Atlantic Division:
1.) Tampa Bay Lightning – 50-22-10 (110 points)
If the Lightning can stay healthy, the team should be a big threat in the Eastern Conference. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman made some moves during the offseason to get deep in the roster and to bring in some experience to help the young players on the roster.
Jonathan Drouin is going to play with Tampa Bay this season when he returns from his thumb injury suffered in September. The Lightning defense is significantly young, and adding Anton Stralman will make them a better possession team.
Ben Bishop is looking to continue from where he left off from last year before his injury that forced him to miss the 2014 playoffs. Bishop was a candidate to win the Vezina Trophy last season, and could be in the mix again if he stays healthy. Evgeni Nabakov is a significant improvement in net over Anders Lindback to back up Bishop, and 19th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Andrei Vasilevski will be the starter for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL this year.
The Lightning also re-signed Ryan Callahan, who they acquired in the Martin St. Louis trade with the Rangers. The Lightning are better, and could easily contend for the top of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.
2.) Boston Bruins – 48-23-11 (107 points)
The Bruins will be right back up with the best teams in the East and the NHL, but the team is getting older and a bit slower. Do not get me wrong, the Bruins can still play well on all ends of the ice, but their defense is starting to slow down until guys like Dougie Hamilton, Kevan Miller and Torey Krug can develop into full-time NHL talent.
The Bruins offense is still really good, unless they get hit with the injury bug. Tuukka Rask won the Vezina Trophy, and will be their long-term solution in net for a while. But the Bruins are desperate for cap space, and if they cannot make any moves to get them some space, they may hit a wall come the trade deadline.
3.) Montréal Canadiens – 47-24-11 (105 points)
Like many other teams in the NHL, the Canadiens will be good if the team stays out of trouble with injuries. Carey Price is going to be healthy to start the year after he was injured in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers. P.K. Subban is expected to be a leader on defense and contend for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.
The Canadiens offense is expected to be among the best and toughest to play against in the NHL once again. They are about a year away from being better than Boston, but they seem to have the Bruins’ number in the playoffs.
4.) Detroit Red Wings – 40-31-11 (91 points)
Detroit is not the team that it was back a fews ago when they won the Stanley Cup in 2008 or even since then. This year could be the first time in 23 years the Red Wings will not make the playoffs. Detroit is waiting to hear back from Daniel Alfredsson on whether he will play this year or not.
Alfredsson is currently rehabbing a back injury that could put his career in jeopardy. Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, and Henrik Zetterberg will lead the charge for the Wings again this year, as long as they both stay healthy. Even if the Red Wings are healthy, it may not be enough to get them back in to the playoffs.
The Wings need guys like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Tomas Jurco to step up even more than last year to carry the figurative torch for the future of the team.
5.) Toronto Maple Leafs – 39-30-13 (91 points)
The Leafs have a ton of talent to contend for a playoff spot, but the chemistry for the lineup is no where to be seen, except with James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel.
Toronto is still waiting to see what could come of Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak. David Clarkson seems to be a dud, and is now injured thanks to Cody McCormick. The Leafs defense is talented, but they have problems staying healthy. The battle in net seems like it will continue another season between Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer.
Whoever wins the battle come February will probably mean the other will be dressed in another jersey at the trade deadline. I expect the Leafs to miss the playoffs again and Randy Carlyle could be out of a job by season’s end.
6.) Florida Panthers – 36-33-13 (85 points)
The Panthers are going to be an exciting team to watch this year with its young group of talent. Aaron Ekblad, 1st overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, is expected to play the entire year with the Panthers. Jonathan Huberdeau is expected to have a breakout year with Florida along with Nick Bjugstad, Aleksander Barkov, and Vincent Trocheck.
Flordia’s defense is expected to be better now that Ekblad is in the mix. The Panthers finally have their goaltender in Roberto Luongo back, but you never know how Luongo is going to play. Florida will contend this year, but they are still another year or two away from being a playoff team.
7.) Ottawa Senators – 33-37-12 (78 points)
Ottawa is taking a tumble in the NHL, and are poised to be one of the worst teams in the league for the next few years. After the Spezza trade, the Senators still have Bobby Ryan, but he is playing in the final year of his contract and wants to win now.
Ryan will most likely be moved at the trade deadline and the Senators will turn to Erik Karlsson to lead the charge for years to come. Goaltending uncertainties will taint the Senators all year long, which will lead to some unpleasant hockey in Canada’a capitol city. Look for the Senators to have a top five pick this year, and a top three pick in 2016. At least they have Bobby Ryan locked up for the next eight years.
8.) Buffalo Sabres – 28-41-13 (69 points)
The Sabres are destined to be a much better team from last year, but they will not climb out of the basement of the league just yet. Sam Reinhart is going to start a few games in Buffalo before going back to juniors in Kootenay.
Mikhail Grigorenko looks to be ready to take on the NHL for a third try, and this time stick with the team. The defense looks better than they have looked, but they are still a young group of guys.
The goaltending battle will be between Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth, with the loser of the two leaving at the trade deadline. Should be a fun year in Buffalo, and it seems like the Sabres will have a chance at either McDavid or Eichel.