Predict the Atlantic Standings

[zar]

1) Toronto - 110 points
2) Tampa - 102 points
3) Florida - 100 points
4) Buffalo - 99 points
5) Ottawa - 95 points
6) Boston (They have to decline at some point right??) - 93 points
7) Detroit - 86 points
8) Montreal - 74 points

This looks right to me. I agree that this IS the year the Bruins drop out of the playoffs.

Although it would be more intriguing if they finished 4th and face the TMLs in the first round.

 

[Peasy]

Boston - 107 points
Toronto - 104 points
Florida - 100 points
Tampa - 99 points
Buffalo - 97 points
Ottawa - 91 points
Detroit - 82 points
Montreal - 72 points

With the news of Bergeron retiring:

Toronto - 108 points
Florida - 102 points
Tampa - 100 points
Boston - 98 points
Buffalo - 97 points
Ottawa - 91 points
Detroit - 82 points
Montreal - 72 points

 

[thethirdhockeyman91]

1.) Toronto
2.) Tampa
3.) Florida
4.) Boston
5.) Buffalo
6.) Ottawa
7.) Detroit
8.) Montreal

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

1-Toronto
2-Buffalo
3-Florida
4-Tampa
5-Ottawa
6-Boston
7-Detroit
8-Montreal

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Boston - 110 points
Toronto - 108
Tampa - 104
Florida - 100
Buffalo - 94
Detroit - 94 (But more OTLs put them lower than BUF in the standings)
Ottawa - 85 (Replacing DeBrincat with Kubalik is a downgrade, Norris being back negates another potential loss in their top 6. Defense is way overrated but Sanderson is solid.)
Montreal - 78

 

[Ezekial]

Toronto - Still at the top and I actually really like their two signings of Bert and Domi. Defense is a huge issue though still.
Tampa - Their core is still top of the league but they've lost a lot of depth guys so I think they'll finish below Toronto
Ottawa - They have the team to be there, and I think Korpisalo should be an improvement over Talbot
Buffalo - Like what they're doing. Big question is goaltending and the ability to have consistency after some players had career years but I think if they can get decent enough goaltending they'll make the playoffs
Florida - Decent team but bob is not going to repeat what he did in the playoffs and I think they'll have a SCF hangover
Montreal - When they were healthy, they had enough enthusiasm up front, plus the style they play, to get some bounces and win enough high scoring games to have them in the 9-12 range.
Boston - Big **asterisk** here with who's going to be in the middle. If Bergeron and Krejci are gone plus losing Hall would mean they are even more of a one line team than people thought they were in the past. If both play, this obviously changes. But after Pasta and Marchand, their next best player up front is.....Coyle? Defense is good and in nets I think they'll be fine even if Ullmark comes back down to earth given they have Swayman.
Detroit - Defense is just bad. They brought in decent depth guys that will have them compete but I don't see much offense even with adding Debrincat

edit: Forgot Buffalo

I'd laughing emoji this post but it would give you a like and you don't deserve one even though they are useless.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

1 -Toronto
2 -Boston
3 -Florida
4 -Buffalo
5 -Tampa
6 -Ottawa
7 -Detroit
8 -Montreal

4-6 are probably interchangeable but I think in terms of momentum, Buffalo is going one-way and Tampa is going the other. Ottawa could add someone at the TDL that pushes them over the top.

 

[Korpse]

One of these years Ottawa will shoot above 8% as a team 5v5.

 

[Sticksandsun]

Boston - 110 points
Toronto - 108
Tampa - 104
Buffalo - 94
Detroit - 94 (But more OTLs put them lower than BUF in the standings)
Ottawa - 85 (Replacing DeBrincat with Kubalik is a downgrade, Norris being back negates another potential loss in their top 6. Defense is way overrated but Sanderson is solid.)
Montreal - 78

RIP Florida

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

RIP Florida

I think they’ll get 100 points.

 

[viceroy]

The Leafs' defence hasn't been an issue for years. They can't score and lack finishers throughout the lineup. That's the issue.

I thought it was all about their BIG 4 not being dominant in the playoffs

X

(75 pts) Not gonna be a fun year other than seeing some decent highlights from their better players.

We Habs fans are cool. As long as our kids blossom MTL is pretty happy. Also don't be surprised if we hit 80pts.

The big questions are how many pts lower will BOS be at this season and will BUF, OTT or DET make the playoffs.

 

[Rockomax]

Toronto
Tampa Bay
Florida
Boston
Buffalo
Ottawa
Detroit
Montréal

 

[The90]

1. Toronto: The most complete team in the division. Still goaltending issues, but 1-12 up front and 1-6 on the back end is the best in the division. If they can solve the goalie issues, they'll run away with the division

2. Buffalo: The upstart team. Their defense has been solidified, forwards have grown quite well, and I think Levi is the answer in nets for them. They're going to score a bunch and just need Levi to be average/above average to get to this point.

3. Florida: Injuries are a big concern for me, and that is really the only thing. If Ekblad and Montour are out for a long time into the season, this is where they will stand. If they're more on the Boston timeline from last season, I think they win the division. The remaking of their defense from Staal and Gudas turning into OEL, Reilly, Kulikov, and Mikkola is a major upgrade that I'm not sure many anticipate.

4. Tampa Bay: This is where things start to get shaky, but I'd lean on the team that has their big core pieces still around. After 3 straight long springs, they were able to get a bunch of rest this time around. I am concerned about their depth, but there were a few shrewd moves made to try and extend this thing.

5. Boston: Have a hard time not including them in the postseason chase, but this could be the year it happens, especially if Bergeron and Krejci are officially done. I have a feeling Bergeron is not, but Krejci I think is done. Defense is still good. Ullmark/Swayman is the top tandem out there, but this really could be where you see a re-tool begin.

6. Detroit: Deep team up front, maybe one top tier type forward away from being a playoff team, and maybe Raymond can take off big time this season. Defense is good, but not great. Goalie is an issue here. If Seider takes a big step forward, they could make the playoffs.

7. Ottawa: I don't see the improvement needed to jump into the postseason. Korpisalo deal is questionable at best. Their move up the standings has to be internal upgrades, and I could see them in the discussion for a while, but tailing off.

8. Montreal: Defense and goaltending. It will hold them back until internal improvement happens. Their forward group is solid, but they'll have a hard time getting out of their own zone and keeping pucks out of the net.

Their starting goalie had a .919 last year. They were also ~7th in the league in both shots against and GAA. The bolded makes no sense.

 

[Jamaican Patty]

Toronto
Tampa
Buffalo
Florida
Boston
Ottawa
Detroit
Montreal

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

I thought it was all about their BIG 4 not being dominant in the playoffs



We Habs fans are cool. As long as our kids blossom MTL is pretty happy. Also don't be surprised if we hit 80pts.

The big questions are how many pts lower will BOS be at this season and will BUF, OTT or DET make the playoffs.

Depends on the center situation for Boston. If Bergy comes back I wouldn't be surprised if the Bruins hit 100pts this season.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

1. Toronto
2. Tampa
3. Boston
4. Florida
5. Buffalo
6. Ottawa
7. Detroit
8. Montreal

I could see any of Boston,Florida and Buffalo swapping any of those three spots though, that range is pretty up in the air.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Surprised you're picking defense over offense as their biggest strength for the Sens?
20th in GA/G last year, does Korpisalo and full year of Chychrun take them up 10 spots?
Offense was 18th despite 7th in shots for and an 8th ranked PP.

A healthy Chychrun and Chabot should make a pretty big difference. Sanderson is an absolute stud, and might be pushing Chabot out of the top spot before the seasons end. The emergence of Sanderson and a full season from Chychrun should also take some minutes away from Chabot, which should help alleviate the stress and fatigue Chabot has dealt with the past several seasons.

Zub is what he is. Took a bit of a step back last year, but all he has to do is play a simple responsible game. He should be right at home.

Branstrom has solidified himself as a stable two way bottom pair defenseman. Hamonic and JBD will duke it out for the 6th spot barring injuries.

Yeah I think that defense will absolutely be the strength of the team, at least in terms of talent. If they can stay healthy, which is clearly a big if given CHabot and Chychrun's histories.

Korpisalo . . . well i guess we will see. I haven't seen much of him so he's a pretty big unknown to me. That being said, he only needs to stay healthy and be ok. Average goaltending for the Sens is enough for them to be vastly improved from the blueline back.

 

[ricky0034]

1. Toronto
2. Tampa
3. Boston
4. Florida
5. Buffalo
6. Ottawa
7. Detroit
8. Montreal

I could see any of Boston,Florida and Buffalo swapping any of those three spots though, that range is pretty up in the air.

this but I see Ottawa and Detroit as interchangeable as well(with each other not with the Boston/Florida/Buffalo group)

i'll also say that I think the Atlantic takes both wild card spots and all of Toronto/Tampa/Boston/Florida/Buffalo end up making it to the Playoffs

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Toronto
Buffalo
Tampa
Boston
Panthers
Detroit
Ottawa
Montreal

I have tampa and Boston as interchangeable and ottawa and detroit as interchangeable. The division is stupid deep, and even Montreal has enough skilled players to sneak games of teams here and there. The Atlantic has been represented in the finals since 2019, sending 4 different teams in that time span. Ottawa, and detroit both got significantly better since the trade deadline last year, and buffalo has a deep team but their goaltending is the big question mark but I think Levi will be good enough this year with their offense, and I think they make a similar leap that the devils did last year.

 

[Haatley]

Tough to say. All the top teams got a little worse really except maybe Florida? Some more than others. I think Florida is the best teams in the division. Montreal the worst. The rest could really fall anywhere.

 

[wintersej]

I have made this thread many years in a row, can only find the past 2 years:

Predict the Atlantic Standings

Some powerhouses and some bad teams: 1. Tampa, 111 points: Tampa's roster is worse than it was in the playoffs last year, but with Kucherov, it's better than their regular season roster from last year. They might coast but I'll put them at 1. 2. Toronto, 107 points: An elite regular season...

forums.hfboards.com

Predict the Atlantic Standings

There was a thread for this a while back but it was made way too early before Boston made their signings and got way off track. I made this thread exactly 1 year ago: Predict the Atlantic Standings and got all 4 playoff teams right. Way off on the non-playoff teams. Here’s my order...

forums.hfboards.com

I've gotten all playoff teams right both years (not that it was that hard), 2021 was pretty good, 2022 Boston stands out as a big miss (to be fair, who saw that coming):


Toronto-110 points: I don't think their signings move the needle come playoffs, but they're always a great regular season team, no reason to assume differently. I don't think there's much to discuss here, both fans and detractors will say "wait till April"

Boston- 105 points: I am torn on where to put Boston, I could see them anywhere from 1st to 4th. I think they overachieved considerably last year (to put up that many points, you have to honestly) and they've had a couple significant losses (I am assuming Bergeron will be back but they'll have to move Swayman to fit him, plus Hall and Krejci)

Tampa-102 points: As a Florida fan, where was 2023 playoff Vasilevskiy vs Florida the past 2 years? Tampa has shown they don't care about the regular season, having an average 2023 before getting a significant let down performance in net in their round 1 series where they were the better team for long stretches. They just need to get in.

Florida- 99 points: Lost in Florida's cinderella run after making the playoffs with 92 points only because the Pens choked is the fact they were the best team in the league in 2022. Did they overachieve that regular season? Yes. Did they underachieve in 2023? Also yes. If Bobrovsky remembers he's an NHL goalie before January this year, they'll be in a much better place. Ekblad and Montour being out early will be a significant concern with their alreayd thin blueline, but at least Marc Staal is gone.

Buffalo-97 points: This was a tough one for me. If anyone missed out on the 2nd half Sabres, they missed a very exciting team. Choosing to do nothing at the TDL when they were so close and had missed the playoffs a million straight years is not what I'd have done as a GM, but despite that they just missed out. Devon Levi should be a star. I just don't know what team ahead of them here they're knocking out.

Ottawa Senators-93 points: Another team I really like, unfortunately their late sale meant lame ducks GM Dorion and DJ Smith are back, which hurt them significantly. I don't think Korpisalo is good, and his contract is terrible. Reminded me of Chiarelli signing Koskinen right before getting fired. Korpisalo behind that blue line and I just can't see it, even with their great top 6.

Detroit Red Wings- 87 points: As I write this, I see how stacked this division is. I don't think the Yzerplan was as bad as some have said this off-season (like the Holl contract is terrible, but is it a huge deal?) but they're just another team with some good players stuck in a logjam of teams ahead of them.

Montreal Canadiens-69 points: I have no idea how this team is going to win any games in this division. This is another development year for their young players, the team will be bad. I don't have much to add? I think even on HF we'll get universal consensus here.

I dunno what makes you think Swayman would be moved to fit Bergeron.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Toronto
Tampa
Buffalo
Ottawa
Boston
---- Playoff Line -----
Florida
Montreal
Detroit

 

[MOGlLNY]

Unfortunately, I think the Sabres are gonna have a set back this year. While I don't want Adams going in guns blazing on every trade, I think what we are doing going into next year with Levi is very dangerous. Doesn't feel like enough was done for us to make the leap.

Have us missing and finishing 6th.

 

[DanyHeatley]

Senators don’t have the right coach that’s why they won’t make it

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Really tough to predict. Think it will be very competitive. I'll say.

1.Tampa Bay
2.Florida
3.Boston
4.Toronto
5.Buffalo
6.Ottawa
7.Detroit
8.Montreal