By Michael Rifkin
In 2020 we saw some realignment due to Covid, but as we prepare for the 2021 NHL season, we are going back to the regular divisions. The Atlantic Division is the home of the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. It is also home to some teams that are under a lot of pressure to win.
2019 Standings 1) Bruins 2)Lightning 3) Maple Leafs 4) Panthers 5) Canadiens 6) Sabres 7) Senators 8) Red Wings
Bruins (2020: 33-16-7) The Boston Bruins have a great mix of veterans and young players. They have not missed the playoffs since 2016. Last season they defeated the Capitals in 5 games and lost to the Islanders in 6 games. They are led by the dynamic line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. They were able to re-sign Left Winger Taylor Hall after acquiring him from Buffalo at the trade deadline. The question is who will play with him because David Krejci retired. The Bruins will have a change in goal to start the season as Tuukka Rask underwent hip surgery and is not available. They signed Linus Ullmark, who last season with the Sabres went 9-6-3 with a 2.63 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The player to watch is Jack Studnika, who will have a big opportunity in the absence of Krejci. He has one goal and 4 points in 22 career games.
Sabres (2020: 15-34-7): This is a total rebuild. They traded Sam Reinhart, one of their most consistent players, to Florida for a first-round pick and goaltending prospect. There is the whole Jack Eichel situation which has become a mess. The two bright spots were trading Rasmus Ristolainen for a first-round pick and hiring Don Granato as the head coach. After the change, the Sabres played much better. Player to watch: Dylan Cozens had four goals and 13 points in 41 years of his rookie. Expect with an increase in ice time that production will also increase.
Red Wings (2020: 19-27-10) Detroit is an exciting team. They are in the midst of a rebuild and on the cusp of something that can bring them back to the postseason. They made a great move at the trade deadline, trading Anthony Mantha to the Capitals for Jakub Vrana, who was tremendous after the deal. He led the Red Wings in goals. He is going to miss some time due to shoulder surgery. This offseason, they struck again, adding Calder finalist Alex Nedeljkovic from the Hurricanes to be the goalie. For the Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic went 15-5-3 with a 1.90 GAA, a .932 save percentage, and three shutouts. The player to watch is Pius Suter, another addition this offseason. Suter posted 14 goals and 27 points in 55 games last season with the Blackhawks.
Panthers (2020: 37-14-5) The battle of Florida was a tremendous series that saw the Panthers lose to the Lightning in 6 games. But it was a sign to the rest of the league that the Panthers are a hazardous team heading into this season led by future Hall Of Fame coach Joel Quenneville. With the addition of Joe Thornton, the Panthers now have the best facial hair on their roster. Aleksander Barkov and Jonathon Huberdeau lead the Panthers. Pressure is on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to win now. Player to watch: Spencer Knight, the former first-round pick, will back up Bob to start the season, but he went 4-0 last season and even started two playoff games. If Bob struggles, Spencer will be knighted in the net in Florida.
Canadiens: (24-21-11) The Montreal Canadiens entered the playoffs last season with the fewest points, but that didn’t stop their magical run to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Lightning in 5 games. They came back from 3-1 to beat rival Toronto Maple Leafs, swept the Winnipeg Jets, and defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in 6 games. Carey Price was sensational during the run posting a 2.28 GAA, and a .924 save percentage. It was also a coming-out party for some young players. Cole Caufield got his first taste of NHL action and will be in the Calder conversation, and Nick Suzuki was tremendous leading Montreal in scoring during the playoffs. Defensively this team will take a hit as captain Shea Weber will miss all of the season. The player to watch is Cole Caufield. Easy choice, the kid was dynamic in the playoffs. Adding his speed to the lineup will benefit the Canadiens.
Senators (23-28-5): The story right now in Ottawa is what Brady Tkachuk’s new contract will look like. Since coming into the league, Tkachuk has had 125 points in 198 games. General Manager Pierre Dorion said, “the rebuild is done.” I like part of the Sens roster, especially after acquiring Matt Murray from Pittsburgh the last offseason, but several players still have to be evaluated. Player to watch: Tim Stuzle, the third overall pick from last season, had 12 goals and 29 points in 53 games. He got more comfortable as the season went along, so expect him to take a step forward.
Lightning (2020 36-17-3) We can talk about the back-to-back Champs’ stars, but let’s focus on underrated players. They lost the entire line of Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow, and Blake Coleman. Coleman left as a free agent to Calgary, Yanni Gourde was selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft, and Goodrow was traded to the Rangers. Into the lineup replacing them are Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Corey Perry. They also traded the contract of Tyler Johnson to Chicago. Since being swept by the Blue Jackets a few seasons back, Jon Cooper’s team has been on a mission. The player to watch is Ross Colton. If you had Ross Colton scoring the Cup-clinching goal before game 5, give yourself a round of applause. The 25-year-old played in 30 games last season, scoring nine goals and 12 points. With the Gourde line’s departure, watch for Colton to get more ice time. Also, Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Killorn, Mcdonagh, and Vasilevskiy are very good. ( I mentioned the stars)
Maple Leafs (2020: 35-14-7) I don’t think there is a team with more pressure to win than the Toronto Maple Leafs. They let goaltender Freddie Anderson go to Carolina and replaced him with former Hurricane goalie Petr Mrazek. So Mrazek and Jack Campbell will handle the net. The major question will be if this core fails again in the playoffs, who will stay and who will go. After the season, defenseman Morgan Reilly will be a free agent, but the pressure is on General Manager Kyle Dubas to get the job done soon. Player to watch: Nick Ritchie, who signed in the offseason from Boston, had 15 goals and 26 points in 56 games last season. He gives Toronto some size and grit. Ritchie could be the replacement for Zach Hyman, who left for Edmonton.
Predictions: 1) Panthers 2) Lightning 3) Bruins 4) Canadiens 5) Maple Leafs 6) Red Wings 7) Senators 8) Sabres. Note: 4-7 is interchangeable. I think only 3 out of the Atlantic make the playoffs.
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