NHL breakout candidates for 2023-24 season: Canadiens' Kirby Dach, Devils' Akira Schmid set for big leaps

Several young NHL players have a chance to realize their potential this season

By Chris Bengel Sep 19, 2023 at 10:00 am ET• 6 min read

The 2023-24 NHL season is right around the corner, and with that comes another year of some of the league's younger players attempting to make their mark.

During the 2022-23 campaign, players like Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers, Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy and Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi took huge steps and become more productive than they ever had before. All three players registered new career-highs in points that season.

As the 2023-24 campaign approaches, there will be a new group of NHL players who'll put together breakout performances. With that in mind, I took a look at several players that could be primed for breakout seasons this year.

Kirby Dach, Canadiens

Kirby Dach MON • C • #77 G14A24+/--2 View Profile

After being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, center Kirby Dach had his fair share of growing pains in three years with the Blackhawks. He registered just 59 points (19 goals and 40 assists) in 152 games over that span. However, Dach was traded to the Canadiens on draft night in 2022 and it proved to be just what the doctor ordered. Dach tallied a career-best 38 points (14 goals and 24 assists) in 58 games with the Canadiens in 2022-23. The big-bodied forward had double-digit goals for the first time in his NHL career and really thrived around the net. If Dach can build off his tremendous campaign in 2022-23, he can definitely be one of Montreal's top offensive options this coming season.