The Stanley Cup playoffs offer us a million reasons to get romantic about hockey. One of them: seeing surprise saviors rise up every spring. From Fernando Pisani to Adin Hill to Evan Rodrigues, unexpected players come from lower on the depth chart to become folk heroes in their cities during the playoffs every season, remembered for years to come.
Who could be that special player in the 2024-25 playoffs? We present 16 darkhorses to watch, one from every team participating.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jackson Blake
It’s not often that a rookie garners the ‘darkhorse’ label, but the way Blake ended the regular season certainly makes you think he can be that guy. With different end-of-season lineups, Blake earned an extra 3+ minutes per night in Carolina’s final seven games of the season. He collected five goals in those seven games – compared to 12 in the previous 73. In all, Blake had a very respectable 34-point rookie campaign with just 13 minutes per night of ice time. He has high-end skill and finishing capability, and it’s his poise with the puck that will prove handy in playoff time. – FRANK SERAVALLI
Colorado Avalanche: Ross Colton
Colton surprised everyone when he finished October with nine points in his first 10 games. Sure, he had 40 points a year ago, but Colton started the year playing the best hockey of his career, and he couldn’t be ignored. He has actually been a solid secondary playoff producer over his career, scoring the Stanley Cup clinching goal in 2021, and while he didn’t finish the season with explosive numbers, this might be an opportunity for him to rekindle his magic. The 28-year-old will likely start the playoffs as Colorado’s third-line right winger behind Martin Necas and Valeri Nichushkin, but Colton’s more than capable of getting the job done there. – STEVEN ELLIS
Dallas Stars: Esa Lindell
Esa Lindell is a standout name for me as a darkhorse, as a shallow Dallas defense will need all the help it can get against the Avalanche. Miro Heiskanen has yet to return from injury and the right side of the Stars’ defense is nothing to right home about. Harley will certainly help, but Lindell will need to pull his weight if the Stars are to have a hope in withstanding the Avalanche attack. Will he play higher in the lineup with Heiskanen at times? I’d say almost certainly, but Lindell will also be relied on to carry his own pairing. – ANTHONY DI MARCO
Edmonton Oilers: Brett Kulak
Mattias Ekholm is going to be out for at least the first round and likely the entire playoffs. That leaves a massive hole on the Oilers’ blueline, as he was an essential part of their defensive game. If they want to repeat as Cup finalists, and maybe even win it this time, they’ll need someone to step up in his place, and Kulak might just be the guy to do it. He’s been a rock in the lower parts of Edmonton’s defensive depth, and now might be the time for him to shine in a bigger role. He’s probably the Oilers’ best bet to replace Ekholm, and how adequately he does that may determine how long their run is this time around. – SCOTT MAXWELL
Florida Panthers: Mackie Samoskevich
A deep Panthers club reaching two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals had little reason to rush top prospect Samoskevich the past couple years; he didn’t suit up for a postseason game during either run. But he could play an important role in Florida’s middle six this postseason. Over his final 30 games this regular season, he scored at an 82-game pace of 22 goals and 49 points. He gradually earned coach Paul Maurice’s trust and ended up manning the point on Florida’s No. 1 power play unit. Samoskevich has plenty of finesse to his game but also mixes in competitiveness and physicality, fitting Florida’s brand of hockey. He could be particularly dangerous if Matthew Tkachuk returns and nudges Samoskevich to the third line, where he could take advantage of some easier matchups. – MATT LARKIN
Los Angeles Kings: Andrei Kuzmenko
The Kings had a quiet trade deadline, with their lone deal being a low-risk swing for Kuzmenko. So far, it’s paid off for them, as he has five goals and 17 points in 21 games with the Kings. We’ve even seen his ceiling in his debut season with the Vancouver Canucks when he scored 39 goals. It’s going to be tough for the Kings to match the Edmonton Oilers’ offense, so they’ll take all the help that they can get. If Kuzmenko can produce like that in this series, and the rest of the playoffs, it’ll be a big difference maker for their playoff run. – SCOTT MAXWELL
Minnesota Wild: Zeev Buium
Will we see the highly touted prospect in action? Buium signed his NHL entry-level contract shortly after his college season came to a close, but he didn’t play in the Wild’s final game. That makes you think he won’t be in the lineup for Game 1, but he’s got the pure talent to be a difference-maker from the get-go. He’s elusive with the puck, makes excellent decisions as a distributor and defends as hard as anyone. Throwing him into the fire for the start of the playoffs seems risky, but I have little doubt he can handle the pressure. He’s a proven winner, with a championship at the U-18 Worlds, two at the World Juniors and a national title with Denver. Let. Him. Play. – STEVEN ELLIS
Montreal Canadiens: Alex Newhook
It has been an up and down tenure in MTL for Newhook, but he has a chance to be a major difference maker for the Habs. On paper, the Canadiens lack the offensive depth to keep pace with Washington – that’s where Newhook comes into play. As the 2C with the Canadiens, Newhook will get the opportunity to provide much needed offensive depth and outduel Pierre-Luc Dubois on the second line for the Caps. The Habs will need secondary scoring if they hope to win and Newhook can provide just that. – ANTHONY DI MARCO
New Jersey Devils: Paul Cotter
If you look on Lord Stanley’s chalice, you’ll see Cotter’s name etched on there with the Vegas Golden Knights from 2022-23. But Sunday will be his first career Stanley Cup playoff game. He qualified in 2023 automatically because he played more than half of Vegas’ games. He played another 76 the following regular season but was a healthy scratch for all 29 of the Golden Knights’ postseason contests when he was there. Enter: The Devil. Cotter is more than ready. He brings an edge and was so impactful to start the season. More of that, please. – FRANK SERAVALLI
Ottawa Senators: Dylan Cozens
Cozens has been a revelation for the Senators, compiling 16 points in 21 games since the trade from Buffalo, and I think there is a lot more where that came from. Theoretically, he is going to go head to head with John Tavares; Cozens has a massive opportunity to put his stamp as a legit 2C in the NHL and provide the Sens with some much needed depth down the middle. I’ve picked the Sens to win in the first round, and Cozens will need to be a reason to contribute to it. – ANTHONY DI MARCO
St. Louis Blues: Zack Bolduc
While Bolduc won’t get any strong consideration for the Calder with the class that he’s been a part of, he had a solid rookie season for the Blues. Not only did he produce well and nearly score 20 goals, he was also excellent defensively. With the Blues’ forward depth leaving a bit to be desired, they need another forward to step up and help raise their offense to the level of any of the teams they will face if they go on a run, and Bolduc might be the guy to do it. And if he can do it without sacrificing the defensive game he’s also established thus far in his NHL career, all the better.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Yanni Gourde
Gourde had played just one game after a two-month injury layoff when the Lightning reacquired him before the Trade Deadline as part of a package with Oliver Bjorkstrand. With modest numbers, Gourde felt like somewhat of an afterthought compared to the big names changing teams league-wide that week. But he won two Stanley Cup rings in his first tour with the Lightning, centering their dynamite third line. In 83 career playoff games, essentially one full regular season, he has 20 goals, including seven game-winners. The Bolts have an expected goal share around 56 percent with him on the ice since the trade, and he has even seen some top-line ice time recently. His competitiveness and experience will come in handy. – MATT LARKIN
Toronto Maple Leafs: Bobby McMann
The Leafs really missed McMann last spring, when an injury held him out for their entire first-round matchup against the Boston Bruins. He’s the type of player every team needs in the playoffs; he’s 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, he scored 20 goals this season, he’s very fast for a big guy, and he plays a heavy forechecking game. McMann can function effectively as second-liner digging pucks out for higher-skill linemates John Tavares and William Nylander or as more of an energy guy playing third-line minutes, which is McMann’s current deployment. He isn’t the flashiest player, but guys like him are often difference makers in the postseason. He makes his minutes count; among 376 forwards who played at least 500 minutes at 5-on-5 this year, McMann sits in the 94th percentile in shots on goal per 60. – MATT LARKIN
Vegas Golden Knights: Reilly Smith
After being a cap casualty in the wake of the Golden Knights’ 2023 Stanley Cup win, Smith had a fine but unremarkable season with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023-24, and a forgettable one to start this season with the New York Rangers. But Vegas brought him back at the Trade Deadline, and he’s felt a little bit more at home alongside his former misfits linemate in William Karlsson. But it still feels like Smith has a bit more left to give. He’s been a key contributor on all but one of Vegas’ playoff stints, so if they can spark him a bit more, that’s some extra scoring depth for them down the stretch. – SCOTT MAXWELL
Washington Capitals: Aliaksei Protas
This guy isn’t going to catch anyone by surprise, not with his 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame. And definitely not with the season that he just put together, notching 30 goals and 36 assists for 66 points. His previous career high was six goals, and that’s not a typo. It’s just that Protas has the ability to be a gamebreaker in the postseason, a true darkhorse that can help carry a team, based on how hard he plays. He competes for every puck, he grinds on the forecheck and works back well. Almost all his production is at even-strength (27 of 30 goals) and he adds a dimension to some of the ‘softer’ skill that Washington has in their lineup. – FRANK SERAVALLI
Winnipeg Jets: Brandon Tanev
Many expected the Jets to snag a second-line center for the playoffs. Instead, they grabbed Brandon Tanev, a bottom-six winger with an appetite for destruction. He blocks shots, kill penalties and does all the things you want to see out of a gritty winger who lays it on the line every single night. In the playoffs, where everything is a grind, that’s extremely important. Most of Tanev’s value is measured off the scoresheet, so watch him closely. – STEVEN ELLIS
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