Mailbag: Dark horse candidates for roster spots; Sergachev among those set for resurgent season

Here is the Sept. 4 edition of the weekly NHL.com mailbag, where we answer your questions asked on X. Send your questions to @drosennhl and @NHLdotcom and tag it with #OvertheBoards.

Can you give your prediction for some dark horse candidates to make an NHL opening lineup? There are a lot of new faces this year, I'm curious to see which teams will give some young players a shot to stick in the NHL. -- @theashcity

Here are 13:

Brad Lambert, Winnipeg Jets, F: The 20-year-old had 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists) in 64 games for Manitoba of the American Hockey League. He played the Jets' regular season finale last season and was their first-round pick (No. 30) in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Nikita Chibrikov, Jets, F: Another of Winnipeg's top prospects, the 21-year-old was chosen in the second round (No. 50) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He had 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) in 70 games for Manitoba last season.

Easton Cowan, Toronto Maple Leafs, F: The 19-year-old was one of the final cuts from Maple Leafs camp last season. He then went back to junior hockey and dominated the Ontario Hockey League (96 points; 34 goals, 62 assists), winning regular season and playoff MVP honors for league champion London. He may not be the final cut this season.

Conor Geekie, Tampa Bay Lightning, F: Geekie is the Lightning's prize return in the trade that sent defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club on June 29. He had 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists) for Wenatchee and Swift Current in the Western Hockey League last season. The 20-year-old is 6-foot-4, 206 pounds.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Vancouver Canucks, F: The No. 15 pick in the 2022 draft had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 46 games for Orebro HK in the Swedish Hockey League and was voted tournament MVP at the 2024 IHF World Junior Championship. The 20-year-old is likely ticketed for Abbotsford of the AHL, but a strong camp could change Vancouver's plans for him.

Owen Pickering, Pittsburgh Penguins, D: The No. 21 pick in the 2022 draft had 46 points (seven goals, 39 assists) in 59 games for Swift Current last season. The Penguins need to start incorporating younger players into their roster as they try to bridge the Sidney Crosby era with the future and Pickering, 20, should get a long look in camp.

Emil Andrae, Philadelphia Flyers, D: The 22-year-old played four NHL games last season without a point. He had 32 points (five goals, 27 assists) in 61 AHL games for Lehigh Valley. Andrae has speed and offensive upside. Matvei Michkov will be the Flyers' prized rookie, but Andrae could be there on opening night too.

Dalibor Dvorsky, St. Louis Blues, F: The Blues expect Dvorsky to compete for a roster spot. The 19-year-old, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, had 88 points (45 goals, 43 assists) in 52 games for Sudbury of the OHL last season.

Ryan Winterton, Seattle Kraken, F: The 20-year-old was a third-round pick (No. 67) in 2021 and played nine games for Seattle last season. He had 35 points (22 goals, 13 assists) in 58 regular-season games and 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 18 playoff games with Coachella Valley in the AHL. If the Kraken have an opening at forward, Winterton could fill it.

Brett Berard, New York Rangers, F: Brennan Othmann is the rookie forward who will have all eyes on him in training camp, but Berard might steal a roster spot. The 21-year-old was third for Hartford in the AHL with 48 points (25 goals, 23 assists) in 71 games last season.

Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens, D: The 20-year-old got in Montreal's final two games of last season after reaching the NCAA Frozen Four with Boston University. He's on the smaller side (5-9, 158), but he's a playmaker who must prove his size won't be a detriment. If he does that in camp, the Canadiens could keep him on the roster.

Matthew Savoie, Edmonton Oilers, F: The 20-year-old was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on July 5. Savoie was the No. 9 pick in the 2022 draft and had 71 points (30 goals, 41 assists) in 34 regular-season WHL games last season, 47 (19 goals, 28 assists) for league champion Moose Jaw. He also had five points (two goals, three assists) in six AHL games with Rochester and made his NHL debut for the Sabres on Nov. 10. The Oilers could have an opening at forward after Dylan Holloway signed with the Blues. Savoie could fill it.

Artyom Levshunov, Chicago Blackhawks, D: Levshunov was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He is 18 and a defenseman, so it's asking a lot for him to make the opening night lineup. It also begs the question if Chicago should even think about that. Why rush him? But if Levshunov has a good camp, he could change minds. He had 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in 38 games last season with Michigan State and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

I was thinking about the forgotten man in Pittsburgh, Matt Nieto, after his unfortunate injury situation. Who are your top candidates for resurgence after an injury-plagued season? -- @baYsYckwrYteboY

Here are six:

Mikhail Sergachev, Utah Hockey Club, D: Sergachev missed 48 games last season when he was with the Lightning; 17 because of a lower-body injury and then the last 31 of the regular season after breaking his leg Feb. 7, the day he returned from his lower-body injury. He made it back for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and has a full offseason of training behind him. Sergachev is Utah's new No. 1 defenseman and should have a big season.

Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks, F: Zegras was limited to 31 games last season and struggled to get anything going (15 points; six goals, nine assists). He had 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists) in 81 games in 2022-23. He's looking to become a point-per-game player and more reliable away from the puck. It's a big season for Zegras.

Jamie Drysdale, Philadelphia Flyers, D: It's been a rough past two seasons for Drysdale with multiple operations and injuries that limited him to 42 games, including 34 last season, 24 after the Flyers acquired him from Anaheim for forward prospect Cutter Gauthier on Jan. 8. But his upside as a 22-year-old with 147 games of NHL experience is significant. The Flyers hope to tap into that. Drysdale had surgery in April for an undisclosed injury but is expected to be ready when camp opens later this month.

Taylor Hall, Chicago Blackhawks, F: Hall had 10 games and four points (two goals, two assists) because of season-ending surgery on his right ACL on Nov. 27. He started skating at the end of last season and should be ready to go for training camp. The Blackhawks improved in the offseason with the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, but Hall is also essentially a major addition too because of how limited he was last season.

Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils, D: Hamilton missed the last 62 games of 2023-24 because of surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle Dec. 1. He's essential to New Jersey's success as its No. 1 defenseman and point man on the top power-play unit. The Devils improved their back end by signing Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon, not to mention acquiring goalie Jacob Markstrom in a trade with the Calgary Flames, but Hamilton might be the most important addition.

Patrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens, F: Laine, traded to the Canadiens by the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Jordan Harris on Aug. 19, is getting a fresh start in Montreal after a rough last season in Columbus. He has come through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and is eligible to play. When healthy, Laine has the ability to be a 40-goal scorer, if not better. He should get the ice time and opportunity to once again become one of the League's elite scorers with the Canadiens.

When should we start seeing some of the big RFAs fall off the board like Jeremy Swayman, Lucas Raymond and Dawson Mercer? Does further stalling of a deal lead to a higher chance of an offer sheet? -- @bsctsntndys

Training camps are set to open in two weeks and the season doesn't begin until Oct. 4, when the Devils and Sabres play the first of two games in Prague as part of the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal. The point of all that is there is still time so don't panic. Negotiations are likely ongoing.

Swayman, the Boston Bruins goalie, is the most intriguing restricted free agent because he's the clearcut No. 1 now that Linus Ullmark is with the Ottawa Senators. He had a 2.53 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 44 games (43 starts) last season and was 2.15 and .933 in 12 playoff games. He's one of the NHL's top goalies and expects to be paid like it, but he has not been a clearcut No. 1 yet in the League. Ullmark was always there. Swayman's 44 games last season were an NHL-high, but now there is a clear depth chart with Swayman at No. 1 and Joonas Korpisalo at No. 2. The Bruins should expect at least 55 games from Swayman, if healthy. All of that adds layers to the contract negotiation. It's hard to find a good comparable. However, the Bruins have expressed confidence it will get done, as has Swayman, who participated in a Bruins captains practice Tuesday. If he's not in camp on Day One, it'll be a huge story. Until then, let's let it play out.

The same thing can be said for Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider. There are potential comparables for them; thinking Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis (eight years, $63.2 million) for Raymond and Sabres defenseman Owen Power (seven years, $58.45 million) for Seider. Don't expect leaks coming out of Detroit because Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman keeps a very tight circle when it comes to contract negotiations and trades.

It's possible that final stages of negotiations with Mercer, a Devils forward, and Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley, also both RFAs, are in a holding pattern before players like Raymond and Seider sign with the Red Wings because both contracts could create comparables for Mercer and Harley. The slide from there likely goes down to forwards Cole Perfetti (Jets), Peyton Krebs (Sabres), Philip Tomasino (Nashville Predators) and Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings).

It's getting down to crunch time for all of them. Nobody wants to miss a day of training camp.