Atlantic Division Preview

 Simon B

This is the final NHL season preview post.

I'll be taking a look at the Atlantic Division which, in my mind, is the most skilled and the one with the most contending teams. Someone will have to miss out on the playoffs. Who will it be?

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa had a top-10 goals-against average, goal per game average, power play, and penalty kill which shows in numbers what most fans knew just by watching them play: they're the best team in hockey. The biggest loss for Tampa however was the departure of their entire third line. They were so tight on the salary cap that they couldn't resign Blake Coleman or Barclay Goodrow and, lost Yanni Gourde to Seattle. But we must remember that they've still got a deadly top 6 who can dominate with any style at any time. On defense, they lost some pieces but their top 6 remain the same. I really like the signing of Zach Bogosian who is coming back to the Lighting after winning the Cup with them in 2020. He'll be a good replacement for the outgoing David Savard. In goal, they're covered all day every day as long as they've got Andrei Vaselevsky. He's been a Vezina-caliber goalie for a few seasons now and I don't expect that to change.

Question Mark: Will they find the energy and motivation for a three-peat?

2. Florida Panthers

The biggest addition would easily be putting trade acquire Sam Rineheart on the top line with the team's leading scorers last season Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksandr Barkov. Barkov, I think, is the most underrated player in the NHL because of all the little things he does. He gets in the right spots and makes smart plays to facilitate plays for his teammates, he's a big reason why their offense was top four last year. Aaron Ekblad and Makenzie Weegar make up the top pain on defense once again. Ekblad is their top blueliner and he missed almost all of last season so having him in the lineup will certainly add offense and coverage and also take a load of some guys further down in the lineup. In net, it's yet again Sergei Bobrovsky who usually either has an amazing season or struggles all season. If it's the latter, top prospect Spencer Knight will get his first big shot in the NHL.

Question Mark: what kind of year is it for Sergei Bobrovsky?

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

Regular-season success is predictable for this team, unlike the post-season. The Leafs didn't really get better this offseason but they didn't get worse either. The biggest loss up front was clearly Zach Hyman who did all the dirty work on the top line. That said they brought in a few blue-collar players to fill that void, Miachel Bunting, Nick Ritchie, and to a lesser extent, David Kampf. We all know their big four (Nylander, Tavares, Marner and, Matthews) is where the offense goes through. On defense, losing Bogosian is a tough one. They're set for their top 2 pairings but they are very inexperienced on the third. Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liligren are going to get big minutes this year compared to what they had in years prior. They have to step but big-time and prove their worth. The changeover in goal is that Toronto will likely go with a tandem. Jack Campbell was really good last season but I don't think the Leafs are ready to have him as a full-time starter. With him is Petr Mrazek who has played in tandem before and is consistent nightly.

Question Mark: Playoff success?

4. Boston Bruins

Boston probably got worse on the back end of their forward group after losing David Krejci, Sean Kuraly, Nick Ritchie and, Ondrej Kase. They did bring in Nick Foligno who will not only bring leadership but he will help add back the tenacity they lost. Taylor Hall resigning will bring up their offensive numbers for sure and they've still got that three-headed monster line with Pastrnak, Bergeron and, Marchand. On defense, it's been Charlie McAvoy carrying a lot of the load and that won't change this year. They don't have many stars who can quarterback a powerplay and who have the vision of McAvoy. It's a lot of safe stay-at-home defensemen who don't take risks. That type of play is great when you're up by a goal but not when you're down by one. In goal, life without Tuukka Rask might become a reality because the Finn still hasn't resigned. The unproven pair of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman will have big shoes to fill and their play will dictate the margin by which the Bruins make or miss the playoffs.

Question Mark: Can Linus Ullmark step up and be the main man in the net?

5. Montreal Canadiens

Montreal got most of their fun toys taken away during the offseason and find themselves a few steps back in their rebuilding process. Philip Danault, Tomas Tatar, Corey Perry, Eric Stall and, Jasperi Koteniemi are all out. This means that this young, yet battle-tested, the team will have to reimagine its offense. Nick Suzuki will certainly play a big role after becoming the team's top center, Cole Caufield is now on the first line and is probably the favorite to win the Calder too. Defensively, it looks as though Shea Weber's playing days are over which will hurt them a lot. They relied a lot on their defense during the playoffs but now that it's weakened a bit, they probably won't be as good. Jeff Petry and new addition David Savard will eat up a lot of those minutes left unplayed by Weber. More issues in goal with Carey Price taking at least a month off to work on his mental health so Jake Allen will be the number one guy to begin the season.

Question Mark: Where will this young team gain experience if they miss the playoffs?

6. Ottawa Senators

Talk about a team on the rise. This might not be the year for Ottawa yet but they're certainly not going to be an easy out anymore. They're all young and have nothing to lose and all the experience to gain. They're not expected to make the playoffs by any means but they've got a really fun team that's for sure. Tim Stuzle is coming off a great rookie campaign, Brady Tkachuk (once he resigns) will be a year more experienced but still as much a nuisance to play against, and their overall forward group will just never go away. On defense, it's the Tomas Chabot show as he will provide a dynamic play on the blue line and he'll chip in on the scoresheet every once in a while. The more minutes these young guys get at the NHL level, the faster they'll become contenders. In goal, Matt Murray needs to have a backup season after struggling all of last year.

Question Mark: How will these young players fair in a full 82-game season?

7. Detroit Red Wings

They added some pieces that will certainly make them more competitive this year than they were in '21. Detroit will probably still have offensive troubles just like last year though as they didn't change much in their forward group. The Wings struggled to score over last year finishing 30th in goals per game. Dylan Larkin is still showing the offensive promise that he had in the US national team development program. He will lead the way on the scoresheet with Filip Zadina and Jakub Vrana on his wings. The rest of the offense was lacking. Other than the top line, the highest total points by a forward were 20 by Adam Erne. Defense is Detroit's best position by far. Filip Hronek was second on the team in points and they've added veteran Nick Leddy to be his winger and help him grow as an NHL defenceman. The rest of their back end are all proven and will provide some solidarity and be the backbone of this group. Players like Troy Stecher or Mark Stall come to mind. In goal, they've got a really young and talented goalie in Alex Nedeljkovic who will probably benefit from new scenery after getting traded by Carolina during the offseason. 

Question Mark: How big will their step forward be?

8. Buffalo Sabers

Things in Buffalo are going to get a lot worse before they get better. The Sabers have to deal with an entire saga around jack Eichel and his neck injury and whether or not he should get surgery. With Eichel likely getting traded before the end of the season, the Sabers' top center would be the extremely inconsistent Casey Mittelstadt. They're still paying Jeff Skinner way more than he should be getting at 9 million per season. On top of all that, they lost one of their best forwards in Sam Rineheart during the summer which will certainly not help get their league 29th worst offense any better. Defensively, they also lost their best defenceman, Rasmus Ristonlinen which leaves them down to one Rasmus. Rasmus Dahlin is going to be leading a group of defencemen who are basically getting thrown to the wolves. All of these players are not used to getting top minutes in the NHL and some of them are going to be put on the first or second painting. In goal, Aaron Dell and Craig Anderson have the giant task of playing in net in front of a team with a depleted defense.

Question Mark: Who will they pick when they get the first overall pick next June?

The Wrap

The NHL season gets underway tonight and the Leafs will begin tomorrow and I will once again do post-game articles all season long, so stay tuned!

If you have any other sports topics you'd like to read about, let me know in the comments or send me a message in the "Contact me" section in the sidebar! 

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