Know Thy Enemy: Previewing the NHL’s Atlantic Division

The Bruins again should be a major player and a contender to come out of the Eastern Conference when puck drops on the 2014-15 season. But Boston won’t be without its challengers, including some very talented teams within its own division. And having finished the top dog in their own division three out of the last four years, Boston is gunning to remain the best team in the new Atlantic. So let’s take a look at how the other seven teams are shaping up, and how things might play out.

Montreal Canadiens

When Montreal eliminated the Bruins in the second round of last year’s postseason, the Canadiens used their superior speed and depth to their advantage. This offseason, all Montreal did was keep largely the same cast of characters together, while improving the few weaknesses they had.

The biggest move the Canadiens made all summer was trading away former captain Daniel Briere to Colorado, acquiring P.A. Parenteau in the process. It was a coup of sorts for Marc Bergevin, as Parenteau is certainly an upgrade over Briere, while not a piece that will put the Canadiens over the hump.

Otherwise, it was addition by subtraction for the Bruins rivals to the north. The corpse of a defenseman formerly known as Douglas Murray is gone, making room for young guys like Nathan Bealieu and Magnus Nygren.

And then there are the holdovers, and a group of young players who have already made major contributions and could still be growing. Players up front like Alex Galchenyuk (20 years old) and Brendan Gallagher (22) who factor to be a thorn in the Bruins side for quite some time. Max Pacioretty is entering what could be the prime of his career, and that’s coming off a three-year span in which not many players scored more goals than him.

Oh, there’s also that P.K. Subban guy. He’s still one of the top defenseman in all of hockey, and a dynamic playmaker from the blue line. Add in the high level of goaltending Carey Price will provide, and Montreal will be right up there with the Bruins fighting for positioning atop the Atlantic all season.

Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s difficult to put a team that eclipsed the 100-point plateau a year ago in the category of “improved a lot this summer,’’ but that’s exactly what the Lightning did. And no matter how the team tries to parse it, make no mistake: they’re ready to come out of the Eastern Conference right now.

What Stevie Yzerman has done is stockpile young talent, and mix in select veterans to fill whatever holes remained.

The biggest thing Tampa will have going for it this season is a healthy Steven Stamkos. One of the most prolific goal scorers on the planet, Stamkos will be a contender for both the Maurice Richard and Art Ross trophies this season. Around him is a talented group of forwards like Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Alex Killorn. Those are the names you may know up front from last season.

And then there are the new guys. Ryan Callahan was acquired at last year’s trade deadline, and is a 20-goal scorer who will also kill penalties and help provide leadership. Brian Boyle, a Massachusetts product, was signed this offseason, and is a great depth addition, bringing an ability to play tough minutes and be deployed in a heavy defensive role.

The Lightning’s biggest ace in the hole is Jonathan Drouin, a rookie who figures to be the league’s top newcomer. Where Tampa chooses to use the young forward (next to Stamkos seems to be the long-term plan, but maybe not out of the gate) is unknown, but Drouin is an incredibly fast, offensively gifted player. He’ll be fun to watch, and will make opposing fans feel uneasy when the puck is on his stick.

Moving down to the blue line, the Lightning will have arguably the top defensive pairing in the Eastern Conference should they choose to play Victor Hedman alongside offseason acquistion Anton Stralman. Both Swedes are great puck-movers, and capable of driving possession. Yzerman also brought Jason Garrison aboard, a d-man with a booming shot, and one who should help bolster a Lightning power play that was 13th-best in the league a year ago (getting Stamkos back won’t hurt in that regard, either).

Ben Bishop is a goalie coming off the best year of his career, but while his workload increased, he battled injuries. If Bishop can maintain the level he played at last season, Tampa Bay will be very difficult to beat. Even if he regresses a bit, the Lightning should still be in great shape. It will be a three-horse race for the top spot in the Atlantic, with the Lightning figuring to be just as competitive as the Bruins and Canadiens.

Detroit Red Wings

It’s difficult to write the Red Wings off considering that streak of 23 consecutive trips to the playoffs. Last season, Detroit used a late regular season push to sneak in as the eight-seed. This year though, the clock may finally strike midnight when it comes to the Red Wings postseason stretch.

Since Nicklas Lidstrom retired in 2012, the organization has tried to find his heir apparent on the blue line. They’ve gotten steady play from Niklas Kronwall and a few others, but Detroit failed to lure any defensemen in this summer, and that will come back to bite them in a big way this season.

It wasn’t for a lack of effort, as Ken Holland and co. were reportedly in on players like Christian Ehrhoff, Matt Niskanen, and other marquee free agent blue liners. The only problem? They went 0-for-the-field, as the Red Wings will trot out the same group this season, and a group that finished in the bottom-half in terms of goals against last season.

The depth and skill Detroit lacks defensively extends to its group of forwards. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar are skilled, budding talents, but there aren’t too many players who might really improve outside of them. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg missed a combined 74 games last season, yet Detroit will still lean on them to do the bulk of the heavy lifting offensively. Putting it plainly, it’s never a good situation when the status of a 41-year-old Daniel Alfredsson bears so much weight on a team’s offense.

All of this creates a situation that asks too much of Jimmy Howard, who was another goaltender who struggled to stay healthy in 2013-14. Howard was definitely above average in the four seasons prior to last year’s, but isn’t in the stratosphere of a goalie capable of dragging his team into the playoffs.

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are in a bit of an odd place. After missing the postseason last year, the team is virtually in about the same spot it was come the end of 2014: with some talent, sitting in that group of “not really threatening teams’’ while management seems unwilling to spend any kind of money to make up that gap on clubs capable of making noise in the East.

The Senators payroll currently sits at 28th in the league. The only team in the Eastern Conference that spends less money than Ottawa is the Blue Jackets, which will change when Columbus finally comes to terms with Ryan Johansen. And until the middling Senators open up the checkbook, and pony up more money, they’ll be sitting on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

What Ottawa does has going for it is some pretty good individual talents in certain areas. Erik Karlsson is a world-class defenseman who can gallop blue line-to-blue line faster than any player in the league with the puck on his stick. Bobby Ryan is a hard-nosed forward with a nose for the net, who happens to be in the final year of his contract. But he’s so unsure of the situation the situation in Ottawa that he put the brakes on extension talks, asking the team to prove its stripes before he put pen to paper and made a long-term commitment. Normally it’s the team that asks the player to show his worth.

In goal, the Senators decided to keep both Robin Lehner and Craig Anderson around. Lehner seems to always play well against the Bruins, even if his career record (2-4-2) doesn’t quite indicate it. In his nine appearances against Boston, Lehner has posted a .929 save percentage with one shutout.

The prerogative whenever the Bruins draw the Senators on the schedule is simple: show up that night, and hope the likes of Karlsson, or Ryan, or Lehner doesn’t take over the game.

Toronto Maple Leafs

There was perhaps no team other than the Maple Leafs that created more negative headlines this summer. For all the good things Toronto did this offseason—bringing in the hockey brain Kyle Dubas to give the organization some semblance of analytics understanding—there were two subsequent steps backwards, like Phil Kessel admitting he barely touched the ice, or the team’s outgoing CEO telling a group of students that the character of some his players is “just terrible.’’

It’s unfortunate for Toronto all of this chatter clouds what’s actually happening on the ice, yet there’s not much more to be excited about when it comes to Toronto’s prospects for this upcoming season. So long as Randy Carlyle is still the head coach, and still thinks whatever winding direction he’s leading the team will win end in success, the Maple Leafs will struggle.

Toronto isn’t without its weapons though. Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk are still lethal in the offensive zone, while Nazim Kadri provides more production from the second line. Jake Gardiner is a developing blue liner who contributes at both ends of the ice. And some additions this summer like David Booth and Daniel Winnik will help resurrect the bottom of the Leafs depth chart (they can’t keep dressing Colton Orr, right?).

Like Ottawa (aside from playing their home games north of the border) Toronto has two goaltenders that have spent time as the starter. Jonathan Bernier has actually been very good in that role when he’s been in for the Leafs, which begs the question as to why James Reimer is being kept around.

Still, the biggest problem Toronto faces—one Dubas can perhaps fix in the long-term—is the team’s overall inability to drive possession. It’s not something that’s going to just change overnight, especially with the Leafs entering this season with virtually the same roster as last year’s team. Dubas certainly has the know-how to help correct this problem, but it’s one that will still shoot Toronto in the foot again this year.

Florida Panthers

Last year, the Colorado Avalanche miraculously (and flukishly) rebounded from picking first in the 2013 NHL Draft to finishing first in their division. Will Florida replicate the Avs magic run by going from worst-to-first in 2014-15?

Absolutely not.

Florida will be better this year, although their ceiling is still a team that won’t compete for a playoff spot. Much of that starts in goal, where the Panthers will finally get quality goaltending in the return of Roberto Luongo. Since getting traded to Vanocuver following the 2005-06 season, the situation in the crease for the Panthers has been a tire fire, featuring the likes of a group of over-the-hill goalies like Scott Clemmensen, Jose Theodore, and Ed Belfour. Luongo is the best goalie of his generation (really) and hasn’t taken any significant steps backward yet.

The Panthers actually have a group of young, talented players, some of whom still haven’t cracked the NHL ranks, and while that bodes well for them down the line, this year isn’t as promising. The Panthers won’t be “first pick bad’’ (which is a shame, and we’ll get to in a second), and has some players worth watching. Aaron Ekblad, the defenseman they took with the first pick of the NHL Draft, should start the season with the club, and help provide some relief on the blue line alongside Brian Campbell.

Up front, Florida shelled out some decent money to bring aboard Dave Bolland, Jussi Jokinen, and Brad Boyes. For a team that finished second-to-last in goals per game a year ago, that was a dire area of need. Jonathan Huberdeau is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the former Calder Trophy winner, after having a down year in his sophomore campaign, is looking for a bounce back.

One familiar name Bruins fans will see in the Panthers lineup is Shawn Thornton, who won’t inspire any fear from an on-ice production standpoint.

Buffalo Sabres

Not only should the Sabres be worse than they were last year, but they actually have a reason to be putrid this season. With their eyes focused on the top pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, and super prospect Connor McDavid, Buffalo may very well be in full tank mode.

The Sabres traded franchise goaltender Ryan Miller at the deadline last season, and in the process probably lost six or so victories. That’s how good Miller was, and that’s how bad the team around him played. Buffalo wasn’t completely silent this offseason, bringing in veterans like Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, and inking an effective weapon up front in Matt Moulson. Yet for a team that been pretty successful at losing, and now has a reason to do so entering this season, there’s not too much else to say about the Sabres. They’ll be bad, and if any other club in the league challenges them in that arena, they flex (or relax?) their muscles, and continue down their path to “Dishonor for Connor.’’