Top 5 NHL 2024-25 bounce-back candidates after suffering sophomore slumps

Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

For many NHLers, the sohpomore slump is real.

Sometimes, it’s just hard to live up to your performance as a rookie. Or, maybe, you get injured, your opportunities fall away or your team just flat out stinks. It happens, and it’s not the end of the world.

But for these five players, they’ve all shown some significant promise – including Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers. Even Logan Thompson isn’t out of the race to play for Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. All five of these players should have the ability to prove themselves this year, and, if all goes well, get back on track and become as effective as they can be.

So, here’s five players from the 2022-23 NHL rookie class that are looking for a big third year:

Matty Beniers, C (Seattle Kraken)

Expectations were high for Beniers after his consistency allowed him to score 24 goals and 57 points as a rookie in 2022-23. Entering his second year as a Calder Trophy winner, Beniers struggled to remain productive and finished with just 15 goals and 37 points. The Kraken weren’t as strong – missing the playoffs – but Beniers just didn’t look like his dynamic, two-way self.

Beniers is still Seattle’s No. 1 center, and perhaps new coach Dan Bylsma finds a way to extract the most out of him. But if the Kraken are going to make a serious push forward and find their way back to the postseason, Beniers needs to put a difficult sophomore season behind him and get that mojo back. You still saw the spurts of pure talent that Beniers brought to the table last year but he needs to show that every night this time around.

Kent Johnson, LW (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Johnson was one of the NHL’s better rookies in 2022-23, scoring 16 goals and 40 points in 79 games. He got better as the season wore on, and many expected him to surpass the 50-point mark with the Blue Jackets last season – especially with more scoring help joining the squad. But instead, he found himself in the press box early in the season and even spent 10 games in the AHL, where he crushed it with five goals and 15 points. But in the NHL, it never seemed like Johnson had a chance to find his groove under (then) new coach Pascal Vincent. Johnson then missed the final 24 games of the season after undergoing shoulder labrum surgery, ending a year he’d love to forget.

The Blue Jackets have another new bench boss in Dean Evason, so we’ll see if that change allows Johnson to thrive. His two-way work ethic can waver at times, and he may get a bit too flashy for some, but Johnson has some of the most pure talent of any 21-year-old in the NHL. With the Blue Jackets still on the outside looking in, this is a good chance for a youngster like Johnson to take control and push for better opportunities.

Logan Thompson, G (Washington Capitals)

Thompson was one of the best young goalies in the NHL in 2022-23, taking a surprise starting gig after an injury put a premature end to Robin Lehner’s career in Vegas. Thompson went 13-9-5 with a .920 save percentage, and even represented the Golden Knights in the NHL All-Star Game in Florida that year. But a leg injury knocked him out of 17 games after the ASG break and then he returned for one more regular season game. Unfortunately, he suffered a lower-body injury that left him out for the rest of the season.

That missed time allowed Adin Hill to take over the No. 1 gig in Vegas, and Thompson just never seemed to look the same. The move to Washington gives him a fresh start, and while Charlie Lindgren emerged as the team’s No. 1 last year, Thompson has a chance to steal it from him. It’s going to be difficult, but Thompson’s combination of size, speed and positioning allows him to be dominant at points. If he can stay healthy and consistent, he’ll be in good shape to put himself back on the map.

Cole Perfetti, RW (Winnipeg Jets)

It’s been a few weird years for Perfetti. After splitting 2021-22 between the NHL and AHL (and dealing wiht injuries that limited him to just half a season), Perfetti looked solid with 30 points in 51 games in his first full season in 2022-23. But another injury took him out for over 30 games, killing any potential for him to make a serious late-season run at the Calder Trophy. Perfetti was given some good opportunities in 2023-24, but saw his production mellow out at 38 points in 71 games, and he found himself on the sidelines as a healthy scratch on occasion.

Perfetti has always been a dynamic, dangerous forward who started out as more of a scorer and then became a high-end playmaker. But injuries and inconsistent play has made things difficult for him, and there’s been some questionable ice time decisions, too. Perfetti should slot back into the team’s top six this year and hopefully get things back on track because the talent is there, but the execution wasn’t last season.

Calen Addison, D (Ottawa Senators, PTO)

Of all the players on this list, Addison is the only one without a contract set in stone in 2024-25. After making the AHL all-rookie team in 2020-21, he almost did the same with Minnesota two years later in a year that saw him register 29 points in 62 games while averaging 16:07 in ice time. But Addison’s defensive flaws became even more evident last year, and after just 12 games, the Wild shipped him off to San Jose. Addison had just 12 points in 60 games, and while the support group didn’t give him much to work with there, Addison struggled mightily in his own zone, leaving the Sharks to pass on giving him a qualifying offer.

Addison is set to join the Senators at training camp on a tryout contract. There’s an argument to be made that he could fit in a bottom-pairing role, but he needs the best two weeks of his life in camp if he’s going to earn himself a contract. With the puck, Addison’s raw talent is there. He’s more than capable of acting as a fourth forward out there, but his lack of size and defensive awareness has brought him down in a big way. This could be the last legitimate shot Addison gets in the NHL, so he has to make it work.