The Atlantic Division is all it once easy and difficult to project. The way these teams performed last year may or may not be a good indication of where they're heading. There have been quite a few changes in the vision of many of these teams throughout the division. Players have changed while coaches shifted.
Sitting here on October 6, it is really anyone's guess how the standings will play out. So here is my guess:
#8: Buffalo Sabres
Here's the thing about the Buffalo Sabres: There is a lot of talented youth on this team. There might just be too much high-upside talent for them to finish with the top overall pick. They’re a well coached bunch as well.
The immediate upside for the Sabres would be a sixth spot, and I know many Sabres fans don't see that as an upside. Not at all.
I just have a feeling that this team will get off to a better start than people are anticipating. I like Jhonas Enroth a lot. I have a feeling that Drew Stafford, playing once again for a contract, could surprise people. With Josh Gorges and Brian Gionta as veteran mentors, the youth of the Sabres is in great hands for the future.
Should this team get one of the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Draft, just you watch, people will have them in the playoffs next year. They may be right.
#7: Ottawa Senators
It is with great fear that I rank the Ottawa Senators in this position. Over the years, this team has often been counted counted out when they should have been counted in among the playoff teams.
The signing a Bobby Ryan is a huge step for this team in the right direction. Additionally, there is no denying the talent of some of the Sens younger players. Lastly, when you have one of the best defenseman in the world captaining your squad almost anything can happen.
Nevertheless, I don't see where the goals are going to come from apart from the top few players. Additionally, I really am not thinking that this team is going to win games because their goalie is going to steal games. That could happen -- it has happened in the past -- but to expect that out of this bunch in 2014-15 feels like a stretch to me.
#6 Florida Panthers
One thing we have come to expect out of Sunrise is that the current year's team will be nothing like the previous one. While that is true again this year, there are some very positive signs that point to the team having a formidable nucleus in place.
As for management, it is hard to bet against Dale Tallon and Gerard Gallant. Panthers fans can know for sure this team is in good hands and will eventually be good and competitive for a long stretch of time.
The Panthers made some of the best signings of the summer, bringing in players who compete and will enable them to be competitive against the tough teams in the Northeast like Boston or Montréal. You can be sure there's nothing Gerard Gallant would rather do than finish ahead of the Montréal Canadiens this year. Canadiens players last year to a man said how much they will miss him in the locker room and on the bench.
Ultimately, what separates Florida from Ottawa or Buffalo (besides about 40 degrees Fahrenheit) is the talents of Roberto Luongo. He still has what it takes to be elite, especially in a low-pressure atmosphere like Florida. With Luongo in goal, some very fast and effective young players and the character players that of been brought, the Panthers could surprise disbelievers and battle for a playoff spot.
#5: Detroit Red Wings
Yes, once again a hockey writer is going to tell you that this is the year the Red Wings are finally going to lose their incredible streak of consecutive playoff seasons. Yes, I have predicted it the last few years and been proven wrong each time. Ultimately, I am just going on a hunch here that the Wings will come up a bit short this time.
It's never a wise pick to bet against a team coached by Mike Babcock. He has a knack for making iffy depth greater than the sum of its parts and for taking elite talent and making it gel. Some coaches can do one or the other. He can do both.
Even so, my prediction is that Detroit misses the playoffs in 2014-15.
Here's the thing: the Red Wings have put together this long playoff streak because they have been able to re-tool on the fly year after year. That is an extremely commendable thing to be able to do. When the Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov era Red Wings started to look old, along came Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg to step in and become superstars. The irreplaceable Nicklas Lidstrom finally retired and the Wings still managed to hold together. That's incredible.
Last year, the Red Wings saw another group of young players who appeared to be following in their footsteps. I like Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist and Riley Sheahan. What's not to like about that quartet? But are they Dats or Zets or are they just off-line players? I like Danny Dekeyser but can be become the glue that holds the blueline together?
I don't really have the answer to those questions. Maybe the next superstar in Detroit is Anthony Mantha. Maybe they'll step up in combination. If that's the case, then the Red Wings could find themselves a few years away from re-emerging among the elite Cup contenders. For now, though, I think the playoff streak comes to an end.
#4: Montréal Canadiens
The most amazing thing about the team that has always been my second favorite NHL team is the fact they have a superstar goalie who is continuing to improve. Carey Price might be better now than he was last year. I really saw a change in his game following the Olympics. It was as if he suddenly believed his own press clippings but in a good way.
The one thing about Price that always bothered me was his own wavering self-confidence. We know how amazing a goalie this guy is. I have talk to players who have played with him and other great goalies and tell me there is no comparison. Price is the best there is.
The Habs also have one of the best defenseman in the NHL in PK Subban. If you don't think is one of the best for whatever reason, I challenge you to argue he is not at least one of the most exciting. However, beyond PK and the top of the lineup, there are still questions.
If those questions are answered by the team rallying and like last year finding ways to win than the Canadians finishing third in the playoffs. In my opinion they will be battling a team from the Metropolitan division to make the playoffs.
Michel Therien coaches from the hip. He is a gambler goes on instinct. Let year he got dealt a very good hand. To his credit, even when he didn't get dealt the best hand he managed to get production out of what seemingly was not too much on paper.
My fear is the cards could start evening up on this team. The reality is Carey Price, as long as he's healthy, makes any team a playoff contender, and should be Canadiens once again get into the playoffs, Price can take them as far as anyone.
#3: Toronto Maple Leafs
Speaking of getting dealt a bad hand, nothing went right last year for the Maple Leafs after the Olympic break. All the speed and grit and determination from two years ago turned to frustration and, at some crucial junctures, lethargic performances on must-win game nights.
Picking up Jonathan Bernier before the season was the only bright spot for an otherwise muddled version of this classic team. So why do I have them in third place? Because I like what they did in the off-season, I like what they didn't do, and I like where the youth is heading and believe they will get back to form this year.
Again, this is just a guess. I honestly believe the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens could finish separated by a little as a point. When you get to that spot when you are trying predict a result you might as well be flipping a coin. This year I see the cards evening out somehow and the Maple Leafs will find themselves once again in the playoffs.
If you combined the best of the Habs and the best of the Leafs you would have a pretty unstoppable unit. I'd actually take more Leafs than Habs on that team. Getting back to reality, when I measure the strengths and weaknesses of the current Toronto and Montréal squads, I lean ever so slightly in favor of the Leafs edging out the Habs. Time will tell.
#2: Boston Bruins
The two best teams in the Eastern Conference Will finish first and second in the Atlantic Division. That is why part of me believes only three teams will make the playoffs in this division, and I know many will argue that two of the worst teams in the Eastern conference even that out a bit.
The problem with that thinking is Buffalo and Ottawa will still give their divisional rivals a battle every night. The Bruins are the one team in the East for whom it's virtually impossible to imagine a realistic scenario where they struggle to make the postseason.
So why second place? The Bruins know they peaked a little too early last year. The regular season really doesn't mean much to Boston. That won't stop them from competing and being among the class of the NHL. But it might cost them first place in this division where I believe the next team has a bigger chip on their shoulders and more to prove going into the regular season.
Once the playoffs hit, the Bruins Will be seeking their vengeance. This is a very scary team that could easily be in the Stanley Cup Finals.
#1: Tampa Bay Lightning
Sometimes a team find success too quickly. That has not been the case with the Lightning. This is a talented group that is been brought along the right way. And this is a group with ridiculous top flight talent. And this is a group that was embarrassed in last playoffs. All this plays into my believe that they will win this division and perhaps even the Presidents Trophy.
Steven Stamkos is a flat-out superstar who, if healthy all season, will pass 50 goals and possibly even 60. He has something to prove, and you don't want to be on the other side of whatever that is. He shares this desire with his teammates.
If the Lightning won a few playoff series last year they probably wouldn't have addressed their needs as well as they did this summer. Ultimately, it comes down to whether Ben Bishop's success last year was a fluke or the real deal, and I am a believer in Big Ben.
At the same time, there is so much talent and so much desire and such great coaching surrounding the squad that I can see them looking a lot like the Colorado Avalanche did last year. Speed kills. Youth and speed destroys.
Tomorrow I will preview the most difficult of all NHL divisions: The Metro Division.