With each passing day, more and more of you are shifting your attention to thinking about your keepers, pondering whether to make any "looking ahead" trades, or starting to wonder how your 2022-23 fantasy drafts might unfold. In doing so, it's a must that you visit Frozen Tools and take note of the players who, barring injury, are going to be at or just beyond their 200 game breakout threshold ("BT") during the 2022-23 season. To reinforce the importance of BT data, I decided to weave it into this months' poll.

What follows are 20 skaters who, as of April 15th, have a total number of career games played between 140 and 240. Accordingly, they should at or just above their BT next season. Note that among them you won't find the likes of Cale Makar, Adam Fox, Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Roope Hintz, Noah Dobson, Drake Batherson, Nick Suzuki, Robert Thomas, Jason Robertson, Devon Toews, or Jordan Kyrou, as although their career games played fall within those ranges, they've already broken out or are in the process of doing so. Still, this could mean they have another gear, so be sure to keep that in mind.

What you're voting on are the five of the 20 you think will make the greatest strides in 2022-23. By that I don't necessarily mean the five who'll score the most total points. I'm looking instead for the five who'll see the biggest boost in their scoring rate as compared to 2021-22, i.e., who'll have the biggest breakouts. Yes, some of these players, due to their size and/or their position, might project to be have breakouts closer to game 400, in keeping with Dobber's logic about BT. But for purposes of this poll, I'm sticking to just those who will be right at or not too far above the 200 game mark in 2022-23.

With that out of the way, here are the 20 players, listed in alphabetical order and with their career games played through April 15th. Your task, again, is to vote for the five you think will have the biggest breakouts in 2022-23, meaning the biggest gains in scoring rate versus 2021-22.

Rudolfs Balcers – (145 games played)

Although he was not a top draft pick, nor a particularly prized prospect, Balcers nevertheless did manage to score over a point per game in his last AHL season. That, plus him playing a position where Sharks aren't deep, has led to him receiving chances to play on scoring lines, where he hasn't seemed too out of place. With the Sharks looking to save cap space due to several top-heavy veteran contracts, Balcers should continue to get top six opportunities in 2022-23, positioning him for a possible breakout.

Adam Boqvist – (142 games played)

Ostensibly stuck behind Zach Werenski, who's playing better than ever, Boqvist still oozes with the talent that convinced Columbus to deal for him despite Werenski's presence. While no one will mistake the Blue Jackets for the Avs, the latter has shown there's room for more than one scoring rearguard on the same team, so Boqvist could realistically make a leap next season.

Max Comtois – (141 games played)

His sandpaper style helped him jump into the top six last season, where he impressed by scoring at nearly a 50-point pace for a lousy Ducks team. In 2021-22 he's taken a step back, with vastly decreased scoring even as the Ducks have improved. Yet Anaheim continues to give him decent deployment, seemingly signifying they're committed to him for the long haul. Although, if the BT formula holds true they might only need to wait until next season for a big payoff.

Kirby Dach – (152 games played)

Expectations were sky high for Dach coming into 2021-22, with him the favorite to center Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. He was given the opportunity, but failed to produce and Dylan Strome stepped in. With Strome playing superb, Dach has been left to skate alongside lower tier talent. With Strome being inconsistent in the past though, and Dach poised to hit his BT, things might align for Dach to see a jump in scoring in 2022-23.

Dillon Dube – (192 games played)

After a strong last season in juniors and point per game play in the AHL, Dube earned a ticket to the Flames for good in 2019-20. This season though, his scoring and ice times have dropped; yet if somehow Johnny Gaudreau leaves as a UFA Dube should find himself in the top six. Even if that doesn't happen, it's conceivable he supplants Andrew Mangiapane on the second line.

Joel Farabee – (162 games played)

Despite more ice time, both overall and on the PP, Farabee's scoring pace his taken a step back versus 2020-21. Until now he's run hot and cold; however, his impending BT can't be ignored and might be what leads him to become a better, more consistent scorer, especially with the Flyers in need of all the offensive help they'll be able to get.

Brett Howden – (225 games played)

He's not seeing much ice time in Vegas, but nevertheless he still has a decent P/60 thanks to the scoring touch that made him a former first round selection. With the Golden Knights being one of those teams which does tinker with its lines, Howden could land in a better spot right on the heels of his BT occurring.

Filip Hronek – (237 games played)

Thrust into a top pairing role very early, Hronek has played well but unspectacularly. And the arrival of Mortiz Seider put an end to Hronek QBing PP1. Still, with Hronek's BT timed nicely to coincide with Detroit improving as a team, he could see his point total hit new heights.

Henri Jokiharju – (207 games played)

Still only 22, Jokijarju is in his fourth season, and his third with Buffalo. His ice time has risen in each of his Sabres' campaigns, although his scoring hasn't reflected those gains, at least not yet. A former first rounder, he could be a candidate to round into form coinciding with his BT.

Mathieu Joseph – (232 games played)

A trade of their player from Tampa to Ottawa normally is not cause for celebration for poolies who own him; however, Joseph was a spare part with the Lightning, whereas since he joined the Senators he's been utilized in the top six and not looked out of place. Things certainly seem to be aligned for him to thrive next season, when he'll be just past his BT.

Kaapo Kakko – (154 games played)

The first of – spoiler alert – two second overall picks to make the list, Kakko has shown some flashes of strong play this season, but alas they've been few and far between. One also has to wonder if having Diabetes and Celiac Disease, not to mention dealing with a pandemic, might have been inhibiting him from showing the talent he was thought to have. Him hitting his BT should tell us a lot about what his future holds.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – (235 games played)

The former third overall pick might've been rushed in Montreal, and had yet to show signs of being an impact player. That didn't stop the Canes from not just offer sheeting him but also inking Kotkaniemi to a long-term deal. One would think they'll do everything they can for him to succeed, so all that's left is to find out if he makes a leap in production due to hitting his BT.

Dominik Kubalik – (194 games played)

On paper, not much has changed with respect to Kubalik's deployment; but the same certainly can't be said for his production, which has nosedived. Still, he's shown enough flashes of talent as to likely continue to earn him chances, and hitting his BT might go a long way toward being able to recapture – and even perhaps improve upon – his past success.

Isac Lundestrom – (145 games played)

With Ryan Getzlaf retiring and Adam Henrique aging, Lundestrom should have the inside track for the second line pivot gig. He's already showing signs of improvement, seeing more ice time than any prior season. Also, a rising tide should lift all boats in Anaheim, including his. The question remains whether he'll make a BT leap.

Trevor Moore – (199 games played)

The undrafted winger has found a nice home in LA, as for the second season in a row his ice time has risen each quarter, and it is even more pronounced in 2021-22. He's producing well, with separate stretches of 11 points in six games and 23 points in 25 games. Of course that means he's been ice cold at times as well; but all this could be a prelude to a major jump come BT time.

Victor Olofsson – (182 games played)

Whereas many on the Sabres have seemingly benefitted from the departure of Jack Eichel and stepped up their game, Olofsson is not one of them, as he hasn't been the same player without Eichel centering him. Still, he remains in the top six, which now looks a lot better overall than it did when Olofsson was a rookie a mere two seasons ago. He's one to keep an eye on to see if he can rediscover his game, and perhaps take it to new heights, to coincide with his BT.

Nolan Patrick – (222 games played)

The former second overall pick had two subpar campaigns with Philly before running into issues that cost him an entire season. When he has managed to play of late, he's not shown any signs he might find his game. For some of these players their BT mainly will influence if they get better, while for Patrick it might determine if he even stays in the NHL.

Sam Steel – (191 games played)

After a point per every other game cameo in 2018-19, Steel has kept a full time gig in Anaheim but not played like the former first rounder he was. Still, we saw how his teammate Troy Terry fared in his BT season, so perhaps it will be Steel's turn come 2022-23?

Carter Verhaeghe – (168 games played)

Those looking for success from Joseph need only point to ex-Bolt Verhaeghe, who found it on Florida. The issue is Verhaghe hasn't sniffed PP1, and he's seen his ice time drop with each quarter. Still, he's meshed with Aleksander Barkov, so chances are he'll get a chance to skate with him again, and that, plus him hitting his BT, might lead to a big jump in production.

Filip Zadina – (157 games played)

While several Red Wings have started to pay offensive dividends, the same can't be said for the former sixth overall pick. He's had chances with Dylan Larkin, including when Tyler Bertuzzi was forced out of the line-up for games in Canada, yet hasn't capitalized, making it so he continues to land back on the third line. He might remain the odd man out, or perhaps he will emerge to correspond with his upcoming BT.

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As noted, this is as good a time as any to think about which players are the best bets to have the most significant breakouts during 2022-23 due to their BT. Remember that your task is to pick the five who you think will take the biggest strides next season. Not necessarily the five who'll score the most points, but rather the five that will have the biggest gains in scoring rate from 2021-22 to 2022-23. Click here to cast your votes.

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Questions for Mailbag Column

Next week's edition of my mailbag is already full; but you should still feel free to send me your questions, which would be included in the next mailbag or to which I can give a short answer via email if time-sensitive. To get question(s) to me, please either private message "rizzeedizzee" via the DobberHockey Forums or email [email protected] with "Roos Mailbag" as the subject line.