Atlantic Division Predictions

(Photo Credit: Lynne Sladky - Associated Press)

Arguably the toughest division in the NHL, the Atlantic Division is home to the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

Furthermore, the last seven Eastern Conference Champions have come from the Atlantic.

The 2019 Boston Bruins, 2020-2022 Tampa Bay Lightning, and the 2023-2025 Florida Panthers.

In that same time frame, the Atlantic has had four Presidents Trophy winners (2019 Tamp Bay Lightning, 2020 Boston Bruins, 2022 Florida Panthers, 2023 Boston Bruins), and four Stanley Cup Champions (2020, 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning, 2024, 2025 Florida Panthers).

The Toronto Maple Leafs, despite their playoff struggles, have the longest active postseason streak in the NHL dating back to the spring of 2017 qualifying 9 times.

Meanwhile, teams that have struggled throughout most of this time frame, such as the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, have turned corners in their rebuilds and are positioned to keep ascending.

The Buffalo Sabres, and Detroit Red Wings have had promise for quite some time but continue to fail to meet or exceed expectations. Still, where there's potential, there's hope.

The Boston Bruins have been a perennial contender for the better part of two decades but are in a period of transition following the retirements of key players in recent seasons.

With all that said, let's breakdown, and predict the Atlantic Division from 10,000 feet.

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Detroit Red Wings - 8th Place, 79 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

James van Riemsdyk - Dylan Larkin - Lucas Raymond

Alex Debrincat - Marco Kasper - Patrick Kane

Michael Rasmussen - Andrew Copp - Mason Appleton

Elmer Soderblom - J.T. Compher - Jonatan Berggren

Defensemen

Ben Chiarot - Moritz Seider

Albert Johansson - Jacob Bernard-Docker

Erik Gustafsson - Justin Holl

Goalies

John Gibson - Sam Talbot

Synopsis

Patience is growing thin for the ever hopeful Yzer-plan.

Dylan Larkin, Mason Raymond, Alex Debrincat, and Moritz Seider are all high end players, but the rest of the lineup is dependent on aging veterans performing akin to yesteryear, and young players breaking through.

Their blue line is meh beyond Seider, and their overall depth is thin.

John Gibson could be an x-factor for them, but for a team that has battled inconsistency, and is enduring a near decade long playoff drought, this isn't a roster worth trusting until they prove so.

While I like their overall offense better than the next team on this list, Detroit's defense in my opinion is the least impressive in the division, and so for that reason they’re predicted to narrowly finish 8th.

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Boston Bruins - 7th Place, 82 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Morgan Geekie - Elias Lindholm - David Pastrnak

Pavel Zacha - Casey Mittelstadt - Viktor Arvidsson

Tanner Jeannot - Fraser Minten - Michael Eyssimont

Marat Khusnutdinov - Sean Kuraly - Mark Kastelic

Defensemen

Mason Lohrei - Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm - Andrew Peeke

Nikita Zadorov - Henri Jokiharju

Goalies

Jeremy Swayman - Joonas Korpisalo

Synopsis

There's no denying, or excusing the results of last season for the Boston Bruins - they were terrible.

But it is worth mentioning few reasons as to why this season may not be a repeat.

Let's start with goaltending.

Jeremy Swayman is capable of being far better than he was last season, and if he is, that's one problem solved - granted, it's an IF, but all teams face a varying amount of those.

Next is health.

Boston played without Hampus Lindholm for the final 65 games of their season last year, and missed Charlie McAvoy for 32 games.

Not many teams, if any, would succeed without their top two defensemen for that amount of time.

Having a healthy backend should improve their team defense and 200-foot transition game.

Special teams should also improve with the hiring of new assistant coach and power play specialist, Steve Spott, with middle of the pack units being a reasonable expectation.

Ultimately though, Boston's forward group just isn't deep enough beyond David Pastrnak - and their ability to score and generate offense at playoff bound clip is too much of a question at the moment.

It's possible they surprise offensively and get fair contributions from previously unproven scorers, but that's exactly what it would be - a surprise.

Boston's lack of offense beyond their top line will prove to much to overcome.

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Buffalo Sabres - 6th Place, 87 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Zach Benson - Josh Norris - Tage Thompson

Jason Zucker- Ryan McLeod - Alex Tuch

Jack Quinn - Jiri Kulich - Josh Doan

Jordan Greenway - Peyton Krebs - Justin Danforth

Defensemen

Bowen Byram - Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power - Michael Kesselring

Mattias Samuelsson - Connor Timmins

Goalies

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - Alex Lyon

Synopsis

Buffalo's defense has great potential in my opinion.

Dahlin is a top ten defenseman in the league.

Byram is still young and already has a championship to his name in Colorado.

Power is a former No. 1 overall pick with ceiling to reach.

Kesselring is a great addition acquired in the JJ Peterka trade - he brings size and physicality that Buffalo's blue line has been missing - but until they show that they no longer defend a little light as a unit and can lock the game down when the goin gets tough, they will be a question.

Offensively, the Sabres are a bit top heavy, and unproven in part.

Thompson is a legit, but beyond him there's more hopeful optimism than anything.

The Sabres making the playoffs as a wild card team isn't out of the question, but similar to Detroit, they don't earn benefit of doubt until they prove it.

Buffalo is amidst the longest active playoff drought in the NHL having last qualified 14 years ago.

While eventually that dam will break, there's not enough convincing evidence to predict this is the year it happens.

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Montreal Canadiens - 5th Place, 93 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovski

Patrik Laine - Kirby Dach - Ivan Demidov

Zac Bolduc - Alex Newhook - Oliver Kapanen

Brendan Gallagher - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson

Defensemen

Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson

Kaiden Guhle - Lane Hutson

Arber Xhekaj - Alexandre Carrier

Goalies

Sam Montembeault - Jakub Dobes

Synopsis

The Montreal Canadiens finally appear back after a near decade of low league finishes.

Headlined by Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Cole Caulfield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovski, and Noah Dobson, the Habs have as much youth, skill, and excitement as any team in the league.

They also have a decent amount of supporting characters like Mike Matheson, Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Zac Bolduc, Kaiden Guhle, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Alex Newhook to name a few.

They even have some toughness in heavy-weight Arber Xhekaj.

The question for Montreal, is can they defend well enough to make the playoffs again?

The Habs had a -20 goal differential last season (worst among postseason participants) and while their defense core is dynamite offensively, defensively they have improving to do.

Offensively, there is a ton of skill, speed, and promise, but after making the playoffs last season, Montreal isn't going to catch anyone off guard this year.

How will the Canadiens respond to opponents being ready for them?

How will they handle high expectations - both internal, and external - for the first time in a decade?

How will Ivan Demidov perform in his first full season?

Will Lane Hutson endure a sophomore slump?

These are just a few questions surrounding an otherwise fun, young, and exciting roster.

At the end of the day, I love Montreal's ability to score - and if they end up defending nearly as well, then sure, they could finish top three in the Atlantic.

Have to see their team defense improve before ranking them any higher than those in front of them.

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Florida Panthers - 4th Place, 94 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Carter Verhaeghe - Sam Bennett - Sam Reinhart

Eetu Luostarinen - Anton Lundell - Brad Marchand

Jesper Boqvist - Evan Rodrigues - Mackie Samoskevich

Jonah Gadjovich - Luke Kunin - A.J. Greer

Defensemen

Gustav Forsling - Aaron Ekblad

Nikko Mikkola - Seth Jones

Dmitri Kulikov - Jeff Petry

Goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky - Daniil Tarasov

Synopsis

Adversity has struck early for the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Aleksander Barkov is out for the season after sustaining ACL, and MCL injuries suffered during an innocent training camp drill.

Matthew Tkachuk is already listed out until at least December.

Fortunately for the Panthers, they have the best depth in the NHL, and if any team can withstand substantial injuries and still make the playoffs - it's Florida.

Bennett, and Lundell stepping up in new roles as the teams No. 1 and No. 2 centers is a challenge - but there's little doubt they will perform well enough for the team to still be in the playoff mix.

Verhaeghe, Reinhart, and Marchand still lead a real impressive group of wingers even in the temporary absence of Tkachuk.

Their defense core is still as good as any in the league 1-6, and Bobrovsky has proved himself as one of the best in the world between the pipes.

At the end of the day, the Panthers are a team that simply knows how to win.

They play the game the right way, and have built a culture of consistency that allows newcomers to join in seamlessly.

They'll likely do a little better than tread water until Tkachuk returns before ultimately finishing 4th in the Atlantic as a result of poor health putting them behind the 8-ball, and because they will probably be pacing themselves knowing how far into the spring they want to go yet again.

Florida at worst will still earn a wild card spot.

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Ottawa Senators - 3rd Place, 97 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Brady Tkachuk - Tim Stutzle - Drake Batherson

David Perron - Dylan Cozens - Claude Giroux

Ridly Greig - Shane Pinto - Fabian Zutterlund

Nick Cousins - Lars Eller - Michael Amadio

Defensemen

Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub

Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen

Tyler Kleven - Jordan Spence

Goaltending

Linus Ullmark - Leevi Merilainen

Synopsis

After seven consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, the Ottawa Senators finally qualified this past spring - losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games.

Ever since falling one goal short of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals back in 2017, it's been trying times for the Senators.

Fortunately however, tough times allowed them to capitalize on three top-five draft picks between 2018, and 2020 - selecting their current three best players in now captain Brady Tkachuck, No. 1 center Tim Stutzle, and No. 1 defenseman Jake Sanderson.

Success didn't happen over night but they now have a core set to compete year in and year out.

They have a little bit of everything.

Brady Tkachuck is arguably the best power forward in the league.

Stutzle, and Sanderson possess high end skill and skating ability.

Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Fabian Zetterland, and Thomas Chabot are solid secondary core pieces in their prime.

Claude Giroux, David Perron, Lars Eller, and Nick Cousins offer varying amounts of veteran production, and leadership.

Perhaps most importantly, they finally have a true No. 1 goaltender since trading for Linus Ullmark.

In my opinion, no team will benefit more from the Florida's injury woes than Ottawa.

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Tampa Bay Lightning - 2nd Place, 101 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Jake Guentzel - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov

Brandon Hagel - Anthony Cirelli - Gage Goncalves

Oliver Bjorkstrand - Yanni Gourde - Connor Geekie

Zemgus Girgensons - Pontus Holmberg - Mitchell Chaffee

Defensemen

Victor Hedman - J.J. Moser

Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak

Emil Lilleberg - Darren Raddysh

Goalies

Andrei Vasilevskiy - Jonas Johansson

Synopsis

Led by Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, and Brandon Hagel offensively - Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Andrei Vasilevskiy defensively, Tampa Bay has the high end, and experienced horses it takes to once again finish top three in the Atlantic.

Beyond their top players, they also have quality depth from a blend of young players like Connor Geekie, Gage Goncalves and Emil Lilleberg, as well as veterans like Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Erik Cernak.

One of the key components that makes them so consistent year to year however, is special teams.

After being 5th on the power play, and 6th on the penalty kill last season, they should once again be top ten on both special teams units - which in a special teams league, should make them a lock to finish top three in the Atlantic Division.

Tampa isn't perfect, and they have their question marks.

Can their bottom-six produce enough secondary scoring?

Will their aging core players stay healthy and productive?

But all in all, they're just a solid team and are a comfortable pick to make the playoffs.

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Toronto Maple Leafs - 1st Place, 106 Points

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Matias Maccelli

Bobby McMann - John Tavares - William Nylander

Dakota Joshua - Nicolas Roy - Max Domi

Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Nicholas Robertson

Defensemen

Brian McCabe - Chris Tanev

Morgan Reilly - Brandon Carlo

Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Simon Benoit

Goalies

 Anthony Stolarz - Joseph Woll *

Synopsis

Say what you want about the Toronto Maple Leafs in the postseason.

But in the regular season, they're constantly great.

Toronto has finished top ten in league standings in seven of the last nine seasons - and the two they didn't finish top ten, they finished 13th, and 14th overall.

In doing so, they own the longest active playoff streak in the NHL with 9 straight appearances.

This coming season there's not much reason to believe why they won't be a top ten team again, vying for their 2nd consecutive Atlantic Division crown.

Of course the big change this offseason for Toronto was the departure of Mitch Marner to Las Vegas.

However, the additions of Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua should help shoulder some of the production lost in the Marner trade.

Auston Matthews, Willam Nylander, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares will be relied upon to lead the scoring way and there's no reason to doubt that they will.

The Leafs backend isn't the flashiest, and in my opinion lacks a true No. 1 stallion defensemen.

Morgan Reilly is their top two-way defensemen and he not only isn't ranked among the top 20 defensemen in the NHL , he's listed 43rd in fantasy hockey's top 50 defensemen rankings - both according to NHL.com.

Still, Toronto's overall defense core is pretty solid and has a little bit of everything.

Chris Tanev, Brian McCabe, Brandon Carlo, and Simon Benoit all bring size, toughness and defensive minded play, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson provides secondary skating, and puck moving in support of Reilly's.

Anthony Stolarz, and Joseph Woll * (currently on an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons) are a real solid tandem in net, and Toronto's special teams are both in the top half of the league, with their power play being a perennial top ten unit.

In a division full of uncertainty, the Maple Leafs being a top three team is a safe bet and while playoff success is still a hurdle they have to jump over - more regular season success is rightfully expected.