Eastern Conference Preview: Which Florida team will reign supreme?
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a legitimate favorite to win a third straight Stanley Cup, but their cross-state rivals are giving signs they'll no longer play second fiddle
With a team from the Eastern Conference winning five of the past six Stanley Cups, you could certainly make the argument that the balance of power in the NHL his shifted eastward, thanks to two mini-dynasties in Pittsburgh and Tampa. Nobody would be surprised if the East made it six of the past seven after this season. Nor would too many people be surprised if the Lightning won a third straight Stanley Cup.
But the betting here is that it will finally be the other team from Florida that breaks through this season. If the Panthers can get any semblance of consistent goaltending, they’ll seriously challenge the Lightning for first in the Atlantic Division. Shame it’s almost certain that one of them will be out of the playoffs by the time the second round ends. But which one will it be?
BOSTON BRUINS
How it ended then: With three straight losses in the second round to the New York Islanders, giving up 15 goals in those three games.
How it looks now: Still pretty good, actually. While some very vital veteran pieces are no longer in the picture, the Bruins have managed to remain a legitimate contender and will once again take a run at doing something special. They’re well coached and managed and their window to contend is still open.
On the hot seat: Left winger Jake DeBrusk endured an absolutely miserable season in 2020-21 and has tried the Bruins’ patience with his underperforming ways.
Olympic hopefuls: Patrice Bergeron, C (Canada); Erik Haula, C (Finland); Brad Marchand, LW (Canada); Charlie McAvoy, D (USA); David Pastrnak, RW (Czech Republic); Tuukka Rask, G (Finland); Linus Ullmark, G, (Sweden)
Wouldn’t it be something if: For the first time in years, Taylor Hall played game-in and game-out, both in the regular season and playoffs, at a level that matched his reputation and analytics?
Where they’ll finish: 3rd in the Atlantic.
BUFFALO SABRES
How it ended then: Dead last in the NHL with only 15 wins to their credit and the dubious distinction of being the worst and most dysfunctional franchise in the league.
How it looks now: Well, they finished last with Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen and Linus Ullmark last season. Three of them are gone and the fourth is sure to follow.
On the hot seat: Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was supposed to be a lot better by now, wasn’t he? His game has regressed and he needs to get it back. Plus-minus is flawed, but the guy was still minus-36 last season and won the green jacket.
Olympic hopefuls: Rasmus Dahlin, D (Sweden); Jack Eichel, C (USA); Zemgus Girgensons, C (Latvia); Henri Jokiharju, D (Finland); Victor Olofsson, LW (Sweden); JJ Peterka, RW (Germany)
Wouldn’t it be something if: The Sabres could trade Eichel and get back an infusion of young talent that could give their fans some cause for optimism?
Where they’ll finish: 8th in the Atlantic.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
How it ended then: The Hurricanes showed up and played their hearts out, but fell in five games to a Tampa Bay Lightning team that was $18 million over the salary cap.
How it looks now: They completely renovated the bottom of both their forward and defense corps and did a complete teardown and rebuild of their goaltending. They won’t miss Dougie Hamilton as much as people think they will.
On the hot seat: Controversial defenseman Tony DeAngelo will be under pressure to stay on his best behavior and reward the Hurricanes for the faith they’ve placed in him and his potential for redemption.
Olympic hopefuls: Sebastian Aho, C (Finland); Frederik Andersen, G (Denmark); Jesper Fast, RW (Sweden); Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C (Finland); Martin Necas, RW (Czech Republic); Nino Niederreiter, LW (Switzerland); Jaccob Slavin, D (USA); Andrei Svechnikov, RW (Russia); Teuvo Teravainen, LW (Finland); Vincent Trocheck, C (USA)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Slavin were recognized in the hockey world for being a great defenseman and not just a clean one and won the Norris Trophy this season?
Where they’ll finish: 2nd in the Metro.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
How it ended then: With the Blue Jackets on the outside of the playoffs looking in, which prompted something of a housecleaning and a focus on rebuilding.
How it looks now: The Blue Jackets have always been admired for their work ethic, but you get the sense that this group is not going to be able to gut its way out of the bottom third of the league.
On the hot seat: Patrik Laine without question. After accepting his qualifying offer of $7.5 million, Laine could be at a crossroads in his career. He has to play better and he has to care more.
Olympic hopefuls: Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW (Denmark); Vladislav Gavrikov, D (Russia); Joonas Korpisalo, G (Finland); Dean Kukan, D (Switzerland); Patrik Laine, LW (Finland); Elvis Merzlikins, G (Latvia); Gustav Nyquist, LW (Sweden); Jakub Voracek, RW (Czech Republic); Zach Werenski, D (USA)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Jack Roslovic once again outscored both Laine and Pierre-Luc Dubois the way he did last season?
Where they’ll finish: 8th in the Metro.
DETROIT RED WINGS
How it ended then: Not as badly as expected, but nowhere close to being good. The Red Wings are in the midst of a rebuild. They know it. Their fans know it. Their players and their coach know it.
How it looks now: GM Steve Yzerman made some shrewd moves, as he always does, and the Red Wings are better now than they were last season. But the playoffs aren’t even a remote possibility with this group.
On the hot seat: Tyler Bertuzzi refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and now the Red Wings will have to make all sorts of accommodations for him. He’d better be worth all the trouble in the games he plays.
Olympic hopefuls: Thomas Greiss, G (Germany); Filip Hronek, D (Czech Republic); Dylan Larkin, C (USA); Alex Nedeljkovic, G (USA); Lucas Raymond, LW (Sweden); Moritz Seider, D (Germany); Pius Suter, C (Switzerland); Jakub Vrana, LW (Czech Republic); Filip Zadina, RW (Czech Republic)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Nedeljkovic followed up his near-Calder Trophy season by emerging as one of the best goalies in the NHL?
Where they’ll finish: 7th in the Atlantic.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
How it ended then: After being a legitimate Presidents’ Trophy contender, the Panthers drew the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs and hung in there, but couldn’t overcome their goaltending problems.
How it looks now: Very promising. The Panthers are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and improved their lineup by acquiring Sam Reinhart, who will likely play on the top line.
On the hot seat: Sergei Bobrovsky has simply got to start the season on time. If he doesn’t he’ll become the highest-paid backup in NHL history.
Olympic hopefuls: Aleksander Barkov, C (Finland); Sergei Bobrovsky, G (Russia); Aaron Ekblad, D (Canada); Radko Gudas, D (Czech Republic); Patric Hornqvist, RW (Sweden); Jonathan Huberdeau, LW (Canada); Anton Lundell, C (Finland); Markus Nutivaara, D (Finland); MacKenzie Weegar, D (Canada)
Wouldn’t it be something if: The Panthers could win a Stanley Cup…with Joe Thornton as their fourth-line left winger?
Where they’ll finish: 1st in the Atlantic.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
How it ended then: In the handshake line after the Stanley Cup final, a place where nobody thought they would be when the 2020-21 season ended. The Canadiens weren’t terribly competitive in the final, but the journey they took to get there was all kinds of intriguing and promising.
How it looks now: With captain Shea Weber out for the season and Carey Price’s return uncertain – along with the departure of their best defensive center in Phillip Danault – the Canadiens made some bold changes to their lineup. But the playoffs are very far from a sure thing.
On the hot seat: GM Marc Bergevin is in the last year of his contract and the organization has already announced it won’t be addressed until after the season. Bergevin looked great when the Canadiens romped through the playoffs. A couple of months later, not so much.
Olympic hopefuls: Joel Armia, RW (Finland); Cole Caufield, RW (USA); Artturi Lehkonen, RW (Finland); Jeff Petry, D (USA); Carey Price, G (Canada); Alexander Romanov, D (Russia)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Caufield built on his short but strong body of work last season and made the U.S. Olympic team and won the Calder Trophy?
Where they’ll finish: 5th in the Atlantic.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
How it ended then: Playing in the Group of Death last season, the Devils were challenged by COVID-19 and growing pains and learned a lot about what it takes to be a contender in the NHL.
How it looks now: GM Tom Fitzgerald, in his words, “weaponized cap space” and accelerated the rebuild with some very interesting acquisitions. Are the Devils a playoff team? Probably not.
On the hot seat: Dougie Hamilton was the crown jewel of free agency and he chose the Devils. The improvement will be more incremental than dramatic, but Hamilton will take some heat if there isn’t any this season.
Olympic hopefuls: Jesper Bratt, RW (Sweden); Nico Hischier, C (Switzerland); Dougie Hamilton, D (Canada); Jack Hughes, C (USA); Jonas Siegenthaler, D (Switzerland); Tomas Tatar, LW (Slovakia); Pavel Zacha, C (Czech Republic)
Wouldn’t it be something if: All that young talent came together simultaneously and the Devils seriously competed for a playoff spot?
Where they’ll finish: 7th in the Metro.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
How it ended then: One agonizing goal away from defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion and advancing to the Stanley Cup final. It marked the second straight season the Islanders had been dispatched in the semifinal by the team that went on to win the Cup.
How it looks now: The Islanders are loaded and motivated and moving into a new rink. They are on the cusp of something special, but do they have the offensive firepower to take it over the finish line?
On the hot seat: Mathew Barzal is the unquestioned leader on a team that is below average when it comes to producing offense. He can’t afford to have an off-year.
Olympic hopefuls: Mathew Barzal, C (Canada); Zdeno Chara, D (Slovakia); Leo Komarov, RW (Finland); Anders Lee, LW (USA); Richard Panik, RW (Slovakia); Adam Pelech, D (Canada); Ilya Sorokin, G (Russia); Semyon Varlamov, G (Russia)
Wouldn’t it be something if: The Islanders christened the brand new UBS Arena with a Stanley Cup in their first season there?
Where they’ll finish: 1st in the Metro.
NEW YORK RANGERS
How it ended then: With the Rangers failing to make the post-season for the third time in four years, owner James Dolan took a flamethrower to the front office.
How it looks now: The Rangers bulked up in the off-season and achieved their goal of becoming tougher, but it remains to be seen whether that will make them even one iota better.
On the hot seat: His job won’t be in jeopardy, but rookie GM Chris Drury is under pressure to make the playoffs and jumped in head-first by making significant acquisitions.
Olympic hopefuls: Filip Chytil, C (Czech Republic); Adam Fox, D (USA); Alexandar Georgiev, G (Russia); Kaapo Kakko, RW (Finland); Vitali Kravtsov, RW (Russia); Artemi Panarin, LW (Russia); Igor Shesterkin, G (Russia); Jacob Trouba, D (USA); Mika Zibanejad, C (Sweden)
Wouldn’t it be something if: New coach Gerard Gallant somehow got the Rangers into the playoffs and won his second Jack Adams Award?
Where they’ll finish: 6th in the Metro.
OTTAWA SENATORS
How it ended then: With no pressure on them to do anything, the Senators went 10-3-1 down the stretch, driven primarily by their elite young talent.
How it looks now: With no end in sight to the Brady Tkachuk contract imbroglio, the Senators are staring down the barrel of another long season. They seem to fancy themselves a playoff possibility, but they aren’t. And they aren’t close. Not with this defense corps.
On the hot seat: Goalie Matt Murray’s first season in Ottawa was a disaster and all this youthful talent will accomplish nothing unless he plays much, much better.
Olympic hopefuls: Thomas Chabot, D (Canada); Tim Stutzle, LW (Germany); Brady Tkachuk, LW (USA); Nikita Zaitsev, D (Russia); Artem Zub, D (Russia)
Wouldn’t it be something if: The Senators and Tkachuk could get on the same page and agree on a contract?
Where they’ll finish: 6th in the Atlantic.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
How it ended then: In disaster. The Flyers didn’t play even close to their potential, largely because of leaky defense and goaltending. They gave up the most goals in the NHL last season.
How it looks now: GM Chuck Fletcher set about remaking the Flyers defense corps and added a ton of veteran leadership to a lineup that was too young to handle the adversity it faced this season.
On the hot seat: Last season, Carter Hart fell into the abyss that seems to swallow goalies the moment they arrive in Philadelphia. Was it a one-season aberration or an unwelcomed harbinger?
Olympic hopefuls: Cam Atkinson, RW (USA); Sean Couturier, C (Canada); Carter Hart, G (Canada); Ivan Provorov, D (Russia); Rasmus Ristolainen, D (Finland); James van Riemsdyk, LW (USA)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Cancer survivor Oskar Lindblom could somehow make the Swedish Olympic team and win a gold medal?
Where they’ll finish: 5th in the Atlantic.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
How it ended then: The Penguins bowed out in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season and did so rather meekly.
How it looks now: Starting the season without their three best offensive players, the Penguins are aiming for a 16th straight playoff appearance. But this may just be the season of reckoning for a franchise that has been able to see the end of its competitive days coming for miles.
On the hot seat: The Penguins stuck with Tristan Jarry as their No. 1 goalie despite a disastrous playoff series. In fact, the organization still isn’t even sure what it has in Jarry, who sometimes shows flashes of being an elite goaltender. But not enough of them.
Olympic hopefuls: Teddy Blueger, C (Latvia); Sidney Crosby, C (Canada); Jake Guentzel, LW (USA); Kasperi Kapanen, RW (Finland); Evgeni Malkin, C (Russia); Bryan Rust, RW (USA)
Wouldn’t it be something if: The Penguins actually hung onto their first-round pick for just the second time in the past eight drafts?
Where they’ll finish: 4th in the Atlantic.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
How it ended then: With another Stanley Cup parade on a boat and the potential for more to come.
How it looks now: Salary cap constraints took their toll in a big way. The Lightning lost their entire third line, but still have a legitimate chance to become the first team in 40 years to win three straight Cups.
On the hot seat: The good times are rolling in Tampa these days, but Corey Perry keeps chasing a second Stanley Cup and is counting on having found the right team this season.
Olympic hopefuls: Erik Cernak, D (Slovakia); Victor Hedman, D (Sweden); Nikita Kucherov, RW (Russia); Ryan McDonagh, D (USA); Ondrej Palat, LW (Czech Republic); Brayden Point, C (Canada); Mikhail Sergachev, D (Russia); Andrei Vasilevskiy, G (Russia)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Boris Katchouk could somehow crack the lineup and the Lightning could reacquire defenseman Slater Koekkoek? (Think about that one for a minute. Hint: I Am The Walrus.)
Where they’ll finish: 2nd in the Atlantic.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
How it ended then: After imploding and choking in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens, the Maple Leafs worked their way into the longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history.
How it looks now: There are still very legitimate questions as to whether this team is built to thrive in the playoffs and how long the Maple Leafs can continue to chase success with their core four forwards.
On the hot seat: It isn’t because he doesn’t care, but Mitch Marner’s inability to be a positive factor in the playoffs is beyond puzzling. And it has to change. And while we’re on the hot seat subject, GM Kyle Dubas continues to show unwavering faith in this group and he continues to be let down.
Olympic hopefuls: David Kampf, C (Czech Republic); Ondrej Kase, RW (Czech Republic); Mitch Marner, RW (Canada); Auston Matthews, C (USA); Petr Mrazek, G (Czech Republic); William Nylander, RW (Sweden); Morgan Rielly, D (Canada)
Wouldn’t it be something if: Michael Bunting developed into an elite offensive player playing the left side on the top line with Matthews and Marner?
Where they’ll finish: 4th in the Atlantic.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
How it ended then: Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals have not won a playoff series and were swept last season by the Boston Bruins after winning Game 1 of their series.
How it looks now: The Capitals are a virtual carbon copy of the team they’ve been the past couple of seasons. The core remains intact and the window is closing.
On the hot seat: Evgeny Kuznetsov is still the No. 1 center between Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, but he has had a couple of down seasons and made some questionable off-ice decisions.
Olympic hopefuls: Nicklas Backstrom, C (Sweden); John Carlson, D (USA); Lars Eller, C (Denmark); Michal Kempny, D (Czech Republic); Evgeny Kuznetsov, C (Russia); Dmitry Orlov, D (Russia); TJ Oshie, RW (USA); Alex Ovechkin, C (Russia); Ilya Samsonov, G (Russia); Vitek Vanecek, G (Czech Republic)
Wouldn’t it be something if: The Capitals cared as much about winning as they did with helping Ovechkin break the all-time goals record?
Where they’ll finish: 3rd in the Metro.