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Are the Toronto Maple Leafs In the Weakest Division?

By Michael Da Ponte

TORONTO,ON - JANUARY 22: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 22, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO,ON - JANUARY 22: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 22, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Oilers 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 05: Alex Killorn #17 of the Tampa Bay Lightning   (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 05: Alex Killorn #17 of the Tampa Bay Lightning   (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Central Division

It may seem crazy to think that the Central division would not be the strongest considering they have the current Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the team they beat in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Dallas Stars. However, I think it is becoming clear this season that Dallas over achieved in the bubble, as they sit near the bottom of this division with a losing record. Tampa Bay are clearly the top team in this division and while the other teams may be close in points at the moment, they are not close in any other regard.

The Carolina Hurricanes are a well -coached team with suspect goaltending, and the same could be said about the Florida Panthers. Don’t get me wrong, they have a few very good players with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau scoring at will for Florida. Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trochek and Andrei Svechnikov are also highly talented scorers and Carolina Hurricanes will give Tampa Bay all they can handle come playoff time. Tampa Bay is still miles ahead of these teams though, and they will feast on the bottom of this division.

The Central division currently has three teams in the bottom 10 of the league standings, and the Detroit Red Wings, who are easily the worst team in the league for the last three seasons.

Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets are not nearly as tough to play against as they were last year, with a goal differential of -17 and -12 respectively, to show for it. The fact that the Chicago Blackhawks are looking like a playoff team is a testament to early Hart contender Patrick Kane, but also shows how lacking in competition this division is.

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