How many times have you looked at one of your players and thought he'd be capable of so much more if only he got a real chance to show how good he is? If you're like me, the answer is quite often. Yet with some players that chance never comes, or comes too late. For today, let's pretend it could occur, as this month's poll focuses on players thought to be able to better than they've been thus far, or who maybe did well at some point but have since disappointed.

The issue is, how to decide the voting criteria? If it was just a question of could these players do better, I feel like nearly everyone would get votes. Also, what kind of deployment would we assume they would need to get? And are we talking about right now, or at their peak? You can see the dilemmas.

I kept it simple. Your task is to vote for the five players you feel would be most improved, right at this moment, if given a fresh start on a new team. Define "most improved" however you want. But in terms of "fresh start" assume it means, for forwards, a long look on a scoring line and PP time if they're not receiving that already, while for a defenseman it means, if they're not receiving it already, PP minutes and a favorable offensive zone starting percentage. In cases of players currently getting favorable deployment, it just means a change of scenery to perhaps help spark or invigorate them.

As far as players who I didn't include, you'll notice there are no skaters who've played fewer than 200 games and/or are 22 or younger, since it's possible they've just not come into their own. I also didn't include high profile struggling players like Johnny Gaudreau, Timo Meier and Jonathan Huberdeau, as I felt they'd reflexively get too many votes. With all that out of the way, the 20 voting choices are listed below in alphabetical order. As per usual, a link to cast your votes will appear at the end of the column.

Erik Brannstrom

If Brannstrom was having a hard time making his mark in 2022-23, things sure didn't get any easier this season, with Jake Sanderson signing a major deal to signify an increased role, and Jakub Chychrun there for a full season. Let's not forget that back in the day Brannstrom was a 15th overall pick, so one has to think he has it in him to do better, although on the other hand would the Sens have gone out and gotten Chychrun if that was indeed the case?

Anthony Cirelli

Since scoring at a 53-point rate in 2019-20, Cirelli has taken on a shutdown role, keeping his OZ% low and leading to him getting PP scraps. Still only 26, one can't help but look at him and think there's a Sean Couturier waiting to emerge if only given the chance.

Jake DeBrusk

Yes, he can leave the Bs as a UFA this summer, and odds are he will. So we'll likely get a chance to see if indeed he's been held back all these years. But we're voting for the here and now, so it's a question of if he could fare better on another team immediately.

Nikolaj Ehlers

Every season it's the same – hope that Ehlers will be given the top tier deployment he seems very capable of handling. Yet time and time again he gets shafted, only once receiving even 17:00 of TOI and never in his entire career taking the ice for 50% of his teams PP time.

Samuel Girard

Yes, I realize he has off ice issues now; however, Girard posted a 55-point scoring rate at age 21, but then the Avs went and got Devon Toews, and then they drafted Bowen Byram. As a result, Girard kept getting pushed down the line-up. Still just 25, one can only wonder how he'd fare if given a clean slate on a new squad.

Noah Hanifin

A former fifth overall pick who, despite having logged over 600 career games, is still only 26. And he scored at a 49-point rate two seasons ago with PP scraps. If he ever truly got the keys to the kingdom he might be able to explode.

Tomas Hertl

A steady-eddie for many years, Hertl is still managing to score despite the Skarks' struggles. If he played on a true first line with top tier wingers, he might be able to pile on the points.

Kirill Kaprizov

Arguably possessing some of the best raw talent in the entire NHL, Kaprizov has been saddled without a top tier center since his entire career has basically played out while the Wild have been in cap hell. He scored at a 109-point pace once, so one can only imagine how productive he'd be with any semblance of talent centering him.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

He looked like he might be emerging last season, but he's back to disappointing. He's not really had great chances in Carolina, which is odd considering the hefty price they paid for him. Still, imagining him on another team makes you wonder if it'd lead to him finally making his mark.

Darcy Kuemper

It's easy to forget that Kuemper had a stretch of three seasons in four of a SV% above .920. Now though he's on the lowly Capitals, who suddenly can't score or do a good job of preventing other teams from doing so. Seeing how Cam Talbot is faring in Los Angeles and Linus Ullmark in Boston does make you wonder if Kuemper could strut his stuff again if he found his way to a new squad.

Evgeny Kuznetsov

Is he playing lousy because he's frustrated that the Caps haven't met his demand to be traded, or because he's just not the player he once was? He's just two seasons removed from an 81 point pace season and 31 years old, so a trade could indeed spark him.

Elvis Merzlikins

After showing so much promise as a rookie, it's been downhill from there. But is it a case of Merzlikins playing down to the level of the team around him, or was he not really that good? It'd sure be interesting to find out.

Stefan Noesen

Used almost exclusively as a PP specialist in Carolina, Noesen has put up pretty good numbers. Is he like Daniel Sprong where he can only do well if used sparingly, or could he be a true talent if inserted on a scoring line in addition to PP1?

Darnell Nurse

Yes, his "real life" value will always eclipse his fantasy worth, but having scored at a 53-point-pace it does make one wonder if he could succeed if he was deployed in less of a shut down role and more in the way of a true #1 d-man.

Victor Olofsson

Another impending UFA almost assured to be elsewhere next season, one has to wonder if he could be doing so much more if not buried in the bottom six, which seemingly is not the place for someone with his offensive flair, which saw him score at 55, 64 and 59 point paces in three of his first four seasons with the Sabres.

Neal Pionk

Before Josh Morrissey broke out in a major way last season, there was hope that Pionk would somehow get back to the scoring ways that saw him post 49 and 52 point scoring rates a few seasons ago. At only 28, he is seemingly very capable of doing that well again, if only put into the right situation.

Mikhail Sergachev

It seems like a lot longer ago than just last season when Sergachev was piling on the points and making Victor Hedman seem like an afterthought. Despite Sergachev now making more than Hedman it's the veteran who's back in the driver's seat. It does make you wonder just how great Sergachev could be on a different team.

Brady Skjei                                                          

Pacing above a point per every other game and somehow with four PPPts despite an average of not even 30 seconds of man advantage time per game, Skjei clearly has offensive talent. But that's simply not his role in Carolina and likely won't be no matter how well he performs, so one can only envision how he'd fare elsewhere.

Nick Suzuki

Somehow his scoring rate has increased every season despite the challenges the Habs have had in scoring. Suzuki's IPPs have always been superb, suggesting he has a nose for points. Put him on another squad right now and he likely makes a major splash right away.

Troy Terry

It seems like every month of so Terry goes on a hot streak where for a few games he's amazing. Is that not happening more often because of the team he's on, or is he just not that great a player. Tough to say.

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To reiterate, please vote for exactly five players, and they should be those who, among the 20 total voting choices, you see as being capable of the most improvement, right at this moment, if given a fresh start on a new team.  Go back and reread the intro if you're uncertain about how to decide/base your decisions.  Then click here to cast your vote(s).

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Questions for Mailbag Column

My monthly mailbag runs next week and I have room to answer plenty more questions. To get yours to me, you can either private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.