Last season, the Montreal Canadiens took a huge step forward, comfortably making the playoffs, and going on an Eastern Conference Final run. This season I see the Canadiens taking another step forward and being the best regular season team in a highly competitive Atlantic division. They have lots of high-end skill at the top of their lineup with players like Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, etc. I also think they have an underrated goalie tandem. Jakub Dobes had a solid season last year, where he stole the starter job and Sam Montembeault, who I should think is capable of being a decent 1B in net. If both of these goalies underachieve, they have Jacob Fowler, who I think can come in this season and play well. They also recently added Chris Kreider, which rounds out their top 6 nicely. While I think their center depth behind Nick Suzuki is a weakness, there are quite a few things that make up for that.
The Buffalo Sabers finally ended their long playoff drought last season. I see them likely having another very successful season this year. I like their forward group a lot. Tage Thompson is their main weapon in their forward group. I expect him to be amongst the top scorers yet again this season. There is a good chance Zach Benson’s production will take a leap next season. While the Sabers lost Alex Tuch in the offseason, the Sabers have players internally that can replace his production. I expect Konsta Helenius to earn a top 6 role and potentially have a chance to be a Calder finalist. Jiri Kulich and Noah Ostlund are a couple of other young talented players that should get an elevated role this season. They lost Bowen Byram in the offseason, but I still have a lot of confidence in their defense. Owen Power is who I see being put in Byram’s role. Power will be an adequate replacement, as I believe there is untapped skill. Mattias Samuelsson had a massive bounce back season and was a big defensive and offensive contributor. They also brought in Olen Zellweger who is another young, puck moving defenseman. Goaltending is still a pretty big weakness for the Sabers, and there are a couple players that had career seasons that might not be able to replicate. These things can be an issue, but I am confident that the Sabers will continue to be a strong team this season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has had endless regular season success this decade. I don’t really foresee that changing this year. The combination of a strong core, and a system that has worked for years makes me confident we will see the Lightning in the 2027 playoffs.
The Panthers went from the two-time reigning Stanley Cup Champs to missing the playoffs in one season. I credited a lot of their lack of success last season to being decimated with injuries. I see them bouncing back this season, but not to the point of being true contenders. While landing Brady Tkachuk was a massive addition, he doesn’t make the team faster paced, which I found to be a bit of a problem for the Panthers last season. I’m also not confident in Jacob Markstrom being a reliable starter at this stage of his career.
Last season was a disaster for the Maple Leafs, where pretty much everything that could have gone wrong, did. However, they completely overhauled the team in the offseason, capped off by selecting Gavin McKenna with the top pick in the draft. They also added Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Kirill Marchenko. The Leafs also had a huge problem staying healthy last season, which should be at least a little better this season. Considering all of this I think the Leafs will be a far better team this season. They still have flaws, but I think they will be good enough to be a playoff team.
Last season, the Bruins bounced back, making the playoffs. This season I see them taking a bit of a step back for a couple of reasons. Scoring was up for them last season, a few of their players had career years. I don’t see that being sustainable. I also don’t believe the structure of their roster is particularly inspiring. They have some great players such as Jeremy Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, and especially David Pastrnak. Unfortunately, the supporting cast is not good enough. They have some young players like James Hagens and Fraser Minten that I think can be core players, there just not there yet. The Atlantic is stacked this season, and I just don’t see the Bruins being a playoff team in this division.
After making the playoffs two seasons in a row, I see the Ottawa Senators missing this season. Losing Brady Tkachuk was a huge dagger for the team. While I like the acquisition of William Eklund, it’s not enough to fill Tkachuk’s role. I see Linus Ullmark bouncing back to an extent, but I don’t see that being enough to get the Sens into the playoffs for a third straight season.
While teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators had disastrous offseasons, I think the worst of them all might have been the Red Wings. They lost Patrick Kane who has been a key contributor for them, and captain Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson have both requested a trade. There is drama around the locker room, with the GM change, and players wanting out. It’s hard to have a worse offseason than that. The Yzerplan ultimately failed, and the Red Wings are in a position where they might have to rebuild again. I don’t see this roster being good enough to get anywhere near the playoffs, and I think there is a good chance we will see the Red Wings sell some of their better players throughout the season.