The Most Improved Player on Every NHL Team for the 2025‑26 Season
Every year, there are players who take a big step forward from the previous season or outperform their preseason expectations.
We are going to take a look at one of those players from every NHL team.
When it comes to most improved player, we could be looking at anything from a player who benefitted from a change of scenery, to a young player who took a big step forward, to a veteran who just had a big bounce-back year for any number of reasons.
Let's take a quick look around the league at the players who fit into one of those categories.
Anaheim Ducks: Cutter Gauthier
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The Ducks have an outstanding core of young forwards to build around, and they have helped put together one of the league's more entertaining teams this season.
While Leo Carlsson gets a lot of the attention as far as Anaheim's young talent is concerned, Gauthier is rapidly establishing himself as a rising superstar. And in 2025-26, he took an absolutely massive step forward after a very promising rookie season.
After scoring 20 goals as a rookie, Gauthier came back in 2025-26 and doubled his regular-season goal-scoring total, scoring 41 in 76 games as a 22-year-old. It was a monster season for one of the game's bright young stars, and even brighter days might be ahead for him and the team.
Boston Bruins: Jeremy Swayman
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Swayman is not just the most improved player in Boston this season; he is one of the most improved players in the NHL and is the single biggest reason the team even made the playoffs.
Boston had huge hopes for him going into the 2024-25 season, but a lengthy contract negotiation that took away his preseason put him behind schedule and produced a disappointing season. He was minus-9.1 when it came to goals above expected, and was hardly the difference-maker Boston wanted him and needed him to be.
That all changed this season when he put together a Vezina Trophy caliber season (and perhaps even an MVP caliber season) when he saved 28.8 goals above expected, the second-highest total in the NHL behind only Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson. That is basically a 37-goal improvement year over year for Swayman, and that alone probably put Boston in the playoffs.
Without him this is a lottery team.
Buffalo Sabres: Josh Doan
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When the Sabres traded JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth, it was greeted with mostly jeers.
Peterka looked like a young, 30-goal scorer that still had untapped potential. At the time, the return of Josh Doan and defenseman Micheal Kesserling looked underwhelming and not enough value for what Peterka could do.
Nobody is saying that now.
Doan took a massive leap forward in his first season with the Sabres, going from seven goals and 19 points in 51 games a year ago up to 25 goals and 52 total points in 82 games this season. Even more impressive was the fact Doan ended up being Buffalo's best two-way forward and played Selke caliber defense.
He ended up being exactly what Buffalo needed.
Calgary Flames: Devin Cooley
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When the 2025-26 season began, Cooley had played just six NHL games in his career and was cemented in as the backup behind Dustin Wolf after his strong rookie campaign. But while Wolf's play regressed significantly (and somewhat concerning), Cooley went in the opposite direction and ended up being Calgary's best goalie.
He finished the season with a .909 save percentage, well above the league average, and finished with 17.3 goals saved above expected. That number placed him seventh among NHL goalies.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jackson Blake
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The Hurricanes, once again, have one of the NHL's deepest and most solidly built rosters, and they always seem to have a strong pipeline of young players coming up through the system to keep improving it.
They have also always worked aggressively to get those young players signed long-term, so they have a lot of cost certainty with them, and Blake is no exception. He is already signed long-term for what looks to be a steal of a $5 million salary cap number, while he keeps getting better with every game he plays.
He saw his production improve by 19 points this season and is on track to be a cornerstone player in Carolina for the foreseeable future.
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Bedard
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Just about the only positive to come out of another brutal season for the Blackhawks is the fact that their most important player -- Connor Bedard -- took a big step forward offensively and continued to develop into a superstar.
Bedard not only finished with 8 more total points than he did a year ago, despite playing in 13 fewer games, but also saw massive improvements on a per-minute and per-60 basis.
He went from 1.56 total points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play a year ago (197th out of 378 forwards with at least 500 minutes of ice-time), up to 2.45 points per 60 minutes this season (31st out of 384 forwards with at least 500 minutes of ice-time).
Colorado Avalanche: Sam Malinski
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There were a lot of potential candidates for the Avalanche, including forward Martin Necas, who had a breakout offensive season, and the play of their goalies. But I am going with Malinski for his improvement on the blue line, adding 25 points of production while also seeing his shot-attempt share go from 52 percent at even-strength a year ago to nearly 58 percent this season.
The 28-year-old became a key cog on the Colorado defense and helped the Avalanche win the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular-season team.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jet Greaves
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On one hand, Greaves has done nothing but produce and perform well in his brief NHL experience. So his playing well is not necessarily a surprise this season. But what earns him the title of Columbus' most improved player is that he did it over a significantly larger sampling of games this season and started to establish himself as the team's starting goalie for the long-term. He appeared in 55 games, by far the most of his career, and was one of the NHL's most efficient and most impactful goalies.
He was a big reason the team played itself into playoff contention and even had a chance in the second half.
He saved 16.5 goals above expected, good enough for ninth best in the NHL.
Dallas Stars: Mavrik Bourque
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The 24-year-old Bourque took a big step forward this season with a mini-breakout offensively, going from 11 goals and 25 points to 20 goals and 41 total points. He is not one of Dallas' most important players at this point, but he at least showed he can be a reliable, productive middle-six forward who still might have additional untapped potential and offensive upside to unleash.
Detroit Red Wings: Moritz Seider
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It's not that Seider wasn't a good player prior to this season.
Because he absolutely was a good player prior to this season.
But Seider took a massive step forward, going from "good young player" to "one of the best players in the NHL."
Had the Red Wings made the playoffs, he should have received serious MVP consideration, and he probably still should, even with them missing. He should also be getting major Norris Trophy consideration, if not the award itself. His offense improved in terms of goals and total points, while he was also one of the most impactful players in the NHL in terms of his team's performance with him on the ice versus without him on the ice.
When Seider was on the ice, the Red Wings played like one of the best teams in the league, significantly out-scoring and out-chancing their opponents.
When Seider was off the ice, the Red Wings played like a lottery team (and a bad one), getting badly outscored and out-chanced.
He dominated, even if the rest of his teammates did not. He is one of the best all-around defensemen in the world right now.
Edmonton Oilers: Matthew Savoie
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The Oilers have the superstars in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
They still need to build a better team around them. A big part of that is going to be finding young, talented players who come at a lower price. Savoie took a big step toward being one of those players this season, scoring 18 goals with 37 total points in his first full season of NHL action.
Prior to this season, he had scored zero goals with only one assist in five NHL games.
It was a promising rookie season for an important part of the Oilers' future.
Florida Panthers: Daniil Tarasov
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This was a largely lost season for the Panthers due to major injuries across the lineup and a down year from starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
If there was a minor bright spot on the roster, it was the improved play of backup goalie Daniil Tarasov.
He finished with a league average .895 save percentage and improved by five goals above expected from his 2024-25 performance. Not a huge improvement, and certainly not anything that moved the needle, but there was not much improvement anywhere on the Florida roster this season for a variety of reasons.
They will be back, however. Do not get used to seasons like this.
Los Angeles Kings: Anton Forsberg
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This was a woefully underwhelming season for the Kings, despite making the playoffs.
Their 22 regulation wins were tied for the second-fewest in the NHL, while they failed to win a playoff game and were eliminated in the first round for the fifth year in a row. They are now entering an offseason where the roster seems to have more questions than answers, and another huge hole to fill given the retirement of franchise icon Anze Kopitar.
The one positive development this season was the arrival of new goalie Anton Forsberg, who took over the starting role, posting a .909 save percentage and 9.4 goals saved above expected. His goals saved above expected were a more than seven-goal improvement from what he did a year ago with the Ottawa Senators.
Minnesota Wild: Jesper Wallstedt
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Entering the 2025-26 season, Wallstedt was simply a good goalie prospect who had struggled in his first five NHL appearances over the previous two seasons.
He ended up becoming the team's starting goalie in the playoffs and performing like one of the best goalies in the entire league.
His .915 save percentage was among the NHL's best marks, while he saved 6.2 goals above expected. The team in front of him is outstanding, and especially defensively, but he still played a big role in the team's performance and outplayed returning starter Filip Gustavsson.
Montreal Canadiens: Juraj Slafkovsky
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Not all No. 1 overall picks develop at the same pace. They are not all immediate superstars. Sometimes it takes a couple of years for players to figure it out and put everything together at the NHL level.
Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky is now putting it all together.
He arrived this season.
He took a huge leap forward in his development, scoring 30 goals and 73 points while becoming one of the NHL's best power forwards. The Canadiens have one of the NHL's best young core groups, and Slafkovsky is a massive part of it.
He may not be the type of superstar that wins multiple scoring titles, but he is going to be a menace of a forward for the next decade that the rest of the Eastern Conference (and NHL) is going to have to deal with.
Nashville Predators: Steven Stamkos
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Can a 35-year-old future Hall of Famer really be a team's most-improved player? Does that make a ton of sense?
On the surface, probably not. But when that player goes from a disappointing 27 goals in his debut season with the team, up to the 42 goals they expected him to score, the answer is yes.
And that is the case with Steven Stamkos in Nashville.
The Predators still look like a franchise that is a little lost right now, with no clear vision on what it is or what it needs to do, but Stamkos returned to being an elite goal-scorer this season, and that's important, if for no other reason than it could make him a big trade chip this offseason if they try to turn the page and re-tool. And if they still have visions of competing, having a 40-goal scorer is also helpful.
New Jersey Devils: Simon Nemec
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Nemec's future with the Devils remains unknown, and there is still debate over how good he actually is as an overall player, but he did show signs of development this season and at least had a very productive year offensively. Not only was it a productive year offensively, but it was also his best season in the NHL in that regard, finishing with 11 goals and 26 total points in 68 games.
Prior to this season, he had scored five goals with 18 total points in 87 games.
That is progress.
New York Islanders: Matthew Schaefer
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On one hand, Schaefer has nothing to improve on at the NHL level because this is literally his first year of pro hockey.
And as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, there is always an expectation for that player to at least look like a formidable NHL player right away, even if they are not a star.
But the reason we are putting Schaefer as the Islanders' improved player is the fact that he was way better, way faster than anybody could have realistically anticipated.
Sure, he was the No. 1 overall pick. But he was the No. 1 overall pick in what was considered a down draft year and did not come with "franchise-changing player" hype. This was not a Connor Bedard, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin level of anticipation.
Part of that was the fact that his 2024-25 season was impacted by injuries.
Part of it is how difficult it can be to project defensemen and how long they sometimes take to develop.
But Schaefer not only arrived in the NHL right away, he immediately asserted himself as one of the best players in the world at his position and the type of player that could, in fact, change a franchise. The Islanders may have stumbled down the stretch and missed the playoffs, but they have a superstar on their hands here for the next decade-plus. Nobody expected him to be this good, this fast. He did things almost no teenage defenseman has ever done in the NHL.
New York Rangers: Alexis Lafreniere
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If you are a New York Rangers fan and want to find a glimmer of hope to come out of this absolutely dreadful season, the second-half improvement from Alexis Lafreniere might be that glimmer.
After taking a step back in 2024-25 and getting off to a slow start in the first half of this season, Lafreniere really started to put things together in the second half as his ice time, role, and usage all increased. He still has a chance to be an impact player in the NHL, and he is the Rangers' best chance at developing a difference-making forward. His name has surfaced in trade rumors at times over the past year, but they need to resist that temptation.
Let it play out with Lafreniere and hope he breaks out for you, not for someone else.
Ottawa Senators: Dylan Cozens
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The Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres made one of those classic "change of scenery" trades at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline when they swapped forwards, Josh Norris and Dylan Cozens.
In the latter case, the change of scenery really seemed to work as Cozens saw his production return to a top-six level, scoring 28 goals with 59 total points. It was a big improvement from the past two seasons. At age 24, he still has a chance to be a top-line producer for the Senators. Not a star by any means, but a solid producer.
Philadelphia Flyers: Trevor Zegras
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After reaching a plateau in his development with the Anaheim Ducks, it became clear that both the team and Trevor Zegras needed a fresh start.
The Philadelphia Flyers, a team that needed more young offensive talent, were the perfect team to give him that fresh start.
It worked out great for both of them as Zegras arrived in Philadelphia and started to produce as he did in his first two full seasons in the NHL, while giving the Flyers a much-needed spark offensively. His impact in the shootout (and in 3-on-3 overtime) is also a major factor in their return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He still has some things to clean up away from the puck, but the return of the offense is a huge development for both him and the Flyers from a long-term outlook.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Erik Karlsson
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There might not be a player with the Pittsburgh Penguins that benefitted from the coaching change from Mike Sullivan to Dan Muse more than Erik Karlsson.
After two solid but underwhelming seasons in Pittsburgh under Sullivan, Karlsson spent the 2025-26 season playing the way the Penguins expected him to play when they originally traded for him prior to the 2023-24 NHL season.
He not only had an outstanding year offensively but was also clinical in how he controlled the pace of games, moved the puck, and drove the offense. He was deservedly named the Penguins' team MVP for the way he helped carry the team, especially when future Hall of Fame forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missed significant time in the middle of the season.
It is pretty clear that he and Sullivan simply did not see eye-to-eye, with the latter trying to make him into the type of player he is not. Muse turned him loose and let him play like Erik Karlsson again. Karlsson and the Penguins both benefited from it.
San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini
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Let's be honest here, we could all see this coming from Macklin Celebrini as a rookie.
He turned out to be one of those rare No. 1 overall picks that stepped right into the NHL and dominated from the very beginning, and it was immediately clear the Sharks had something special.
But for as good as his rookie season was, his second season was even better.
Freakishly better.
Celebrini is not just one of the best young players in the league; he is one of the best players. Period. No further description needed. And it is not just the offense that makes him such a rising superstar. It is the fact that he is already an outstanding two-way player with a relentless drive to win every puck battle. The Sharks still need to build up the roster around him, but he is going to have them contending very, very soon.
Seattle Kraken: Philipp Grubauer
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When the Kraken first entered the NHL, they made Grubauer one of their key players, signing him to a long-term deal in free agency.
Initially, it did not work as planned.
But after a few down years, Grubauer finally put together a big season for the Kraken. He finished with a .909 save percentage, up from .875 a year ago, and went from -16.3 goals saved above expected to 5.7 goals saved above expected. That is almost a 22-goal improvement. The rest of the team was so bad that it just did not matter.
St. Louis Blues: Jimmy Snuggerud
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The Blues were mostly a mess during the 2025-26 season, and a lot of that centered around an awful goaltending performance from Jordan Binnington.
But the rapid development of rookie forward Jimmy Snuggerud was a nice positive for the Blues.
After getting a cup of coffee in the NHL a year ago, Snuggerud played his first full season in the NHL, scoring 21 goals, with 30 assists and 51 total points, finishing as the team's third-leading scorer. He has a bright future in the NHL and got his career off to a strong start this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Darren Raddysh
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The Tampa Bay Lightning have been one of the NHL's best teams at finding overlooked diamonds in the rough, and they did it again with Raddysh. After spending the past two seasons as a solid depth defenseman with some offensive spark to his game, Raddysh erupted this season with a breakout year that saw him score 22 goals with 48 assists and 70 total points. He more than tripled his previous goal-scoring output in a single season, and more than doubled his total point production.
It was a perfectly timed season for him, as he is going into unrestricted free agency in a very weak free agent class.
He is about to make a ton of money this offseason.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Matias Maccelli
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Forward Bobby McMann would have been the answer here had he not been traded to the Seattle Kraken at the NHL Trade Deadline. That means Matias Maccelli is probably next in line for the most improved award.
He was one of the players the Maple Leafs brought in to help fill the void after Mitch Marner's trade to the Vegas Golden Knights, and he was also one of the few players who actually performed well.
He went from eight goals and 22 total points in Utah a year ago to 14 goals and 39 total points this season, while also demonstrating an ability to be one of Toronto's best possession drivers. He is not Marner, or anything close to it. But he is a solid player who could be a respectable middle-six option if they decide to keep him.
Utah Mammoth: Dylan Guenther
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The Utah Mammoth are an exciting young team that is rapidly on the rise, and forward Dylan Guenther is one of the biggest driving forces behind all of it.
He was already a good young player coming into this season. But with his first 40-goal season and a career-high 71 points, he took a step toward stardom for the Mammoth and quickly became one of the league's most overlooked gems.
His speed and shot are an incredible offensive pairing, and with Utah already signing him to a long-term contract extension, he is going to be a salary-cap bargain for the next few years.
Vancouver Canucks: Linus Karlsson
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The Canucks were probably hoping for forward Elias Pettersson to be in this category, and while he was a little better, it was not enough to make a difference. Nor was it enough to really fill them with optimism that he would get back to the 90-100-point player he was a couple of years ago.
Linus Karlsson was probably the player who improved the most here, scoring 15 goals with 35 total points in his first full season of NHL action.
Prior to this season, he had produced just three goals and six total points across 27 games in parts of two seasons.
Vegas Golden Knights: Pavel Dorofeyev
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It is really tough to pick out a noticeably improved player in Vegas because everybody either performed at the same level they have been, or took a step backwards. But Dorofeyev was someone who may have taken a small step forward and proved that his 35-goal season from a year ago was no fluke.
He came back this season and set another career high with 37 goals and was a force on Vegas' power play with 20 goals on the man-advantage.
Washington Capitals: Ryan Leonard
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The 2025-26 season might have been a step backwards for the Washington Capitals overall, missing the playoffs after back-to-back postseason appearances, but it was not a totally lost season.
There were a lot of positives from a 5-on-5 perspective, and if they improve their special teams, the playoffs are not that far out of reach.
But one of the better individual developments was Ryan Leonard, their best and most important young forward, who took a big step forward and had an outstanding rookie season. He scored 20 goals with 45 total points in 79 games and just looks like a top-line NHLer. Big things are ahead for him in Washington.
Winnipeg Jets: Gabe Vilardi
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There was not much improvement here from anybody as a team, and that is a reality that management is going to have to deal with this offseason. But Gabe Vilardi continued to develop into a nice player in Winnipeg, registering his first 30-goal season in the NHL while also finishing with a career-high 69 points.
Not only was he a bright spot on this team, but he was also one of the few players who did not regress or get worse this season.
The Pierre-Luc Dubois situation may not have worked out well in Winnipeg, but getting Viladri and Alex Iafallo in the trade for him did. Those are two solid pieces to get in return for a player whose contract was looking like an albatross.
It is worth noting, however, that Dubois eventually rediscovered his game after being traded again to the Washington Capitals. That is not to say Winnipeg made the wrong move; it is just crediting Dubois for improving in recent years.
