Toronto Maple Leafs: Atlantic Division Thoughts

The Toronto Maple Leafs days of toiling in the basement of the Atlantic Division are almost over, and they have some competition heading their way.

Here are some thoughts on the Toronto Maple Leafs divisional opponents.

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a team with no real idea about what they’re doing. I mean, they know they want to be good but they just do things that will generate the opposite of that.

The David Backes signing was awful and he joins a growing list of players on the Bruins that are tying up money that could be better spent elsewhere.

The Bruins will be competitive, but they’re likely going to end up on the outside looking in like they have the past two seasons when the playoffs come around.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are a lot like the Toronto Maple Leafs, only a year ahead. This is a team that should make a decent jump and get in the playoff push.

Jack Eichel is a superstar and he’s got a solid supporting cast to take into the future. If they can rid themselves of the poison that is Evander Kane then they’ll be able to focus on hockey and not what trouble Kane is going to get into next.

Goaltending isn’t great, but it’s not putrid either so they should be able to improve on last season relatively easily.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings losing Datsyuk is going to sting, but Frans Nielsen will ease the pain a little. Datsyuk’s departure put the Wings in a tough spot but Ken Holland did well for himself in the trade, all things considered.

The Red Wings got worse, but they should still be competing for a playoff spot – though this might be the season that ends their reign on the NHL playoffs.

Florida Panthers

The Atlantic is the Panthers division to lose. They won it last year and got better in the off-season.

Adding Demers, Yandle and Pysyk makes that defensive group exponentially better than it was. With the financial shackles seemingly unlatched from the organization, the Panthers could be around the top of the Atlantic for a while.

As good as they are, they still have David Bolland and that makes me smile.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens traded a 2016-2017 Norris candidate for a 2010-2011 Norris candidate; they traded a fast, elite puck moving defender for a slow, no-longer-elite puck moving defender.

They added one of the most annoying players in the NHL and another one that was previously banished by his last team.

You can’t make this stuff up, folks. The Canadiens are another Carey Price injury away from pretty good lottery odds.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators are a self-destructive organization. They don’t want to spend money, and then when they do they waste it – case in point, Dion Phaneuf.

Trading Mika Zibanejad (23 and still getting better) for Derick Brassard (28 and soon declining) was a bad deal in the long-term. Even in short-term it’s not going to help the Senators win anything.

They also lost steady defender Patrick Weircioch which doesn’t help their blueline.

The Senators were a team that couldn’t afford to stay dormant or get worse – they needed to get better. They didn’t and they’ll miss the playoffs again because of it. This is a team on their way down.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning are the only real threat to Florida for the division crown – and they’ll finish no worse than second.

Next: Measuring The Babcock Effec

They did nothing in the off-season from the outside and probably had the best off-season in the league.

Steve Yzerman continues to wave his magic wand and keep one of the best young core groups in hockey together. The Lightning rightfully enter the 2016-2017 season as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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