings. He will open the season on the top power-play unit, giving him a prime opportunity to turn his pre-season breakout into regular-season production.