The Sun: Atlantic Division Preview

[LeafsNet]

Bold.

I like it.

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Senators won’t score enough to make the playoffs.

Yep….pretty much the norm at this point. I see the Leafs finishing third…maybe second…if they don’t have a horrible Christmas stretch (which they normally do).

 

[Trapper]

If they can stay healthy, they’ll once again easily make the playoffs, if they can’t stay healthy it’s going to bet ugly. Tre’s signings are high risk, high reward, they’re going to need lots of luck and as a sixty year Leaf fan I can tell you luck has been in short supply……..


“Always look in the bright side of life, da dum da dum da dum………”

For all the talk of how strong the Atlantic is, we’ve bern fortunate that Montreal,Buffalo,Ottawa and Detroit just aren’t very good. That’s half the division you don’t have to worry about.

 

[darrylsittler27]

For all the talk of how strong the Atlantic is, we’ve bern fortunate that Montreal,Buffalo,Ottawa and Detroit just aren’t very good. That’s half the diWithvision you don’t have to worry about.

With all due respect, Detroit is run by Yzerman and playoff bound. The other 3 are better. Buff just got Ruff back. They were always competitive. Montreal needs 2 years but added Laine. Pt is won't be easy.

 

[bax]

With all due respect, Detroit is run by Yzerman and playoff bound. The other 3 are better. Buff just got Ruff back. They were always competitive. Montreal needs 2 years but added Laine. Pt is won't be easy.

That unfortunately might not matter for quite some time now.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

I posted on this topic on another board. It was only July 9. Not too much has changed since then and I don't think Laine changes things too much. Here's what I wrote:

Florida. They got worse. No doubt about this one, right? Replacing Montour and OEL with Schmidt and Boqvist is a hit. They lost Tarasenko and goaltending took a hit with Stolarz leaving and Bob aging. SC hangover? 110 points last year. Did they lose 10 points in the standings? Under/over 100 points.

Boston. They seemed from have improved with Lindholm and Zadorov. Though Debrusk will be missed and many believe Zadorov is a third paring guy, an improvement over Grzelcyk but how much? Ullmark got them 51 points last year, maybe Swayman plays a bit more and Korpisalo is a decent back up. It's hard to see Boston improving on 109 points. Perhaps a slight step back with some aging parts? Under/over 105 points.

Toronto. They were the second highest scoring team in the league last year and only lost Bertuzzi and his 21 goals up front. They appear stronger on D with Tanev, OEL and Haakanpaa replacing Brodie, Klingberg and Giordano. Goaltending was a disaster last year, so they look to have improved there. New coach too. Tavares is a year older but some youth injected last year could offset any decline in production. A slight improvement on last year's 102 points with an under/over of 104 points.

Tampa. This seems like a crumbling empire being held together by duct tape. Stamkos and Sergachev for Guentzel and McDonough seems like a wash at best, possibly a step down. They lost a bit of depth and their core is aging and showing it. Another slight step back seems likely from their 98 points last year. Under/over 94 points.

Detroit. They didn't make many big moves and seemed to replace the guys they lost. It's hard to say that Cam Talbot is the reason they will be better, or even Tarasenko based on the impact we saw him not have on Ottawa. Young players continuing to improve might the reason we see a slight increase on their 91 points from last year. Under/over 94 points.

Buffalo. Much like Detroit, no real big additions or losses. It's hard to imagine Aube-Kubel or Lafferty moving the dial here. Health and continued development of the young guys could bring some improvement in the points and possibly standings. Even a sizable improvement on their 84 points from last year may not move them up the standings. Under/over 90 points.

Ottawa. They could be the most improved team in the division...and still not very good. They improved with Ullmark, Jensen, Perron, and Amadio in and really only Chychrun out. If Ullmark is very good and young core players continue to develop they could see a jump from their 78 points last year...to an under/over of 88. Trending in the right direction, but not enough

Montreal. They didn't add enough and can't expect seismic gains from too many of their young guys. They have some aging vets too. No real reason to forecast improvment and with others improving they have to get points from some where; a slight regression on last year's 76 points with an under/over of 74.

So, based on the above...

Boston 105
Toronto 104
Florida 100
Detroit 94
Tampa 94
Buffalo 90
Ottawa 88
Montreal 74

...did I miss the mark on any team in particular? Why?

Nice homerism.

 

[conFABulator]

Nice homerism.

Nice contribution? Anything specific you disagree with?