NHL: Atlantic Division standings preview

The NHL’s Atlantic Division is set up to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league. Between the Stanley Cup champions, young cores trying to get to the playoffs and older teams trying to hang on, here is how each team projects and where they could end up in the standings.

1 - Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers will look to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and are expected to be at the top of the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference as a whole. Head coach Paul Maurice still has his top skill players such as Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling.

The cup tax has cut the depth of this roster a good bit, but with the core of this team still intact, this is the Panthers division to lose.

2 - Toronto Maple Leafs

After another disappointing playoff performance, GM Brad Treliving went out and improved in all three areas on the ice. Off-season additions of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpaa solidify the defense while Anthony Stolarz gives them a solid goal-tending option.

The Maple Leafs are always a good regular-season team. With a core of experienced vets, Toronto should be back in the playoffs, and maybe they will have better results than in previous years.

3 - Boston Bruins

Losing Jake DeBrusk and Linus Ullmark will be an impactful loss to Boston, but this team is still very formidable. The Bruins still have Jeremy Swayman, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy leading the squad.

While many have counted Boston out for a couple of years now, they always surprise people and continue to play well. This can be expected to be the case in the 2024-25 season as well.

4 - Ottawa Senators

One of the many young teams in the division trying to get back to the playoffs, this Senators team seems poised to. Adding Linus Ullmark is a huge upgrade for their goaltending unit, the best it has been since the prime of Craig Anderson.

If their young talent steps up to the plate, this Senators team will be scary this year and could make more noise than just finishing fourth in a very tough division.

5 - Buffalo Sabres

After a disappointing 2023-24 season, the Sabres fired former head coach Don Granato and brought in an old face in Lindy Ruff. With Ruff loving a physical style of hockey, the Sabres made many additions to reinforce a tough style of play.

With one of the youngest and brightest cores in the league, and Ruff making the playoffs everywhere he goes, this could be the year Buffalo breaks the playoff drought.

6 - Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa’s first two lines have been and will continue to be a dominant force on the ice. Their bottom six however leave much to be desired. In this day and age of hockey, a solid bottom six is crucial to success.

With a mediocre defense and a lack of depth, Tampa Bay finally collapses and misses the playoffs, even though all their stars shine.

7 - Detroit Red Wings

With many key departures and only adding a couple of solid pieces, the Red Wings had a very underwhelming offseason. The future of this team still hasn’t all come through the ranks, but the current talent has to start developing now to have sustained success.

While the team will be competitive, this division is too close in regards to the on-ice talent that a couple of teams have to be left out of the playoff picture. Unfortunately for Detroit, this is the case.

8 - Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens brought in Patrick Laine this offseason. While he is a good addition, the team is still a couple of years away from being a legitimate threat. The Canadiens will continue to develop their talent this year and see what the youngsters have.

General manager Kent Hughes has his vision of the team, and this year is part of a larger scheme towards future and long-term success.

Brennan Kirkpatrick is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at blk5545@psu.edu.