NHL Stars Who Could Be Even Better in the 2016-17 Season

No matter how successful they are, pro athletes can't afford to be complacent about their accomplishments.

It doesn't take long before an achievement gets filed as part of the past. Then, once again, the player is left with something to prove, a new mountain to climb.

As the calendar is about to flip to September and preparations begin in earnest for the 2016-17 NHL season, it's a good time to scrutinize the players who have already made it to the upper echelons of the world's best hockey league.

The NHL stars featured here are already among the league's best players but look like they're poised to take their already-impressive games up one more level this year.

Which other elite players do you think will dazzle us this season?

Filip Forsberg: Nashville Predators

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Age: 22

2015-16 Stats: 82 GP, 33-31-64

Why He'll Be Better: After posting 63 points for the Nashville Predators as a rookie in 2014-15, Filip Forsberg improved by just a single point last season, but that doesn't tell the whole story. His goal total jumped from 26 to 33, tied for 10th overall in the league, and he got better as the season wore on.

Forsberg hit his peak in February, when he was named the NHL's Third Star for the month. His 12 goals in 13 games included two natural hat tricks and matched the output of the league's most prolific scorer, Alex Ovechkin, as the Predators went 7-3-3 and climbed back into the Western Conference playoff picture.

Adam Gretz of NBC Sports points out that Forsberg is part of an elite group of just 13 players in the last 20 years that have scored at least 25 goals and 60 points in two or more seasons before turning 22. Those players averaged 0.95 points per game in their age-22 year so if history is any indication, the Swede should be on track for about 78 points in 2016-17.

Connor McDavid: Edmonton Oilers

Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images

Age: 19

2015-16 Stats: 45 GP, 16-32-48

Why He'll Be Better: With one NHL season in the books, Edmonton Oilers prodigy Connor McDavid is no longer interested in deferring to his elders. "I just want to go in and have a good [training] camp and show everyone that I'm not some 18-year-old kid anymore," he said in mid-August, per Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press (h/t CBC).

Though McDavid missed three months of action during his rookie season due to a broken clavicle, his scoring pace of 1.07 points per game puts him on par with 18-year-old Sidney Crosby's production during his first NHL season back in 2005-06.

Siegel suggests that McDavid could further follow in Crosby's footsteps during his sophomore campaign. Like Crosby, it looks like he'll be named his team's captain in his second season. McDavid also has a legitimate chance of taking a run at the league scoring title, as Crosby did with 120 points in his second year.

If the Oilers' bold offseason changes pay dividends as hoped, McDavid could quickly cement his status as the NHL's next major superstar in 2016-17.

Steven Stamkos: Tampa Bay Lightning

Mike Carlson/Associated Press

Age: 26

2015-16 Stats: 77 GP, 36-28-64

Why He'll Be Better: Unusual deployment by coach Jon Cooper; late-season surgery to deal with a blood clot; and endless speculation swirling about where he'd sign his next contract. The 2015-16 season was tumultuous for Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.

But here's how we know just how special Stamkos is; in a year where he made headlines for almost every reason except his play, he still finished tied for seventh in league scoring, with 36 goals.

Now that Stamkos is healthy and has elected to stay in Tampa Bay, most of his distractions should be in the rear-view mirror.

Stamkos got into just one postseason game before the Lightning were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in last spring's Eastern Conference Final, so he should be fired up when he gets back on the ice, starting with Team Canada at September's World Cup of Hockey.

Once the NHL season begins, look for Stamkos to eclipse the 50-goal plateau for the third time in his career, but the first time in five seasons.

Kris Letang: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Age: 29

2015-16 Stats: 71 GP, 16-51-67

Why He'll Be Better: Kris Letang played 664 minutes and 14 seconds over 23 playoff games during the Pittsburgh Penguins' march to the Stanley Cup. That's over 61 minutes more than the next-busiest player, Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, and Letang's total came in one fewer game. He was suspended for one game during the second round after a high hit on Marcus Johansson of the Washington Capitals.

That suspension was about the only thing that kept Letang off the ice last spring—a change of pace for a player who has only played more than 74 games in a season once in his career, back in 2010-11.

Letang's career has been dogged by health issues including multiple concussions and, most frighteningly, a stroke caused by a hole in his heart that caused him to miss 26 games in 2013-14.

After all that, Letang was a beast last season—not just during the playoffs but also the regular season, when he established new career highs in goals (16), points (67) and ice time (26:57 per game).

Letang has only been a Norris Trophy finalist once in his career—he finished third in 2012-13. Expect that to change as makes his case to be considered one of the league's elite defensemen in 2016-17.

John Carlson: Washington Capitals

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Age: 26

2015-16 Stats: 56 GP, 8-31-39

Why He'll Be Better: Drafted in the first round in 2008, John Carlson had played every game through his first five full seasons as an NHL defenseman, starting in 2010-11. His offense took a big step forward in 2014-15, when he set career highs with 12 goals and 55 points and earned his first few Norris Trophy votes.

After 412 consecutive games, Carlson was knocked out of the lineup twice last season, missing nearly a month just after Christmas and then another 13 games in March due to what was revealed, at season's end, to have been a broken "foot, ankle," per Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

Per Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic, Carlson said on August 23 that several months after he had screws inserted to make his ankle "bulletproof" before the playoffs, the site of the injury now feels "perfect, has been the whole summer. It’s good."

With plenty to prove, expect Carlson and the rest of the Capitals to come out strong once again in 2016-17.

Jake Allen: St. Louis Blues

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Age: 26

2015-16 Stats: 47 GP, 26-15-3, 2.35 goals-against average, .920 save percentage, 6 shutouts

Why He'll Be Better: It's go time for Jake Allen. Stuck behind Brian Elliott and, earlier, Jaroslav Halak and even Ryan Miller on the St. Louis Blues depth chart, Allen has needed to be patient as he's waited for his chance to become his team's No. 1 netminder.

In 2015-16, Allen played a career high 47 games compared to 42 for Elliott. But Allen's career-best save percentage of .920 was still trumped by Elliott's .930, and Elliott was back to being the main man in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Blues have decided to finally commit to Allen long term. General manager Doug Armstrong traded Elliott to Calgary, then signed Allen to a four-year contract extension with a solid cap hit of $4.35 million a season, per General Fanager. That'll take effect in 2017-18.

With 30-year-old Carter Hutton inked as his backup, Allen will get his chance to start 60-plus games for the first time in his NHL career. As the Blues' undisputed No. 1, he'll finally get to show why he has been so highly regarded ever since he was drafted 34th overall back in 2008.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.