7 Players Who Are Going to Have "A Moment" During the 2026 NHL Playoffs

If there’s one thing I know about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s that we always get to see unsung heroes on these teams come out of nowhere and help guide their teams to victory or play a key role in it.

With the postseason set to start this weekend, I wanted to take a look at seven players who I think are going to have “a moment” this spring. Whether that means they play well enough to earn more of a role on their team going into next year, make a key difference in a victory, score a clutch goal, or block a huge shot to win a game.

I just think at least one night throughout the postseason, hockey Twitter is going to be blowing up about what a certain player did that night.

Before we get into it, there is going to be a bit of bias here. There will be two Montreal Canadiens players on this list. Why? Well, that’s my favourite team. I watch almost every game, and a couple of these players have really stood out to me every night.

The other five are just players who I think will have a major impact throughout the postseason. Some of them are role players. Some of them are All-Star calibre players. Some of them are former All-Stars looking to make one last run.

Let’s get into it.

Alex Newhook — Montreal Canadiens

Over the past couple of years, Alex Newhook has become one of the Canadiens’ most reliable, and of my favourite forwards on the roster, as he can essentially play any role on the team. If you need him to play on the wing occasionally with Caufield and Suzuki, he can do that. If you need him to centre a line, like right now with Ivan Demidov, he can do that for you.

Newhook has just been one of the Canadiens’ more "Swiss Army knife" type of players up front over the last couple of years, and I just wish he could stay healthy more often.

At the start of this season, he was off to a great start, and then it got interrupted by a fractured ankle in November, which caused him to miss four months. Even with that, he was still nearly a half-point-per-game player, finishing the year with 25 points in 42 games.

He’s just been someone the Habs have been able to rely on, and I really value that.

When I watch Newhook play, his speed is something that really jumps out to me. He’s always seemingly one of the faster players on the ice, and he’s always around the puck.

Newhook isn’t going to be asked to carry the load offensively, but he is someone that Martin St. Louis is going to need playing at his best at this time of year, especially on such a young team. Because in case you forgot, even at 25 years old, Newhook does know what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, as he won it in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche.

He’s been on teams that have made deep runs before, and I would not be shocked if the Canadiens are able to go on a deeper run this year and he’s one of the major reasons why. He feels like one of those players who could score an overtime goal or two to help get the Canadiens over the finish line in a game.

Joe Veleno — Montreal Canadiens

Okay, this is the last Canadiens player, I promise.

Because I’m not guaranteeing the Habs are going on a deep run, but if they do, Joe Veleno is someone I think will find his way into the lineup on a consistent basis.

Over this past month or so, his play has really stood out to me while watching these games. He’s not going to wow you with his stats, as in 61 games this year, he had just two goals and three assists for a total of five points, but over the past month, while he’s been snakebitten offensively, he has made an impact, especially on the penalty kill.

Montreal's penalty kill has drastically improved post-trade deadline, and I think Martin St. Louis has seen that Veleno is someone he can trust out there with that unit. Even on the PK, he’s had opportunities to score goals, which you need to be some sort of specialist to do. He’s just got to work on burying those chances.

And why do I think he’s going to have a moment? Because I think he’s going to be asked to play a lot on the penalty kill, and he’s going to need to be someone who brings a physical presence for a young Canadiens team.

I can just see it now, somehow, someway, Veleno scoring a huge goal at the Bell Centre, and the Montreal crowd just going crazy for the hometown kid.

That said, I’m not guaranteeing the Habs go far. They very easily could lose in Round 1 to Tampa. But in the scenario where the Canadiens do go on a longer run and are playing deep into the spring and closer to the summer, I think Veleno will have a moment that swings a game.

Charle-Édouard D'Astous — Tampa Bay Lightning

Let’s go over to the other side of this first-round matchup between my Montreal Canadiens and their opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, specifically defenseman Charles-Édouard D'Astous.

D’Astous, to be honest, is not someone whose game I was that familiar with before this season. But due to Tampa’s injuries throughout a lot of the year, he’s been someone Jon Cooper has had to rely on quite a bit. This season, in 70 games, he put up nearly 30 points, which is impressive for someone who isn’t asked to do much offensively, especially as a defenseman.

In the regular season, he played nearly 20 minutes a game, and I think he’s going to be someone who sets the tone early in this series, especially physically. Over the past few years, the Lightning have really struggled in the playoffs to match a team’s physicality, specifically the Panthers, who they’ve run into and struggled against.

But this time around, Florida isn’t the more physical team in the series, and I do think Tampa Bay will be that team against Montreal. I think D’Astous is going to try to intimidate this Canadiens team, especially in Montreal when he returns to his home province.

And if the Lightning do prevail and beat the Canadiens, I think more and more throughout the playoffs, as the physicality and the tension rises, he’s someone fans are going to start to fall in love with on a nightly basis. He’s not afraid, he doesn’t shy away, and as people learn more about him and his story and everywhere he’s played, I think he’s someone who’s going to make a major impact throughout the postseason if the Lightning are able to go on a deep run.

Anthony Mantha — Pittsburgh Penguins

Anthony Mantha has always been a player I’ve really wanted to believe in.

In theory, he should be the prototypical power forward, he's 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, and he’s always supposedly had a knack for scoring. It just never fully came together for him... Until this year.

This season in Pittsburgh, he has finally had a career year after a torn ACL ended his season early in Calgary last year. He came back, joined a new team, and scored 33 goals, put up 64 points, and was able to stay healthy for the majority of the season.

I just think this postseason, he’s going to be someone who scores some clutch goals for the Penguins. Dan Muse has asked him to play on numerous lines throughout the year, whether it be with Sidney Crosby on the top line, Evgeni Malkin on the second line, or even supporting a young forward like Ben Kindel on the third line, Mantha has just been everywhere in this lineup.

They’ve asked him to be flexible in his role, and he’s done just that.

I expect him to have some key moments throughout this postseason, and honestly, I’d just be really happy for him after all the adversity he’s been through.

Alex Tuch — Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo, congratulations, you’re back in the playoffs after 14 years, and I couldn’t be happier for you.

And not to spoil my playoff predictions post, but I think you’re in for a long run this spring, and it’s because of players like Alex Tuch.

Tuch was one of the players who came over from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade in 2021, and man, has he been patient. And to be fair, he does make sense, he’s a Western New Yorker, but he could’ve asked to go elsewhere at any point, and I’m sure the Sabres would’ve obliged because he’s been such a good soldier for them. But he just put his head down and played great hockey for them, helped try to reset the culture, and now he’s finally been rewarded.

And just how good has he been in Buffalo? Well, in three of the five seasons he’s been there, he’s put up over 30 goals, and in two of them, he’s put up 35+. But he’s not just a goal scorer, he affects the game in so many different ways. He’s physical, and I think he’s going to be one of those players who really thrives in a playoff setting, especially in a loud environment like KeyBank Center is going to be throughout this postseason.

Tuch is also going into a contract year, by the way, and it’s been rumoured he wants close to (or more than) $10 million in free agency. This spring, he has a great chance to prove his worth.

For a fan base that’s waited such a long time for this, and him being somewhat of a local kid, I expect him to play his heart out and score big goals throughout what I think will be a long playoff run for the Sabres and then most likely be rewarded this summer.

Chris Kreider — Anaheim Ducks

Listen, we all know Chris Kreider isn’t the 50-goal scorer he was just a few years ago with the New York Rangers. Hell, he’s not even the near-40 goal scorer he was during the 2024 season.

But I think, because of last season’s back injuries and the vertigo he was going through while on an awful Rangers team, people forgot he’s still a damn good hockey player.

This season in Anaheim, he was someone a young Ducks team really relied on to be a veteran leader after being acquired in a trade last summer, and he was very solid for them. He put up 50 points, stayed relatively healthy, and is going to be someone those young Ducks players really look up to during these playoffs.

I could see a moment in the first round where, in a close overtime game, Kreider makes a play to either set up or score a game-winning goal and could even do something that potentially swings a series... Like maybe even running into your favourite team's star goalie, like he did to mine in 2014 with Carey Price.

Now back to being serious. So no, he’s not the impact player he used to be a few years ago, but he is someone who could show flashes of his old self this postseason.

Matthew Savoie — Edmonton Oilers

Okay, this is very unfortunate timing because I’m going to be honest, Savoie was already going to be on this list, as I’ve just been really impressed with his play for the Oilers over the past few weeks, ever since Leon Draisaitl went out with injury.

But then, of course, while I’m writing this, he goes out and scores a first-period hat trick, which makes it look like I’m doing this off the cuff.

Like I said, though, I just think he’s been really, really good for the Oilers over the past few weeks. He’s been scoring goals, making plays, putting up points, and getting the puck on net. And sure, he's been playing a lot with Connor McDavid, who obviously is going to get you touches, but you still need to capitalize on those.

And Savoie has done that.

I just think getting more experience and more reps going into the postseason is going to make him better.

He’s only 22 years old, was drafted ninth overall just a few years ago, and I think he’s someone who is going to make an impact this postseason for the Oilers.

We might look back on this stretch, when Draisaitl was out and they needed players to step up, and say Savoie was one of those guys who learned how to do exactly that.

I just have a gut feeling about him.