4 Former Top NHL Prospects Struggling to Break Through

The path to the NHL is rarely a straight line, but for some players, it's marked by more obstacles and detours than others. It's especially tough when the player in question is a former top prospect — drafted in the first or second round, ranked highly and praised during or before his draft season, only to find a brick wall between him and the NHL. 

That wall can manifest in various ways: needing to add muscle to compete against bigger NHL players, a "tanking" team that doesn't want to play its good prospects yet, or a head coach who prefers veterans over the young guys. It could be that he was drafted too high, and the reality of the player is becoming clear to the coaching staff. Or it could just be that the player isn't living up to the standards he himself set in his draft season.

It happens every year.

Let's look at some former top guys who are technically too old to be prospects, but haven't quite made it yet.

Ryan Suzuki, Carolina Hurricanes

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Drafted: 28th Pick Overall, 1st Round 2019 NHL Draft

Suzuki is my proverbial white whale.

I know there's a highly skilled player in there, but I can't pin down just how much of that skill he's still able to use after a high stick in the fall of 2019 (after he was drafted in June) caused permanent damage to his right eye.

In his draft year, Suzuki was praised for his deceptive abilities, his excellent passing skills, and his ability to read the ice and create high-danger scoring chances. His playmaking abilities pointed toward a future top-six player who could be a points producer for real.

Then the eye injury happened, and not even six months later, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and interrupted not just his 2019-2020 season, but 2020-2021 as well (he played 26 games for the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves). That's a lot of interruption during prime development years.

And it's possible that he's just lingered too long in Carolina, stuck behind a logjam of players on a very competitive team, and he could still be that top-six points producer somewhere else. But Suzuki hasn't shown that yet at the NHL level—indeed, hasn't gotten the opportunity to show that at the NHL level.

He made his NHL debut back in January, playing two games, and was sent down on waivers to the Chicago Wolves last week to start the season. This season is likely his last opportunity to prove to the Hurricanes that he belongs; if they don't believe he has a place on their NHL team, they should consider sending him to a fresh start elsewhere.

Brad Lambert, Winnipeg Jets

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Drafted: 30th Overall, 1st Round in the 2022 NHL Draft

Lambert was hyped up fairly early on in his career as one of the next potential first overall picks, and I think he's a pretty good lesson in why we should leave guys alone.

The pressure is one thing, but the way it shapes draft hype is a different story altogether. He's starting in the NHL with the Jets this season, and as someone who saw exactly the kind of high-risk, high-reward player who belongs in the top six and probably won't be helpful anywhere else, I'm rooting for him to stay there. But it was always going to be a journey, not a quick hop.

At his best, Lambert is a dynamic forward with excellent instincts. His speed and skating are really standout aspects of his game. However, his ability to be dangerous was hyped as a sure thing rather than something to be won in time, and this was done early on.

With that hype in people's minds, his draft season was a disappointment. In the intervening years, he has worked on some of the areas he needed to improve; he's still working on others.

It's encouraging to see him make the Jets out of camp this year; I really liked what I saw from him with the Manitoba Moose last season and the progress he made in the details of his game. The Jets need to replace Nikolaj Ehlers' offense, and while Lambert won't come flying out and do that by himself, I think he has the potential to be very useful to the team.

Emil Andrae, Philadelphia Flyers

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Drafted: 54th Overall, 2nd Round in the 2020 NHL Draft

During my research for this piece, I asked people to suggest a prospect who had struggled to "make it" and might have been overlooked. More than one person recommended Andrae.

Fortunately, he was already on my list, because I agree.

The Flyers' 2020 second-round pick has fallen out of favor a bit, and reports are that while the Flyers are not pursuing an Andrae trade, they're open to it. That much was clear when he didn't make the team out of camp, while a few players worse than him did, and Andrae got sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

To be clear, Andrae isn't a case of "player has done no wrong, team just doesn't like him." He has areas in his game that he needs to improve. He's a smaller guy, only 5'9", and while that in itself isn't an issue, if you're going to be small (especially as a defenseman), you need to be quick.

Andrae can sometimes struggle on rush defense and when defending against speed. In today's NHL, that's not going to work. But the rest of his skill is still there. I kind of hope the Flyers do trade him, because I think he's a guy who could really benefit from a new environment.

Jonatan Berggren, Detroit Red Wings

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Drafted: 33rd Overall, 2nd Round in 2018 NHL Draft

One day, you're one of the kids being hyped, and the next, you're being passed by the new kids being hyped.

Berggren is the oldest guy on the list at 25 and was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round in 2018. He's an agile guy with great puck control who just hasn't been able to stick at the NHL level for whatever reason. He signed a one-year deal back in the summer, and this really feels like a prove-it season. 

Unfortunately for Berggren, those young kids who passed him (notably 2024 draft pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard) got to start the season on the ice while Berggren started it in the press box. Berggren came over from Sweden during the 2021-22 season to play for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings' AHL affiliate, and even played almost an entire NHL season for the Red Wings during 2022-23 (67 games).

It was back to the AHL for 2024-25, and then back to the NHL last season, where he ended up with 24 points in 75 games. To say it's been a rollercoaster is a bit of an understatement.

Will he stick this season, or will Detroit's young guys push him out? That's up to Berggren, but if it's the latter, he could end up on the trade block come spring and the trade deadline.