2024 NHL Season Previews: Atlantic Division

The 2025 season is around the corner, so I thought I would want to preview all 32 teams. Today we begin with the Atlantic Division.

Boston Bruins

Overview

Despite the talent drop-off from last season, the Bruins went with a more defensive-oriented approach last season, with the offense coming from big names like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, and with the two-headed monster of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark backstopping the team to success. They washed away the nightmares of the 2023 collapse in the playoffs with a first round win before getting overpowered by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Offense

They did technically overachieve last season, but they add to the forward core with the addition of Elias Lindholm, who will be Pastrnak’s new center. Pastrnak is the unquestioned leader of the offense, accounting for more than 41% of the team’s goals, and having Lindholm gives a defensive boost to the top line. Brad Marchand developed a strong chemistry with Charlie Coyle, forming a solid second line, and both Trent Frederic and Matt Poitras have given big boosts to the bottom six, but there’s a visible hole at the second line right wing spot after Jake DeBrusk’s departure.

Defense

The notion from head coach Jim Montgomery is that he will continue to spread McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm on the top two pairs, with McAvoy manning the top with new addition Nikita Zadorov, who will bring an added element of physicality next to McAvoy that was missing since Zdeno Chara left, along with the willingness to do the dirty work in the slot. Hampus Lindholm will likely pair with shutdown righty Brandon Carlo again, leaving the third pairing a shutdown duo of Parker Wotherspoon and Andrew Peeke, though Mason Lohrei’s puck-handling skills give him the upside to play next to Peeke.

Goaltending

Salary cap issues forced general manager Don Sweeney to choose one of Ullmark or Swayman, and he chose Swayman, trading Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, while re-signing Swayman to an eight-year, $66 million contract after messy contract negotiations between the two sides. The duo had nearly identical numbers on the way to a combined 2.55 GAA and a .915 save percentage, but now with Joonas Korpisalo in the mix, the Bruins hope he rebounds with them in front of a better defensive core. If he continues his poor production, or if something happens to Swayman, Brandon Bussi is the next man up. Bussi is solid in his own right, given he put up a .918 save percentage in two years with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

Coaching

For any other coach, a 109-point season from the 2024 Bruins would get Jack Adams consideration, but it gave Montgomery a handful of credit after his 2023 season. But he deserves a lot of respect for keeping the team upright after one of the biggest talent drop-offs in recent memory. He won’t have to adjust on the fly this time, as Elias Lindholm and Zadorov coming in should give the Bruins an upgraded version of the lineup.

Three Questions

1. How will Jeremy Swayman perform as the full-time starter (if contract negotiations are resolved)?
   • In the last two seasons, the Bruins had the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, with Ullmark and Swayman winning the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the 2023 season. Now that Ullmark is gone, it’s up to Swayman to carry the load in net. He’s also essentially the third franchise cornerstone, joining Pastrnak and McAvoy, who are both signed for the long-haul. That will give the Bruins a high floor for the next half decade, along with Swayman staying put for the next eight years.
2. Who plays at second line right wing?
   • The Bruins have a good outlook for what their top six may look like. The first line consists of Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, and Pastrnak. The second line had Marchand with Coyle, but the big unknown is who will play at the right wing spot next to them. One hole was filled with Lindholm, but DeBrusk’s departure opens another can of worms. For the time being, Morgan Geekie will likely hold that spot, but optimally, it would be filled in by a prospect, such as Fabian Lysell or Georgii Merkulov, given they are the top two forward prospects on the team. Barring a trade, it’s an opportunity for someone to grab that role.
3. How much does Brad Marchand have left in the tank?
   • The days of the Perfection Line are long gone, and Montgomery smartly spread Marchand and Pastrnak on the top two lines. Pastrnak put up another 40-goal, 110-point season, while Marchand has a second-straight 67-point campaign. It was clear the offense took a step back in 2024, but Marchand is 36, and there are legitimate questions about how much longer he can keep up scoring at a top six forward pace. If he takes another step back, it’s bad news for the Bruins, because the scoring depth doesn’t look good.

Projected Lineup

Buffalo Sabres

Overview

The odds of losing a coin flip 13 times in a row are 1/8,192, or 0.0001%. It’s hard to believe that something nearly impossible would be a reality, but the Buffalo Sabres missing the playoffs for 13 straight years is the equivalent. It’s not only the longest active drought in the league, but the longest drought in NHL history. They started at the middle of the pack, but then they turned mediocre by the end of 2023, finishing as the third-worst team by then. Even when they had a winning record the rest of the way, it wasn’t enough to take them to the playoffs. To say that last year was a disappointment is a massive understatement given they were eying a playoff appearance.

Offense

Because of last season, it’s easy to forget how good the offense was in 2023, when they were third in the league in scoring. Last year was a 50-goal drop-off from the season prior, and just two players hit 50 points, those being Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka, with the former missing time to injury. Power play fell from top 10 to 27th, converting 16.6% of opportunities, but with Rasmus Dahlin at the helm, sustained production from him alongside bounce-back seasons from Thompson and Alex Tuch can get them back to top 10 status. Thompson, Tuch, and Dylan Cozens are key centerpieces for the offense, and Ryan McLeod should help out with team depth. The Sabres also believe they can get depth scoring from Zach Benson and Jason Zucker, and with Ryan McLeod delivering on the third line on the forecheck.

Defense

The frustrating part of 2024 is that the Sabres improved defensively, ranking 11th in goals against. Dahlin has continued to improve, expanding his offense and hitting more often. While he’s not at the same tier of elite defensemen as Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, his time in catching up to them could be soon. Bowen Byram is the biggest X-factor, as he was acquired in a one-for-one swap that sent Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado. He’ll play next to Dahlin, where this could form one of the best pairings in the Atlantic Division. Owen Power has shown a lot of growth to his game, being efficient and quick, and his 6′ 6″ allows him to get to areas on the ice where he doesn’t need to use his full strides. Henri Jokiharju is the biggest wild card, having led the team in plus-minus, but was in the bottom half of possession charts; if the Sabres continue struggling, he can be a valuable trade asset.

Goaltending

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was one of the best Sabres last season, going 27-22-4 with a .910 save percentage, a 2.57 GAA, and a 10.1 goals saved above average. He got the Sabres in winning position, and was rewarded with a five-year, $23.7 million extension, which can look like a steal. The backup golatender spot gets interesting, as Devon Levi was one of the top goaltenders in the NCAA, but his first full year in the NHL showed growing pains. James Reimer is the third goaltender in the rotation, and he provides veteran experience, and though it’s not common to have three goalies in a room, it’s not out of the equation for Buffalo.

Coaching

This is Lindy Ruff’s second stint with the Sabres after Don Granato was fired at the end of the 2024 season. He previously coached the team from 1997 to 2013, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2006 and taking them to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, and four Eastern Conference Finals in his 15 years there. He didn’t have a lot of success with the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils, with three playoff appearances and no Conference Finals appearances. He is one of the most successful coaches in NHL history, with 850 regular season wins, 4th on the all-time list. However, he has not reached the Conference Finals in 17 years. However, at times, teams would make the safest choice when hiring coaches, and the Sabres believe Ruff can get the most of this roster.

Three Questions

1. Are the changes they made enough?
   • Last season, the Sabres clearly performed well below expectations, and Ruff was brought in for accountability and structure to a roster that needed the former, especially with the players themselves. The revamped bottom six features McLeod, who will slot in as the third line center and will help stabilize the penalty kill. Physicality was also a need for Buffalo, which they lacked, and this is where Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel come in, where they bring that element that was missing, along with more speed. Their tenacity on the forecheck makes the Sabres a harder team to play against. Jason Zucker also brings versatility on the lineup, which gives the offense more definition, and he will help them in their quest to end their 13-year playoff drought.
2. Can the offense bounce back to 2023 form?
   • The Sabres fell from third in the NHL in scoring in 2023 to 23rd last season (293 total goals to 244), not to mention they ranked 30th in total power play goals scored, with 37 last season, a stark contrast to the 2023 where they were 9th in that category, along with power play efficiency. Seth Appert, who was promoted from head coach of the AHL’s Rochester Americans to assistant coach of the Sabres, will oversee the power play. In his time with Rochester, he saw a man advantage success rate of over 20%, and general manager Kevyn Adams believes an internal promotion is the solution to the woes, to aim for rebound years from Thompson, Tuch and Cozens, and continuing Peterka’s growth, who had a career-high 28 goals, and Jack Quinn, who was on the verge to a breakout before injuries shortened his 2024.
3. Will they finally be able to make the playoffs?
   • It’s a realistic possibility. Dahlin and Power will have to take the next steps in their developments, and the team has more than $8 million in cap space to add through the course of the season. Luukkonen got rewarded with a new contract, and they have a change in pace with a new head coach. It would eventually be Buffalo’s turn to make the dance. Just like when all good things must come to an end, all bad things also must come to an end eventually. But there will be 31 other teams in the NHL trying to prevent playoffs from happening in the 716.

Projected Lineup

Detroit Red Wings

Overview

The Red Wings were painfully close to making the playoffs last season. Everything aligned perfectly, with the Red Wings making another come-from-behind victory to get a shot into the dance. With 3.3 seconds to go, David Perron tied the game against the Montreal Canadiens to send it to overtime, and it looked like they were on their way, until, moments later, John Tortorella pulled his goalie to go for a game-winning goal in regulation, not knowing that the Philadelphia Flyers were already eliminated from the playoffs. While the push for the playoffs is something the Red Wings are used to during that 25-year playoff appearance streak, last season was the closest they had come to in eight years. Steve Yzerman put together a team that can get over the hump, but inconsistency hurt the Red Wings, and losing twice to the Arizona Coyotes and another abysmal series against the Ottawa Senators didn’t help.

Offense

The current phase of the “Yzerplan” ensures the Red Wings have enough firepower to be a playoff contender. Their 278 goals were the most of any team that didn’t make the playoffs, and more than eight teams making the playoffs, including the Florida Panthers. Lucas Raymond took a huge step forward, and vastly improved his play at five-on-five, leading the team in scoring, and came up clutch. Dylan Larkin, injuries aside, was one of the better players on the team, and a fully healthy Larkin would give him an opportunity to make a bigger impact. Patrick Kane was a big addition for them, and adding Vladimir Tarasenko will provide a boost in the scoring department. The power play is expected to be up with the league’s best, and there’s a good chance they’ll build off of that to potentially be in the top five.

Defense

The defense, however, has been suspect. Though they could score out of defensive problems, if the offense wasn’t scoring, they were in trouble. The hope is that Erik Gustafsson brings the necessary depth at the blueline. Moritz Seider has consistently improved through the years, and while he developed exceptionally well, especially offensively. His play in his own zone steadily improved every year, and he solidified his spot as a top player. There is also experience defensively with Ben Chiarot and Olli Määttä, but Detroit’s backend, which has an average age of 30, is alarmingly inconsistent. All eyes are on Simon Edvinsson, as many believe he can help the Red Wings make the playoffs.

Goaltending

This is the biggest wild card for Detroit. Alex Lyon played tough minutes after Ville Husso ran into injury troubles, and with James Reimer going to Buffalo, there will be an interesting battle for the starting netminder spot. Lyon nearly backstopped the Red Wings to the playoffs after he did exactly that with the Panthers. Even so, he’ll once again have to fight for the starting job with Talbot and a healthy Husso, though Lyon has a better shot to win over Husso, as Husso’s health influenced the move to go after Talbot, who played well in stretches with the Los Angeles Kings, and at a $2.5 million cap hit, he’s the favorite for starting minutes.

Coaching

Derek Lalonde has the necessary experience to coach the Red Wings to being a playoff team. He went through growing pains in the first few years, but his knowledge of the game is what made him exceptional under Jon Cooper in back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning seasons, and why Yzerman hired him. As he continues growing on his role, he’ll be a solid coach. He’s continuing to find his groove.

Three Questions

1. Who emerges as the full-time starter?
   • The Red Wings didn’t have the intention to carry three goaltenders last season. The debate was to put one on waivers, but they waited, and they didn’t do it. Husso played just 19 games because of the injury troubles last year, specifically to his lower-body. They decided to do this last year, carrying Talbot, Lyon, and Husso. Talbot played well in his time with the Kings, though it’s to be determined whether or not that’s to do with the defense in front of him. Lyon has played well in the last two years, especially when he got the Panthers to the playoffs two years ago.
2. What needs to happen for Alex DeBrincat to get back to top scoring form?
   • DeBrincat scored 27 goals for the second straight season, which is not the scoring output that he wanted to see, given he is a former 40-goal scorer with the Chicago Blackhawks. They tried putting him with his old linemate in the Windy City, Kane, but it only came with limited success. While a great start form last year was encouraging, he has to keep the foot on the gas pedal and show that he is still an elite scorer in the NHL.
3. Is it time for Jonatan Berggren to make an impact in the NHL?
   • This is a quiet storyline for Detroit, but the Red Wings are trying to figure out what to do with Berggren. He was one of the best players with the Grand Rapids Griffins last season, but saw limited ice time with the Red Wings compared to his 2023. Even when he was called up, he hardly saw ice time, which left him disgruntled near the end of the regular season. He can be an everyday NHLer, but he has to show that he can buy into Derek Lalonde’s system.

Projected Lineup

Florida Panthers

Overview

The Panthers ended last season as Stanley Cup champions, but they weren’t a popular pick to make it all the way. They were ravaged by injuries in a surprise 2023 run to the Final, so it looked like a playoff hangover would be inevitable. It wasn’t the case—Gustav Forsling and Sam Reinhart played the best seasons of their careers, bringing Florida to a new level, winning the Atlantic Division. They entered the 2024 playoffs with unfinished business in mind, knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers to win the East before withstanding a 3-0 series comeback attempt from the Edmonton Oilers before winning Game 7 off a stifling performance from Sergei Bobrovsky. Repeating won’t be easy, especially after Brandon Montour left, but they won’t mind a challenge.

Offense

Aleksander Barkov, the greatest Panther in franchise history, has put together a playoff effort worth his growing reputation. His main issue is staying healthy through his career, as he has missed at least nine games during each season with them. Sam Reinhart isn’t going anywhere, and his 57-goal explosion rewarded him with an eight-year, $69 million deal. The duo have outscored opponents 570-397. Paul Maurice is wisely playing Matthew Tkachuk separate from Barkov, and while his 88-point season is considered a disappointment, it attests to his game-breaking skill.

Carter Verhaeghe has thrived playing with both superstars, with 76 goals in his last two seasons. His playoff heroics are also a yearly tradition at the Miami metro area, with five playoff OT goals in his career. This is where star power ends, but Tkachuk’s linemate, Sam Bennett, can emerge with heavy forechecking and edge that makes him a huge asset. Anton Lundell is too talented to be on the third line, but he’s yet to improve on his rookie season. General manager Bill Zito is banking on it with a six-year, $30 million deal. Evan Rodrigues is an all-around Swiss Army knife who can fit around the top nine and contribute defensively.

Defense

Gustav Forsling’s +131 rating ever since getting claimed off waivers is second to just Devon Toews’ +148, but Forsling is now only getting recognition as one of the best defensemen in the league. He and Aaron Ekblad have outscored opposition 29-15 at five-on-five, and led a group that finished second in scoring defense. But with Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson gone, the rest of the core isn’t spectacular. While Niko Mikkola led the team in hits (198) and blocks (124) last season, he can’t really drive a pairing, as his offense was basically a non-factor, and Montour isn’t around to help him anymore. Dmitry Kulikov is another gutsy defender, but he’s better suited in a third pairing role. Maurice, however, has a wealth of forwards buying into a tight defensive structure. Barkov is the reigning Selke Trophy winner, and Reinhart’s metric’s were similar to Barkov’s. Rodrigues, Lundell, and Eetu Luostarinen keep the middle-six defensively locked in too.

Goaltending

They’re not concerned about keeping the other team off the board, not only because of the defense, but also because of Sergei Bobrovsky, who went from having one of the worst contracts in the league to cementing his status as a Hockey Hall of Famer. With 160 regular season starts and 53 playoff appearances since 2021, can he keep up? Spencer Knight is expected to come back to the NHL for the first time since February 2023, when he left the team to focus on his struggles with OCD. Now that he is back and on the second year of his contract at a $4.5 million cap hit, this is his chance to prove he can succeed Bobrovsky. Chris Driedger also comes back after an injury-riddled tenure with the Seattle Kraken. He never truly got a proper chance with Seattle, but he was excellent in his first stint with Florida.

Coaching

The initial decision to move on from Andrew Brunette after he led them to the Presidents’ Trophy to hire Maurice was questionable, given Maurice resigned from the same post with the Winnipeg Jets. Zito didn’t fire Brunette for a golden opportunity to hire a proven winner who made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002. The gamble paid off. After making the playoffs when they were out of a spot with 11 days to go in the regular season, they have never looked back. His approach has allowed players like Tkachuk to thrive, and the transformation of this team’s defensive structure has revived Bobrovsky’s career, and the hard work has paid off for Maurice, who is finally a Stanley Cup champion after 30 years in the NHL.

Three Questions

1. How much pressure will fall on Forsling and Ekblad?
   • Losing Montour and OEL left the Panthers in a tough situation on the backend, but another significant issue with them departing is that they ran both power play units. Montour’s 17 power play points led all defensemen on the Panthers, while OEL was second, with 11. The obvious replacements are Forsling, who had 35 even strength points or more in three straight seasons, and Ekblad, who scored 10 goals in a season eight times. Also note that Nate Schmidt and Adam Boqvist were signed in free agency, hoping they’ll rebound from disappointing tenures with the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively. Forsling and Ekblad will also get an extra three to five minutes a night, taking both to the top of the league’s ice time leaders. Forsling won’t have any problems, but Ekblad already misses at least 10 games to injury every season. Can his body hold up?
2. Who is the next great Panthers reclamation project?
   • Trading for Tkachuk was a huge gamble that paid off, but the key for the Panthers is finding great players cheap. Bennett and Montour cost virtually nothing, while Verhaeghe and Forsling actually cost nothing. The best bet for this title is Boqvist, as the first round blueliner has scored at a 33-point pace in his career, but he never truly got a consistent starting role with the Blue Jackets or Chicago Blackhawks. He has a spot in Florida, and their penchant for player development could get him in the top four.
3. Do the Panthers have enough energy to repeat?
   • It’s never a bad time to win the Stanley Cup, but the Panthers got what they needed. Reinhart, however, priced them out of Montour, who put up excellent numbers with Mikkola and an aging Marc Staal. OEL and Vladimir Tarasenko got big contracts elsewhere, which stripped them of key depth. While they kept Lundell, that contract could make it tough keeping all three of Verhaeghe, Bennett and Ekblad. Like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche before them, the Panthers will learn it’s never easy to win another Stanley Cup after winning it the first time around.

Projected Lineup

Montreal Canadiens

Overview

The rebuild continues for the Canadiens after a surprise appearance in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Expectations were low last season, and they finished second to last in the East, and 5th-worst in the entire NHL. They were surprisingly average to start the year, at 20-21-8 in their first 49 games, but their play faltered after trading Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets. Bad defensive metrics and goaltending couldn’t save them from another bottom five finish. Now in Year 3 of the rebuild, a lot of questions still remain. Where will the offense come from? Who gets the majority of the starts between Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau? Can Juraj Slafkosvky take the next step? Will any of the prospects solidify their spot?

Offense

The team as a whole couldn’t get a lot of offense, and trading away Monahan put a damper on them, considering he still finished 5th on the team in points (13 goals and 22 assists). To be fair, he was a big trade piece that other playoff teams sought after. The positives were that Nick Suzuki took another step forward in his career, with career-highs across the board (33 goals, 44 assists for 77 points. Cole Caufield took a step back in his per-game goal-scoring production, but still had a strong season (28 goals and 37 assists).

The big question is how Slafkovsky does in his third year in the league. After a head-scratching rookie season, he scored 18 goals and 24 assists in the final 51 games of last season after being inserted into the top line. He was more confident fighting for pucks in the corners and open areas on the power play where he can take one-timers. Patrik Laine was acquired to boost goal-scoring, but he has yet to score more than 30 goals since 2018. His development was stunted both in Winnipeg and Columbus, where he was constantly injured with a low motor, and couldn’t live up to his potential.

Defense

The Habs struggled in this department, where nobody posted an even strength Corsi of 50%, and a lot of nights they gave up four goals per night. They had 22 games where they gave up at least five in a game. Mike Matheson and David Savard were bad defensively too. Now, for Matheson’s struggles on his own end, he’s an offensive machine, and he will anchor the Habs’ power play again, and he will be paired with Kaiden Guhle, who signed a six-year extension this offseason. Lane Hutson is super talented, and he was entrusted with more than 22 minutes of ice time per game, having been an offensive dynamo with Boston University. Justin Barron will also get a shot for more minutes and take on a bigger role. And Arber Xhekaj is one of the more fascinating players to watch, given he’s a modern tough guy in the NHL; he can also hold his own defensively, giving the Habs both size and a reliable first pass, though it will be seen if he can improve in 2025.

Goaltending

While Sam Montembeault split starts with Jake Allen throughout the season, to Montembeault’s credit, he played nicely behind a mediocre defense, going 16-15-9 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.14 GAA. The underlying numbers show he’s better than that, ranking 22nd at five-on-five goals saved above expected per 60. It’s the third straight season where he played between 38 and 41 games, and the workload could increase next season as he gets the starting job. Cayden Primeau, on the other hand, spent the majority of last season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, and will back up Montembeault this season. In four years in the AHL, he had a .910 save percentage, a 2.99 GAA, and two shutouts. He should get a chance to prove himself as a legitimate NHL goaltender. He is also a restricted free agent with something to prove.

Coaching

For a coach who finished last in the Atlantic Division all three years, Martin St. Louis has breathed new life into a Habs team in the middle of a rebuild, and players have responded to him.

“I’m a big believer—especially with young guys—I look at their ceiling,” said St. Louis in an interview with Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. “I don’t care about the floor. I really don’t know when they’re young. Show me your ceiling—we’ll fix the floor.”

This is a great mindset to have for young players, especially if they’re young pieces to a core that is getting shaped together. In the last few years, it’s not about wins and losses. It’s about the progression of the core.

Three Questions

1. Can Patrik Laine find his game?
   • When a player with a lot of talent that can’t get results is traded, there are questions whether or not a change of scenery would help. Laine already went through this when he was traded from Winnipeg to Columbus, and injuries combined with a lack of team chemistry left several unanswered questions. He has two years left on his contract, and the Habs don’t mind taking up his $8.7 million cap hit. There are three ways on how this goes:
     1. He’s terrible, and Montreal either buries him on the fourth line or trades him for a minimal return.
     2. He finds some success and the Habs eat up a chunk of his salary in a trade similar to the Sean Monahan deal that got them a first round pick.
     3. The 30-to-40 goal scorer that hockey fans saw in the first two years of his career, a dynamic sniper who thrives to his new surroundings and wants to be part of the Habs’ return to the playoffs.
2. Can the Canadiens improve their power play?
   • A playoff team would usually finish in the top half of the league on the man advantage. The Habs have usually been near the bottom of the league in the last three seasons, but in the second half of the 2024 season, they started capitalizing around the same time when Slafkovsky started banking on the majority of his chances. If they can get him cycling, taking one-timers from the dot, Habs fans may get excited when the power play unit rolls out.
3. Is Martin St. Louis “the guy” behind the bench?
   • St. Louis has sparked positive energy on a rebuilding Habs team to take them a step forward. But given the history of rebuilding teams, and during the transition from a non-playoff team into a playoff team, there is usually a change at the coaching staff. Sometimes, it’s not an indictment of the coach, but where they’ve gotten as much out of the team as they can, and it’s time for a fresh voice. The Habs exercised a two-year option for him that extends into the 2027 season, but if they can’t start making a run at the playoffs, he may end up being the fall guy.

Projected Lineup

Ottawa Senators

The Senators, despite all the talented forwards they had on their disposal, along with the additions of Jakob Chychrun and Joonas Korpisalo, took a painful step backward, with Chychrun struggling defensively on the right side (-30, worst on the team), Korpisalo flopping in the net, and the only three forwards playing over 80 games on the season being Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson. Both general manager Pierre Dorion and head coach DJ Smith were given the boot. With new GM Steve Staios at the helm, he made his first big trade in acquiring 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark for Korpisalo. The big question is if Ullmark and new head coach Travis Green can get the Sens out of the hole they caved themselves into.

Offense

The offense finished 18th despite the big names on the top six, but the uninspiring finish made them trade Vladimir Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers. Nagging injuries wore down Stützle, Josh Norris suffered another season-ending injury, and Shane Pinto was suspended for half of the seasons for gambling. They didn’t really have their full arsenal, which starts with Stützle, who could be the first legitimate superstar for Ottawa since Erik Karlsson. Reuniting him with Giroux and Tkachuk will give the Sens an elite top line to build around.

Stacking the top line with their three best weapons wasn’t an option for the Sens, but the arrival of David Perron in free agency should give them legitimate depth. He and Drake Batherson are strong playmakers who can contribute on the power play, and they will both give Norris a big boost, but he has to produce early and often to keep Pinto from usurping him in the depth chart. Pinto was scoring at a 54-point pace last season, but after falling off down the stretch, he had to settle for third line duties. Defensively, Thomas Chabot, despite continued injury frustrations, has been great (30 points in 51 games), and Jake Sanderson, who is already Ottawa’s top defenseman at 22, has offensive instincts too (10 goals and 38 points).

Defense

There’s a massive gap between the expected goals against (245) and the actual number of goals allowed (281), but last season’s struggles were not entirely on Korpisalo. The 797 giveaways were the third-most in the league, and Staios wants to build a more coherent defense. Chychrun got sent to the Washington Capitals for Nick Jensen, which they badly needed for a shutdown defenseman on the right side. Chabot is a suspect defender, but being paired next to Jensen is what he needs.

Sanderson is an all-situations minute-muncher and one of the true building blocks of the Sens franchise, and his mobility and stickhandling allow him to shut down opponents without taking risks. Artem Zub brings more physicality, and is the perfect low-maintenance complement to Sanderson, and they were quietly one of the best shutdown pairings last season. The down-lineup depth is very thin, but it’s expected that Pinto, two-way forward Mike Amadio, and agitator Ridly Greig build a defensively solid third line.

Goaltending

Ullmark is the newest top goaltender in the crease at Canada’s capital, but Sens fans have to take things with a grain of salt. Since Craig Anderson’s departure from the team, Ottawa could not pick up where they left off, whether it be Matt Murray, Filip Gustavsson, Cam Talbot, or Korpisalo. They cannot take Ullmark for granted, though to his credit, he’s put up much better numbers than his four predecessors. He’ll never replicate his magical 2023 season, but he’s a top 10 goaltender in his prime. But can he maintain his elite form while starting more than 55 games? His career high in games played is 49. The rest of the workload falls on Anton Forsberg, who is a usually capable backup. He has played good seasons for the Sens, though last season was his worst. Though in limited reps, he can possibly turn things around.

Coaching

The Travis Green hiring was rather questionable, not that he is a bad option, but his lackluster record with the Vancouver Canucks was more because he came from a painful rebuild rather and a lack of organizational support, and the Sens are painfully familiar with both. However, passing on more attractive options like Craig Berube and Dean Evason for a cheaper candidate has fans groaning. The best way Green can quiet this out is by imposing his identity on the new-look roster, something Smith didn’t do in parts of five seasons. The standard has to be raised to shake off the slow starts of the Smith era.

Three Questions

1. What should the Senators do with Josh Norris?
   • There’s no doubt he has the talent. He’s a pure sniper who can chime in on the power play with his one-timers, where he racked up 16 of his 35 goals during the 2022 season. That encouraging campaign earned him an eight-year, $63.6 million extension, but he needed shoulder surgery in both seasons since. He has had three major operations and two other lengthy absences from that injury. Pinto is already a better center, and the Sens may want to question what to do with Norris. Another shortened season could lead to another stint at the LTIR, and it’s not something that he or the Senators envisioned after his breakout year in his sophomore season.
2. Can Linus Ullmark break the troubling trend with big name acquisitions?
   • It hasn’t been easy for the Sens getting free agents to Ottawa. Team building has been poor, previous owner Eugene Melnyk was not willing to spend money, and they lack the decorated history that their rivals have. Without the success of the Daniel Alfredsson era, they would either have to draft or trade to get talent. It’s not good enough when the players they trade for don’t want to stay, given Alex DeBrincat forced his way out of Ottawa, and Staios traded away Chychrun to avoid a similar scenario. Ullmark is on a contract year, and he cost the Sens valuable draft capital. Are they willing to convince him to a long-term contract?
3. Will the Senators finally be able to establish a winning culture?
   • Winning and losing are not just the two outcomes of a game, but rather determining factors for an organization. The Senators are familiar with the both of them, and of the six major additions of the offseason, only Perron, who won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, did not play in the postseason last year. Amadio and Nick Cousins were on the last two Stanley Cup winning teams, in 2023 and 2024, and the biggest challenge for Green is to change the team’s culture, and acquiring players who have championships under their belt should help them.

Projected Lineup

Tampa Bay Lightning

Overview

The Lightning looked like they were having another strong season heading into 2024, especially with the main core together and in their prime. But Andrei Vasilevskiy missed the first two months of the regular season with microdiscectomy surgery, and despite questions surrounding if they would survive, they did. They didn’t dominate the league, but the big reason for their success was Nikita Kucherov, who would get himself into the Hart Trophy conversation, and they went 36-23-3 when Vasilevskiy returned. Kucherov finished as the league’s leading scorer, and it was their most interesting storyline because they fell to the Florida Panthers in five games in the first round. It was the last time Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev were Bolts, and coming in to replace them were Jake Guentzel and a returning Ryan McDonagh. Is it enough to extend their playoff window?

Offense

The Bolts had one of the best offenses in the league last season, but that was mostly because of their league-leading power play (28.6%), converting at a rate that was 1.7% better than the next closest team. At five-on-five, they were between mediocre and horrible in offensive generation. It’s no surprise that their top power play unit of Kucherov, Stamkos, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Victor Hedman contributed heavily on the lineup. Beyond them, there wasn’t a lot of contributions, as Nick Paul and Anthony Cirelli were the only other 40-point scorers, and Darren Raddysh was the only other player to hit 30 points, though Sergachev could have hit that mark had it not been for two separate long-term injuries. In fairness to Anthony Duclair, he had 15 points in the 17 games since he came over at the trade deadline, though it may be how the Bolts fared with wins and losses without Sergachev that made them comfortable in bringing back McDonagh, but depth scoring could still be useful. Guentzel is similar to Stamkos in production, as he is keeping up with elite talent after playing with Sidney Crosby for the majority of his career. Cam Atkinson is interesting given his previous production, but his age and recent injury leave more questions than answers.

Defense

Similarly to the offense, the defense played better on special teams than at even strength. They were the 8th-best team at five-on-five shot attempts per 60 and had the 5th-best penalty kill, but were 22nd in goals against per game and tied at 14th in five-on-five expected goals against per 60. A big reason for that was the play of the top players, which, for as excellent as they were offensively, they were atrocious defensively. It’s just that group that’s the problem, but they get a lot of ice time, so they were giving up as much as they were creating. They do have strong defensive players like Raddysh, Hagel, Paul and Erik Cernak.

Guentzel isn’t exactly a defensive player, but at least he’s an upgrade over Stamkos, so it should help unless Guentzel is impacted to. McDonagh is a strong defensive defenseman, and gives Tampa an opportunity to return the defensive utilization of their Cup years and shelter Hedman more. Hedman’s bad numbers were because of his top-heavy deployment, so McDonagh will help out. Atkinson and JJ Moser are likely going to hurt the defense than help, but it can come down to Jon Cooper’s strategies and deployment.

Goaltending

Lots of eyebrows were raised when Jonas Johansson was signed to back up Vasilevskiy, especially with his subpar NHL career. When Vasy’s timetable for recovery was announced, there were more eyebrows raised. He did have a .895 save percentage, which wasn’t great, but passable. That said, Vasilevskiy wasn’t that much better when he came back, finishing the year with a .900 save percentage. It was the first time when he was a starting goaltender where he finished with a save percentage below .915, and while the defense wasn’t good in front of him, it was still a disappointing year for him. The Bolts will have to hope there were lingering injury issues resolved with the five months of rest, because if last season is what we should expect from the “Big Cat” in his 30s, it’s going to be tough for the Bolts, especially with his contract.

Coaching

By this point, the only way Jon Cooper will be fired is if the roster has failed him and general manager Julien BriseBois needs to point to a scapegoat, or if Cooper lets the game pass him by. This shows his legacy is solidified in Tampa, and he remains one of the best coaches in the league, as evidenced by his two Stanley Cups, four Finals appearances, making the playoffs in 10 of his 11 seasons as their head coach, and a 525-279-75 record entering 2025. While they have concerns every year since their last Cup, Cooper is not one of them.

Three Questions

1. What will change about the power play?
   • The Bolts’ power play last season made up for the holes they had at five-on-five and defensively, and it worked. However, it will have a much different look this season without Stamkos’ one-timer from the left circle, and it can leave questions as to if they can be the best in the league again. Kucherov will still be as dangerous as ever from the right circle, and the man advantage will run through him. Point will still be a lethal weapon from the bumper, and Hedman can shoot from the top. But they’ll have to re-position the man advantage to find the right spot for Guentzel, which will change the look and the areas of where they attack. How it affects the man advantage is yet to be seen, but it adds more of an emphasis at five-on-five.
2. Will Victor Hedman bounce back on a more relaxed role?
   • It may not have looked like it from a casual perspective, but Hedman has struggled in the last two seasons. In his 15-year career, he finished a season with a negative defensive GAR only four times, with the two most recent being the last two seasons when he was thrust into a shutdown role with McDonagh gone. Now with McDonagh back, that means Hedman can take a relaxed role he can thrive in, so long as age hasn’t started to take its toll on both him and McDonagh, given the latter is 35, an age where shutdown abilities can deteriorate more.
3. Are the Lightning still Cup contenders?
   • In the early 2020s, the Bolts were virtually unstoppable, with back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021, and coming two wins away from a three-peat in 2022. But since then, they suffered back-to-back first round exits. Vasilevskiy and Hedman are showing signs of slowing down, but Kucherov and Points are playing better. With Guentzel coming in, it’s obvious they’re still in win-now mode, but the depth is getting thinner, and these changes might not be enough to put them at the top again.

Projected Lineup

Toronto Maple Leafs

Overview

There was a wave of significant change in Toronto. After a messy situation leading to Kyle Dubas’ exit, Brad Treliving took over the general manager role and added grit and sandpaper to the team. The idea was to build a roster that can compete in May and June. The Leafs were a lot tougher, finishing near the top of the league in hits and penalty minutes per game. They didn’t give away offense, with Auston Matthews putting up a franchise-record 69 goals and William Nylander scoring 98 points on a contract year. It did give away defensive mobility, making them slower in their own end. Unfortunately, old habits die hard, as they were finished off in seven games in the first round by their old boogeyman, and they needed a big shakeup, including a coaching change with Craig Berube. While a Mitch Marner trade was anticipated, nothing came out of it. They also have significant changes on the blueline, but the pressing question remains: Do they finally break through with a deep playoff run?

Offense

Almost every forward on the Leafs is back, and the scoring still persists. They were second in goals last year, and never finished lower than 9th since Matthews and Marner’s arrivals. However, they’ve been increasingly top heavy as their top players get bigger paydays, and Tyler Bertuzzi was the latest cap casualty. Matthews, Marner, Nylander and John Tavares accounted for 55% of the team’s total goals last season, though Treliving believes the team can internally replace Bertuzzi. Matt Knies is a good candidate, as he was one of their top playoff performers last season, and is expected to be on the top six. Five-on-five offense won’t be a problem, but can the power play stop falling apart in the playoffs? They converted at a very abysmal 4.8% rate against the Bruins. Marc Savard joined the team as an assistant coach, having previously worked under Berube with the 2020 St. Louis Blues to help them to the league’s 3rd-best power play. Oliver Ekman-Larsson gives the team another option if things run its course with Morgan Rielly.

Defense

The Leafs were harder to play against last year in the physical sense, but easier in the sense they were bigger and slower. They landed at the bottom half of the league in preventing high-danger chances at five-on-five, and killed just 76.5% of their penalties, and were a less disciplined team than in the past. Chris Tanev is the right player the Leafs need at their own end, given he’s a long and rangy defenseman with the right shot, is mobile, and shuts down the opposing teams’ top players. He’ll be next to Rielly, who has the offensive capabilities of a top pairing defenseman, but has been miscast for years as someone who should play big minutes and handle difficult defensive assignments. Even if Rielly improved there, it wasn’t really his strength, so having Tanev as his partner is a big advantage.

Ekman-Larsson’s calling card at this stage of his career is more defense by offense. He can move the puck, but he’s not a stay-at-home defenseman. Jani Hakanpää is also brought in, but he is working his way back from a knee injury. Berube would be smart keeping Simon Benoit and Jake McCabe together, even though they have somewhat redundant skills as a physical duo. “OEL” could pair with fellow countryman Timothy Liljegren, who is underwhelming but talented. On the forward side, Matthews and Marner have shown top-tier two-way play, with Matthews having the second-most takeaways in the league last season. However, they need to stop the trend of the fourth line getting gashed with goals. Connor Dewar will help when he’s healthy, but Ryan Reaves is a liability despite the emotional spark he provides.

Goaltending

To grade the Leafs’ goaltending comes down to perspective. On the bright side, Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz bring as much upside as any other goaltender in the league. Woll has a .912 save percentage in 36 regular season games, almost singlehandedly stealing the first round series for the Leafs before injuring himself at the end of Game 6. Stolarz is a high-end 1B/backup netminder. The downside is that Woll has injury troubles in his career, including a high ankle sprain that cost him three months of last season. He and Stolarz have career highs of 23 and 24 starts, respectively, so this is a significant gamble. It’s the smartest choice for them, nonetheless, as trading for someone like a Linus Ullmark would not just cost cap space, but also assets too. This is anticipated to be a 1A/1B tandem for Toronto.

Coaching

Berube is a former enforcer who became a motivational hard-nosed coach who brings accountability to the locker room while also pushing players to the fullest and connects with them personally. He took the 2019 Blues team from dead last in the league at the turn of the new year to Stanley Cup champions. That said, his coaching results were middling aside from the one year he won a Cup. In eight seasons, he’s reached the second round of the playoffs twice and the Conference Finals once. The Leafs are banking on his upside, his ability to relate to players, and his track record. They’re hiring him so that they can get results in May and June. The interesting scope is how Marner will perform under Berube to see if he can show up when the opportunity is within reach.

Three Questions

1. Is this Mitch Marner’s final season in Toronto?
   • There are many ways for how this goes. One of them is that he plays well in a contract year that the Leafs sign him to a long-term contract in the middle of the season. Or he performs well, but he is basically an “own rental piece,” and he tests the free agency market, effectively pricing himself out of Toronto’s plans. He has insisted he wants to stay a Leaf, but if he crumbles under pressure again, would a mutual split from the Leafs be beneficial to where he signs with a lower-pressure environment?
2. Which depth scorer(s) will help fill the void of Bertuzzi’s absence?
   • Nick Robertson has the talent of a 20-goal scorer at the very least, but he has struggled at cracking the lineup last season. Also of note is that his trade request is still active, and if the Leafs decide to keep him, does Berube get the most out of his potential? Bobby McMann broke out for 15 goals last season with a sustainable shooting percentage, but the Leafs missed his presence in the playoffs. Besides, can he maintain, or even build off, that shooting percentage?
3. Is this also the final year of the Shanaplan?
   • This is the final season of Brendan Shanahan’s contract with the Leafs as the President of Hockey Operations. While he has ushered in a period of constant regular season success, it’s very hard to envision him staying put in Toronto if they can’t win a round or two. Anything less than that is basically considered a failure in the eyes of the ownership group.

Projected Lineup