Change is Afoot in the Atlantic

We’re still a long way from the Emerald City Toto, but it’s not a bad time to collect our thoughts on who’s been rising and who’s been falling so far this summer in the National Hockey League’s Atlantic Division.

The NHL’s schedule (released most recently) tells us that Game 1 of the regular season doesn’t touch down for some 63 days – give or take depending on when you’re reading this. Given that, there have been some significant shifts among the eight combatants.

Let’s have a (very) early look at where the clubs sit.

ON THE RISE:

Florida Panthers: Well then, here’s a big “duh.”

I don’t want to necessarily say the Cats took last season off but after losing mega-star Aleksander Barkov as the year was about to lift off signalled that maybe a restful winter sitting in a beach chair might be the right tonic for a team that’d been to three straight Cup finals.

The Panthers were exhausted.

And they were banged up.

From Matthew Tkachuk to Brad Marchand to just-about-everyone-else, Florida needed a good 12-month recess. They got it; missing the playoffs and reloading for 2026-27.

In case you’ve been residing in a monastery in Nepal, you’ll know that the team added the league’s preeminent power forward in Brady Tkachuk. He’ll add scoring and desire to a team that has plenty of the latter.

Toss in Radko Gudas and Garnet Hathaway and Alex Petrovic and Florida’s the league’s new version of 1970s hockey.

They’re tough, talented, extremely well-coached and rested.

Look out.

Montreal Canadiens: Likely the divisional champs?

A great big, fat possibility.

The Habs will be ‘running it back’ in 2027, unless you count the addition of Brett Berard as monumental.

And why not? The team should see further growth from slickster Lane Hutson and monster forward Juraj Slafkovsky. Meantime, potential superstar netminder Jacob Fowler should land some reps behind playoff breakout star Jakub Dobes.

The team is oh-so-deep in the prospects department and that coupled with an already oh-so-deep seasoned roster makes this an organization to be wary of for the next decade.

For the rest of the circuit – THIS is how you build a contender.

NOT MOVING MUCH:

Tampa Bay Lightning: We keep piping it – one of these days Tampa’s going to fall like the Roman Empire.

Well, we’re not there yet. Not when Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point are holding court. All these lads are into their 30s but we haven’t seen any kind of drop in play among any.

If superstar Victor Hedman bounces back and Ryan McDonagh and newcomer John Carlson have much left in the tank, the Bolts could spell trouble for the top-tier teams.

They also hold one of the most underrated skaters in the NHL in Brandon Hagel.

Yup, one day (maybe) Tampa takes a tumble. Just not in 2027.

Buffalo Sabres: Plenty of alterations here. Gone are Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch. Incoming is rookie Konsta Helenius and more ice-time now for big blueliner Mattias Samuelsson.

The Sabres held the league’s best record from early December onward. Suddenly, this dog-eared team learned how to win and captured the Atlantic flag.

There’s plenty of youth on board – from Josh Doan to Zach Benson to Jack Quinn.

Rumours of a potential Connor Hellebuyck deal from the Jets won’t die. And something like that propels this team right back to the top.

Detroit Red Wings: Don’t get too pumped over there, Detroit Fan.

Saying your club isn’t ‘moving much’ means yet another season out of the playoff photo.

Steve Yzerman has moved away from the GM’s chair, which is a necessary move. He’s not done much of anything to improve the product on the ice; some contend he’s hurt the operation more than helped.

Meantime, team captain Dylan Larkin has demanded a trade (. . . can you just imagine that happening anywhere else?) and pending UFA Alex DeBrincat won’t likely re-sign if the club stinks its way through another year.

Hope?

Nope.

FALLING, OR . . . WHO KNOWS:

Ottawa Senators: In a word or two – a real puzzle.

Despise him (now) if you will, but you don’t replace a unicorn like Brady Tkachuk. For the eight seasons he was here, Brady was your heart, soul, guts and gumption.

Find a substitute?

Good freakin’ luck.

If I were an Ottawa fan I’d be concerned about the team’s sponge-ability. In other words, the Senators are too soft.

On too many nights it was Brady being asked to not only score but protect the likes of Tim Stutzle. And if you think Kurtis MacDermid is the answer you’re spending far too much time at Jim’s Cannabis Shop (BTW, are there now more pot stores than Tim Horton’s and Starbucks combined in Ottawa? Just wondering).

Still, there are parts to like – Stutzle, the ever-improving Jake Sanderson, zippy add-on William Eklund and the playoff breakout by Linus Ullmark.

This year will be a true test of the coaching abilities of one Travis Green.

Toronto Maple Leafs: We all got a good chuckle when the Buds hired John Chayka and Mats Sundin to be showrunners here. In retrospect, give the management team credit, they’ve thrown caution to the wind and more-or-less completely revamped an aging and loser-friendly lineup.

That takes stones, but really, what else ya gonna do?

Chayka overspent on free agent Darren Raddysh yet fluked out with that No. 1 overall pick and landed Gavin McKenna. Chayka took a pricey flyer on Sergei Bobrovsky yet vastly improved the bottom six forwards by adding Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and Brandon Duhaime.

The Leafs could be a riser or a dropper. We’ll know sooner rather than later.

Boston Bruins: Still having difficulty believing the B’s topped 100 points last season. I had them pegged for a tumble.

Boston holds a few very decent cards in Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. And after a year in Utah, former Sabre JJ Peterka arrives to add spunk to the scoring table.

Who knows with the Bruins?

Two years back they absolutely stunk. Last year they made the post-season dance.

thegrossgame@yahoo.com

Image: OLM Staff