Last season, the Boston Bruins finished third in their division, making the playoffs after two years on the outside looking in. Having already done a Bruins-centric preview, let’s take a look at the entire Atlantic Division.
Earlier this month I wrote a post analyzing how I thought the Boston Bruins would perform this upcoming season. In said post, I wrote that I believed the Bruins would build on their relatively successful 2016-2017 season. With the fact that most of the team is returning, and some younger guys have an extra year of experience under their belt, I predicted that the Bruins would win the division with a 48-24-10 record and 106 points.
A bold prediction? Sure, I guess you could say that. But if you look at the division as a whole, I think it’s a realistic proposition.
Think I’m crazy? Well, let’s go team-by-team and I’ll show you why I think the way I do. To start, here’s how the division standings ended up last season:
1 – Montreal Canadiens: 47-26-9, 103 points
2 – Ottawa Senators: 44-28-10, 98 points
3 – Boston Bruins: 44-31-7, 95 points
4 – Toronto Maple Leafs: 40-27-15, 95 points
5 – Tampa Bay Lightning: 42-30-10, 94 points
6 – Florida Panthers: 35-36-11, 81 points
7 – Detroit Red Wings: 33-36-13, 79 points
8 – Buffalo Sabres: 33-37-12, 78 points
Buffalo Sabres
2016-2017 record: 33-37-12, 78 points
Interesting factoid from last season: Buffalo was a pretty good team at home, going 20-15-6 one home ice.
2017-2018 outlook: The Sabres have one of the best young players in the game in Jack Eichel in their lineup. They also have several other quality forwards in Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, and Evander Kane. However, when it comes to Buffalo, the train really stops there.
Ask a non-Buffalo Sabres fan to name some of their bottom-six forwards, and you’d probably get some blank stares. The NHL requires depth scoring to be a contender for the playoffs, and the Sabres just don’t quite have it. Plus, consistent and quality goaltending remains an issue.
2017-2018 prediction: Sabres repeat, and finish last in the division.
Detroit Red Wings
2016-2017 record: 33-36-13, 79 points
Interesting factoid from last season: It was the Red Wings final season playing in Joe Louis Arena, and it also marked the first time since 1989-1990 that the Red Wings missed the post-season.
2017-2018 outlook: It seems incomprehensible that a team with such young talent would have such a bad season overall. Players like Frans Nielson, Dylan Larkin, Tomas Tatar, and Gustav Nyquist all struggled mightily last season. I’ve heard of growing pains and slumps; but for it to happen to so many players simultaneously is rare.
If it weren’t for the elder statesman Henrik Zetterberg, the result could have been even worse. Not many off-season moves means those young guys will really need to shine so the brunt of the offense doesn’t rest on a 37 year old’s shoulders.
With Andreas Athanasiou considering a move to the KHL, that’s an up-and-comer they may miss. Also, does Peter Mrazek have any bad blood for being left unprotected in the expansion draft?
2017-2018 prediction: Record improves, but the team stays down near the cellar of the division, finishing 7th again.
Florida Panthers
2016-2017 record: 35-36-11, 81 points
Interesting factoid from last season: Not a single Panthers player eclipsed 55 points during the regular season.
2017-2018 outlook: Would you believe that 40 of the Panthers games last season were one goal games or decided in the shootout? To make matters worse, they lost 22 of those games. For a team that has problems with scoring, it doesn’t look like the issue has been addressed. For example, three of the top six point scorers from last season are no longer on their roster. Johnathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith both went to Vegas in the Expansion Draft.
The man, the myth, the legend, Jaromir Jagr is still waiting for a contract. Unless guys like Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov have MVP-type seasons, it’s going to be a long year in South Florida.
Prediction: Young stars and defense shine, but not brightly enough. Florida finishes 6th in the division.
Ottawa Senators
2016-2017 record: 44-28-10, 98 points
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Interesting factoid from last season: The Sens were the only team to have a negative goal differential and make the playoffs (-2).
2017-2018 outlook: I’m calling it right now, last season for the Senators was a fluke. And this isn’t just sour grapes because they knocked the Boston Bruins out of the playoffs last season. No team that allows more goals than they score should ever make it to the Conference Finals.
But I guess hockey is all about getting hot at the right time, which Ottawa did. Erik Karlsson is one of the best players in the entire NHL, and lead his team in points. Yes, you read that correctly, a defenseman in today’s NHL led his team in points while playing with a bad foot most of the year. Not exactly the recipe for long-term success. Bobby Ryan had an abysmal 25 points in 62 games in the middle of an 8 year, $50.75 million deal. Decent core of players, but nothing special in my opinion.
Prediction: Ottawa proves they were a flash in the pan, and miss the playoffs this season at 5th place in the Atlantic.
Montreal Canadiens
2016-2017 record: 47-26-9, 103 points
Interesting factoid from last season: I think most Habs fans would agree the Shea Weber for P.K. Subban trade didn’t work out as originally planned, as the Predators went on to the Stanley Cup finals, and the Canadiens were knocked out in the first round by the Rangers.
2017-2018 outlook: I dislike the Canadiens as much as the next Boston Bruins fan, but there’s no denying that the team has what it takes to do some damage. The aforementioned Shea Weber is a Top 5 defender in this league. They have a bunch of players that can get under a team’s skin, like Brendan Gallagher and Andrew Shaw. And leaving the best for last, Carey Price is a world class goalie, the type of goaltender that becomes the cornerstone of a franchise.
Related Story: 2017-2018 Boston Bruins season preview
The last two seasons, however, the Habs have come out hot, and fizzled out towards the end of the season. I see the opposite happening this year, given new additions like Jonathan Drouin will have to get acclimated to playing in a place like Montreal.
Prediction: Montreal makes the playoffs again, but as the Wild Card finishing 4th in the Atlantic.
Tampa Bay Lightning
2016-2017 record: 42-30-10
Interesting factoid from last season: Tampa Bay was the converse of the Ottawa Senators…they were the only team with a positive goal differential to not make the playoffs last season (+7).
2017-2018 outlook: If the NHL played am 85 or 90 game season, it is likely that Tampa Bay would have made the playoffs last season. The team that most people thought was out of it midway through the season came roaring back. The team went 14-5-2 in their final 21 games, and missed the playoffs by a single point. You can’t help but feel bad for Steven Stamkos. He’s one of the best goal scorers in the game, yet he’s had multiple seasons cut short with significant injuries.
The team turns to unproven, 23 year old netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, hoping he can simply put up reasonable splits. This team is likely going to be very run-and-gun, hoping to score so many goals that their defense and goaltending need only be average.
Prediction: IF Stamkos can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for this team. Given the reliance on a fairly green goaltender, I see a 3rd place finish for the Lightning this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
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2016-2017 record: 40-27-15, 95 points
Interesting factoid from last season: Two of Toronto’s top 4 point scorers were Rookies (Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews), and in doing so, Matthews set the Maple Leafs rookie record in goal scoring with 40.
2017-2018 outlook: I truly believe that if any team is poised to upset my prediction about the Boston Bruins winning the division, it’s the Maple Leafs. Auston Matthews is an absolute stud, and his rookie campaign ended with 69 points and the Calder Trophy. Young players like Mitch Marner and William Nylander played out of their minds last season, allowing the Leafs to sneak into the playoffs. The team added veteran leadership in acquiring future hall-of-famer Patrick Marleau. If Frederik Anderson can channel the play he exhibited in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 with Anaheim into this season, watch out Eastern Conference.
Prediction: I think Toronto is back, and they’re here to stay. I predict a 2nd place finish in the division, but it would not surprise me in the least if they ended atop the standings.
Next: Boston Bruins: Players the team can’t afford to lose in 2017-18 season
So I think the bottom three teams remain the same, and there’s a big shake-up in the top 5. What do you think the Atlantic Division will look like at the end of 2017-2018?