Lambos is again skating with the Iowa Wild of the AHL, currently sitting with no points through 11 games. His shots per game are slightly up, and he has earned penalty minutes at a slightly higher rate in this small sample size than in his previous AHL seasons.

Lambos is has yet to turn 23, and could still earn himself a depth role at the NHL level, but as the years since he was taken in the first round, higher upside defensive prospects have entered our leagues, and Lambos is likely a hard player to dedicate a roster spot to in leagues without an abundance of depth.

Lambos’ shine has dulled over the last several years, seemingly since his final WHL season, where he saw a small step back in production. He has since come to the AHL and put in two years of work, and during that time, Brock Faber leapt over him on the depth chart and cashed in one 47-point season to the tune of an 8-year, $8.5 million AAV contract.

Faber and Lambos once held similar regard, with the former being selected in the second round of the 2020 draft at 45th overall and the latter taken 26th overall the following year.

Faber scored four goals and 23 assists for 27 points in the NCAA in 2022-2023, and leapt right to the NHL the following season, while Lambos scored 12 goals and 48 points and headed to the Iowa Wild.