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Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.
In this one we'll be previewing what to expect in the Atlantic Division during the 2014-15 campaign.
Todd Cordell: Tampa Bay Lightning
I'm a big believer in Steve Yzerman and what he has put together in Tampa Bay, so it should come as no surprise that I have the Bolts wining the East.
Last year their defense had some holes and was a big problem for them, but they seem to have addressed that. They added a vastly underrated Anton Stralman, as well as Jason Garrison to help add some offensive flare to the backend.
Victor Hedman had a Norris caliber year last season, and at 23 there's still room for development. They should also have a healthy Steven Stamkos, which should give them enough to dethrone the Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic.
Tampa Bay
Boston
Montreal
Detroit
Ottawa
Toronto
Florida
Buffalo
Ryan Wilson: Tampa Bay Lightning
Hard not to love what the Lightning did this offseason. They have a healthy Steven Stamkos, Ben Bishop is a quality netminder, and they revamped their defense corp. by signing the underrated Anton Stralman and trading for Jason Garrison. Also, Victor Hedman is a legitimate candidate for trophy. I'm not a fan of how long the Ryan Callahan contract is but that doesn't pertain to the here and now. If Jonathan Drouin can make the leap this year the Lightning will be a really fun team to watch.
Outside of Buffalo being really bad a lot of these teams are interchangeable. There are a lot of different ways this division could finish out.
Tampa Bay
Boston
Detroit
Montreal
Toronto
Ottawa
Florida
Buffalo
Michael Stuart: Boston Bruins
Lots of people are picking the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Atlantic Division. The team made a lot of smart moves over the summer, and will ice an indisputably better roster this year than they did last year. Even so, my pick is the Boston Bruins.
It’s true that the Bruins are dealing with a bit of a cap crunch. It’s true that Zdeno Chara is getting older. But it’s also true that the Bruins have arguably the best goaltender in the league, Tuukka Rask. It’s also true that the Bruins have Patrice Bergeron, one of the premier two-way players in the NHL. There's also a high-quality supporting cast. This is one of the league’s elite possession teams. It’s not hard to predict success for them.
The Lightning have had so much trouble with the Bruins over the last few years; I’m just not sure that the addition of Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison changes that. It’ll be a close race at the top of the Atlantic, but I like Boston’s chances to take the season series with the Lightning and then ultimately finish on top of the division.
Boston
Tampa Bay
Montreal
Detroit
Florida
Toronto
Ottawa
Buffalo
Tim Chiasson: Tampa Bay Lightning
It’s hard not to like what Steve Yzerman is doing in Tampa right now. The sky is the limit in the Atlantic for this team with a healthy Steven Stamkos. Solid goaltending, improved defense and an exciting offense. This team is ready to take Boston down from the top. Boston is still a top Eastern team so they won’t slide far. The only thing separating the Leafs and Canadiens are biblical collapses. This has to be the year, for Nonis/Carlyle’s sake, that the Leafs keep on track for 82 games. I think each roster has quality talent but I don’t buy in that the Habs are a 100 point team again. As Price goes, the Habs go. Without superstar goaltending the Canadiens mediocre offense won’t take them very far. Detroit barely made the playoffs last year, that streak is in jeopardy this year. Picking a Dale Tallon team to improve is always a safe bet. Losing Spezza is going to sting in a big way for Ottawa, even more than trading Ryan at the deadline because he won’t re-sign in the Nation’s Capital. Buffalo is heading in the right direction but that direction just isn't up right now.
Tampa Bay
Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Detroit
Florida
Ottawa
Buffalo
What say you? Which teams will finish higher/lower than we expect? Feel free to share your thoughts.
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