Here’s a team-by-team look at the NHL’s Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, in predicted order of finish.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Boston Bruins — Due to salary cap constraints, the Bruins made no major additions this offseason. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the pieces are in place for a run at a second straight Atlantic Division title. Goalie Tuukka Rask had a remarkable 2013-14 regular season and appears to be at the top of his game again. There is depth up front, although Boston would certainly love to see Loui Eriksson back in top form. Dennis Seidenberg, injured midway through last season, returns to bolster one of the best defensive corps in the Eastern Conference.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning — After a busy offseason, the Lightning should make a push for the division title. Tampa Bay has depth up front with Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula and Andrej Palat, and is excited about the long-term potential for Jonathan Drouin. The defense, led by Victor Hedman, has been bolstered with the additions of Jason Garrison and Anton Stralman. Goaltending is not a big question mark this year, as Ben Bishop looks to back up a solid 2013-14 campaign.
3. Montreal Canadiens — Expectations are again high for the Canadiens, who were two wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup final. The core of the team is solid, with defensemen PK Subban and Andrei Markov and forwards Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec, Brendan Gallagher leading the way. Additions such as winger P-A Parenteau and center Manny Malhotra should make a positive impact. But unless goalie Carey Price plays at the top of his game, the Canadiens may have to temper those expectations and settle for second or third in the division standings.
4. Detroit Red Wings — The Red Wings are mixing in some younger forwards to go with established veterans such as Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Justin Abdelkader. The good news for Detroit is that a few of those forwards, such as Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, already saw extensive time in what was an injury-plagued 2013-14 campaign. Jimmy Howard is reliable in net, and if the second and third defensive pairs continue to improve, Detroit will likely extend its playoff streak to 24 years.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs — The Leafs’ biggest change this offseason came in the front office, as Brendan Shanahan was named president of hockey operations. But is the on-ice product any better? Defenseman Carl Gunnarsson and winger Mason Raymond, two of Toronto’s more productive players last year, are gone, replaced by David Booth up front and defensemen Roman Polak and Stephane Robidas. Still, any hopes for a turnaround will be pinned on forwards Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, defenseman Dion Phaneuf and goalie Jonathan Bernier.
6. Florida Panthers — The Panthers made a host of moves in the offseason. Forwards Dave Bolland and Jussi Jokinen should add scoring punch, Shawn Thornton brings some physicality and Willie Mitchell will help stabilize the defense. Aleksander Barkov is slated to be the top line center after an impressive rookie campaign, but winger Jonathan Huberdeau will need to recapture the form he showed as a rookie for Florida to have significant improvement. Florida has a solid top goaltending tandem in Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya, but it may be another year before the Panthers threaten for a postseason spot.
7. Ottawa Senators — The Senators have their third captain in three years in defenseman Erik Karlsson, and just signed forward Bobby Ryan to a long term contract extension. But stability at defense appears to be the biggest issue for Ottawa, especially since Marc Methot is out with a back injury and is in the midst of very public negotiations for a new contract. If he’s out for a while, or traded, it will likely move other defensemen into unfamiliar roles, further unsettling the situation. Ottawa does have reliable goaltenders, though, in Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner.
8. Buffalo Sabres — Few could blame Sabres fans for already thinking about next season, when Buffalo will likely have one of the top two picks in the entry draft and franchise-type players Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are available for selection. Until then, it’ll be another cold winter in Western New York for the Sabres, who should marginally improve on the 150 goals they had last season with the return of Matt Moulson, the addition of Brian Gionta, and prospect Mikhail Grigorenko making an impact. Center San Reinhart might also stick around all season, giving Buffalo fans a glimpse of what should be better days to come.
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
1. Pittsburgh Penguins — The Penguins were an easy choice to win the Metropolitan Division last season, but things aren’t so cut-and-dry this year. The stars — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz — are there, but depth is Pittsburgh’s biggest question. Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling came over from Nashville in the James Neal trade and will need to play well right away. The Penguins’ defense has been retooled, as former Shark Christian Ehrhoff will play heavy minutes, likely alongside Letang. To return to Cup contender status, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, entering the final year of his seven-year contract, has to be more consistent.
2. Philadelphia Flyers — The Flyers recovered from a poor start to finish third in the division last season. With many of the same pieces in place, Philadelphia should again contend for a playoff spot in what may be the weakest division in the NHL top-to-bottom. The Flyers have some depth down the middle with Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Vincent Lecavalier, and Andrew MacDonald and Braydon Coburn will log heavy minutes on the blue line. If goalie Steve Mason is healthy and consistent, the Flyers should stay in the division title hunt throughout.
3. New York Rangers — After acquiring Martin St. Louis at the trade deadline, the Rangers, with some outstanding goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist, made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup final. But the Blueshirts lost more talent than they acquired in the offseason and will probably be hard-pressed to win the division. Defenseman Dan Boyle was the most notable free agent pickup, and he’ll be counted on to bolster a middle-of-the-road power play. Ryan McDonogh and Dan Girardi remain key components to the defense.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets — The Blue Jackets took care of the most important item on their to-do list by signing center Ryan Johansen to a three-year deal on Monday. While Johansen’s back in the fold, Booner Jenner is expected to be out for another 4-6 weeks with a broken hand and Nathan Horton is out indefinitely, so it’s fair to say Columbus’ depth at forward is in question. Sergei Bobrovsky had a solid preseason and will have to shoulder much of the load in net, and Ryan Murray should be back shortly to bolster the defense. But it might be a struggle for the Blue Jackets to return to the playoffs.
5. Washington Capitals — Give the Capitals credit for at least identifying the biggest reason why they didn’t make the playoffs last season: defense. So, out went Adam Oates as coach and in came the more defensive-minded Barry Trotz, who should help Washington improve on its 2.79 goals against average from last season. The Capitals also brought in Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik to stabilize the blue line, and if their defense improves even marginally, they should challenge for a playoff spot. Early indications are that Trotz is getting along just fine with Alex Ovechkin, who, of course, remains one of the league’s most impactful players.
6. New Jersey Devils — Few teams are as tough to figure out as the Devils. Cory Schneider is the new No. 1 goalie, that much we know. But New Jersey has several question marks at forward and defense as a host of new faces are being worked into the lineup. On the blue line, New Jersey will be relying on several young players to get up to NHL speed, and up front, Mike Cammalleri was added to provide some scoring punch. The Devils also look to squeeze another good year out of Jaromir Jagr, and see if Marty Havlat has anything left after a lacklustre stint with the Sharks.
7. New York Islanders — The Islanders certainly bolstered their offense with the signing of Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin, and along with John Tavares, Michael Grabner and Kyle Okposo, should score enough to stay competitive most nights. But without a more consistent effort on defense or in goal, New York will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs. Jaroslav Halak was signed to a four-year deal to stabilize things between the pipes, but that may not be enough for the Islanders to crack the top four in the division.
8. Carolina Hurricanes — The Hurricanes have a different look, at least from a managerial perspective, after a brutal 2013-14 campaign. Coach Kirk Muller was fired and replaced by Bill Peters, and Jim Rutherford stepped aside as general manager, replaced by Ron Francis. No major moves were made in the offseason in terms of personnel, as the club hopes forwards like Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner and Alexander Semin can provide some much-needed scoring. It probably all boils down to goaltending though, as Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin must get past disappointing 2013-14 campaigns.
