Way too early Atlantic division predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished fourth in Atlantic division in with 98 points and took home the first wild card spot.

This offseason has been eventful for Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois. He traded away Tanner Jeannot for a fourth-round pick in 2024 and a 2025 second-round pick.

BriseBois then traded one of their cornerstones on the blue line, Mikhail Sergachev for J.J Moser, Conor Geekie, a 2024 seventh-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. After those two big moves, he then let franchise icon and team captain Steven Stamkos walk to Nashville in free agency after a contentious offseason of contract discussions. Following those moves, BriseBois swung a trade to get the signing rights to superstar Jake Guentzel who he then signed to a seven-year deal with an AAV of 9 million dollars.

I think this is finally the year we see a real drop-off in Tampa. Their forward core is top-heavy and the defence core is pretty mediocre. They brought back Ryan McDonugh in the offseason but he is another year older. I thought it was the right move to move on from him the first time.

Hedman is still great but not as good as he used to be, J.J. Moser was a good addition, but the third pair with him and Nick Perbix isn't great. Cernak also struggled last year and faced injuries.

Really though, even if Tampa isn't the team they once were, they have so much star power and Guentzel, Kucherov and Point are three of the best forwards in the NHL, and they still have an elite defenseman and an elite goalie.

Even with these flaws I think their star power and the fact they still have Vasilevskiy will have them battling for a wild card spot.