Welcome back to The Journey, where we track the development of prospects as they excel in junior, make the NHL, and push towards stardom.

As we say goodbye to 2022, I thought I would put on my rose-coloured glasses and try to imagine what might be in store for the development of each team's prospects and young players in 2023. The entry draft this summer seems poised to change the trajectory of several of the NHL's lowliest franchises, but I have kept the speculation more general for those teams in the running because everything is still up in the air in terms of who will pick whom.

We have had enough grim reality over the past few years, so these takes—though grounded in the reality of contracts and production—are certainly optimistic. Just grab a final glass of eggnog, sit back, and imagine…how would your favourite team's outlook be impacted by everything breaking just right for its young guns in 2023? It is pleasant food for thought.

Anaheim Ducks

Max Comtois hits his 200-game Breakout Threshold and remembers how to score on a skilled, gritty scoring line with rising star Mason McTavish. The Ducks don't re-sign John Klingberg, and a healthy Jamie Drysdale opens 2023-24 as the uncontested PP1 quarterback. Brayden Tracey and Jacob Perreault finally figure out the AHL and earn cups of coffee with the big club. Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger wrap up prolific junior years and excel immediately in the AHL.

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes re-sign Jakob Chychrun instead of trading him and add a franchise-changing 2023 top-four pick to their already dynamite forward core of Dylan Guenther, Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, and Matias Maccelli. Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram emerge as a surprisingly solid fantasy tandem in net. Shane Gostisbehere gets shipped off at the deadline and J.J. Moser settles in on PP2.

Boston Bruins

Fabian Lysell finishes above a point per game with Providence (AHL) in 2022-23, then cracks Boston's roster out of training camp the following Fall. Matthew Poitras takes his responsible, two-way game to the minors, strengthening the Bruins' future down the middle. Jeremy Swayman pulls ahead of Linus Ullmark as the 1A option in net.

Buffalo Sabres

Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin become the second coming of Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer on the Sabres' blue line. Buffalo’s wealth of talent up front continues to swell as high-level prospects like J.J. Peterka, Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, and Dylan Cozens get increasingly comfortable. Tage Thompson continues piling up points down the stretch and opens 2023-24 as a top-ten forward option in fantasy. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finally finds more consistency and claims the starting role.

Calgary Flames

Using capable backup Dan Vladar as bait, the Flames finally cut out some deadwood to make room for undersized-but-dynamic prospects Matthew Phillips, Jakob Pelletier, and Jeremie Poirier. Along with Connor Zary, these young players infuse speed and creativity throughout the roster. Adam Ruzicka (6-4, 215 lbs) helps offset that size deficiency by solidifying his place in Calgary's top six. Dustin Wolf, 22, is the second coming of Carter Hart (PHI) and creates a true goalie controversy in the Calgary net.

Carolina Hurricanes

Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi improve their consistency to create a formidable top-six for Carolina—Jarvis in particular breaks out as a point-per-game star. Scott Morrow transitions smoothly from college to the pro game, continuing his trajectory as a two-way star capable of eventually replacing Brent Burns as the engine from the back end. Post-hype sleeper Jamieson Rees graduates to the big club and adds skilled grit to their middle six after busting out for a point-per-game campaign in his third AHL campaign. Pyotr Kochetkov forms a top-tier 1A/1B tandem in net with newly re-signed Frederik Andersen.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks move Patrick Kane at the deadline for a haul of picks and young pros, including an additional top-15 pick in the loaded 2023 draft. Lukas Reichel opens 2023-24 with Chicago alongside one or both of their top picks to lead a young, developing team in scoring. But most of the optimism remains with the pipeline: Frank Nazar returns healthy and leads Michigan (NCAA) in scoring, making good on his draft year hype, while Kevin Korchinski steps into the AHL and adds a more robust defensive toolkit to his dynamic offensive game. Arvid Soderblom bounces back to post solid volume stats even though his wins and rates remain in the basement.

Colorado Avalanche

Bowen Byram puts his concussion issues behind him and plays a full year with the Avs in 2023-24, posting 50+ points and allowing them to trade Sam Girard. Alex Newhook converts his dynamic speed into consistent offence and two-way play, giving Colorado a great one-two punch down the middle. Defenceman Sean Behrens graduates from college to the Eagles (AHL) where he helps Justus Annunen finish top five in all major AHL goalie categories in 2023-24.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Jack Roslovic, Kent Johnson, and Cole Sillinger lock things down for the Jackets at center while Kirill Marchenko continues to show he belongs in the top six. Zach Werenski and David Jiricek run the top two PP units in 2023-24 while Denton Mateychuk capably handles duties on the farm. Adam Boqvist becomes expendable and is traded at the 2023 deadline. Backed up by the capable Daniil Tarasov, Elvis (Merzlikins) re-enters the building and generates solid value for his patient fantasy owners.

Dallas Stars

With more ice time and better deployment, Wyatt Johnston pushes into the 50+-point range in his second year and threatens to score 30 goals. Logan Stankoven absolutely feasts on AHL competition for 10-15 games before being called up permanently. He helps reignite Mavrik Bourque, who bounces back after a rough AHL rookie year. Miro Heiskanen pushes into point-per-game territory as a truly elite defender while Nils Lundkvist continues to make Rangers fans jealous by excelling on the second unit. 2022 pick Lian Bichsel brings his high-end shutdown game to the AHL and pushes for call ups down the stretch in 2023-24.

Detroit Red Wings

Jakub Vrana lights it up for Detroit in the back half of 2022-23 and helps push Lucas Raymond back up to a 70-point pace, a total he hits the following year. The Wings free Mo Seider from the shackles of Ben Chiarot, and the big German returns to rookie form, posting 50+ points with elite peripherals. Filip Zadina reinvents himself in the mould of Sam Gagner as a middle-six PP specialist alongside Jonattan Berggren, who hits the scoresheet regularly with more ice time and opportunity. Fresh off back-to-back SHL campaigns, Marco Kasper destroys the AHL before sticking with Detroit in the second half of 2023-24 and doing his best Joe Pavelski impression at the net-front on the PP.

Edmonton Oilers

Jesse Puljujarvi experiences a late surge of production in 2022-23 that convinces him to re-sign with the Oilers instead of going back to Finland. Kailer Yamomoto paces for north of 50+ points again, and Dylan Holloway, armed with a year of NHL experience, finds magic flanking Connor McDavid or Leon Draisatl to open the new season. The analytics department finally convinces Edmonton's coaches to give Evan Bouchard all the playing time he can handle, and his PP poise propels him to a 60-point campaign. A healthy Philip Broberg's blazing speed gives the Oilers another potent weapon in transition and frees up McDavid on zone entries.

Florida Panthers

Spencer Knight officially takes over as the 1A option in net, supported by Sergei Bobrovsky. Anton Lundell moves into 60-point territory and continues to develop into Barkov lite. Both Grigori Denisenko and Aleksi Heponiemi finally leave the AHL to add skill to the Cats' middle six. In their absence, Justin Sourdif becomes the leading scorer for Charlotte (AHL), which continues to receive solid goaltending from Mack Guzda, Knight's future back up. 2022 WJC standout, Kasper Puutio, comes to North America and continues developing his solid two-way game on the blue line in the minors.

Los Angeles Kings

Arthur Kaliyev takes over three shots per game in 2023-24 and cracks 30 goals for the first time. Quinton Byfield makes encouraging strides and puts up 40 points in a sheltered role behind Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault. On the back end, Jordan Spence productively duels Sean Durzi for PP time while Brandt Clarke takes control at the AHL level and approaches a point per game. Alex Turcotte stays healthy for the rest of 2022-23 and opens the new season as a dynamic presence on the wing in L.A.'s middle six.

Minnesota Wild

Calen Addison becomes a top fantasy option from the back end in 2023-24 on the strength of enormous PP totals. Matt Boldy crests a point per game alongside a rejuvenated Marco Rossi, who opens the new season on a tear after a strong AHL victory lap. Other recent Iowa (AHL) graduates—Adam Beckman, Mason Shaw, Connor Dewar—continue to provide key speed, grit, and secondary production to the Wild's middle six. Brock Faber moves up to the minors and establishes himself as an elite two-way defender at the pro level. Filip Gustavsson continues to force a time-share in net with Marc-Andre Fleury, prompting the Wild to re-sign him as an eventual running mate for phenom Jesper Wallstedt, who is dominant in his second year of North American action.

Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield exceeds 50 goals, announcing himself as one of the league's top goal scorers, while Juraj Slafkovsky acclimates further to the NHL level and strides into 40-point territory. 20-year-old grizzled veteran Kaiden Guhle pushes 40 points in 2023-24 by continuing to play big, all-situations minutes. Down in the minors, former heir apparent Cayden Primeau begins figuring things out in net behind a stronger Laval club featuring new additions Joshua Roy, Filip Mesar, and Xavier Simoneau—all of whom provide the Habs with intriguing depth options for brief call ups.

Thanks for reading! Tune back in next week on Saturday to read Part Two of this series. For now, follow me on Twitter @beegare for more prospect content and fantasy hockey analysis.