Atlantic Division: Montreal Canadiens Poised To Take Crown

JIMMY

1. Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens take another step towards returning to glory and win their first Atlantic Division title since the 2016-17 season. As I predicted in the Sick Hockey Picks Awards Preview, Lane Hutson could very well win the Hart and Norris Trophies. Meanwhile, even with the return of Sasha Barkov for the Panthers, Canadiens center Nick Suzuki is still a strong candidate for what would be his second-straight Selke Trophy.

2. Florida Panthers
There’s no doubt that the addition of Brady Tkachuk improves a Florida Panthers team that many already considered to be a Stanley Cup contender. Now add in the fact that this is a pissed off Panthers team after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and the Cats are once again a pesky and determined team to deal with.

3. Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres make a mid-season trade that nets them Connor Hellebuyck or another goalie better than the current three-headed monster of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colton Ellis. The Sabres also benefit from rising stars like Zach Benson and Konsta Helenius.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning
This puck scribe is sensing another Hart-Trophy-worthy season from Nikita Kucherov and a Vezina-worthy season from Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, I’m also sensing the beginning of a decline with the Lightning as they will be one and out again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs,

5. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs, with a complete makeover of their blue line and their bottom six forward group take a bit of time to gel but eventually get on a roll and return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rookie and 2026 top overall NHL Draft pick Gavin McKenna is a finalist for the Calder Trophy and veteran goalie and two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky becomes a huge leader for the Leafs.

6. Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators take awhile to find their way without former captain Brady Tkachuk but turn things around later and just miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs finishing two points behind the Maple Leafs.

7. Boston Bruins
Still lacking a true No. 1 center, and a solid, stout player on the right side of the second defensive pairing, the Boston Bruins miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. James Hagens becomes a regular in the lineup for Boston but there is still lots of growth yet to come.

8. Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a mess! That’s it; that’s all!

NICK

1. Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have continued to improve every year through the Gorton-Hughes management era, led by a young core group on the ice. I predict that they will continue to grow as a team during the 2026-27 season and just narrowly win the Atlantic Division.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Although the years of dominance throughout the league are over as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s core ages and slows down, they should continue to be among the top teams in the Atlantic. Led by an elite forward group and one of the best goaltenders in Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning will finish second in the Atlantic Division this upcoming season.

3. Florida Panthers
After an injury-plagued season, the Florida Panthers are mostly healthy again and ready to take the league by a storm again. In their Stanley Cup-winning seasons, they were never really a regular-season powerhouse but turned it on during the postseason. Therefore, they will finish third in the Atlantic.

4. Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres finally reached the playoffs for the first time in 15 years last season by winning the Atlantic Division. However, with the key losses of Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, they are primed for a slight step back, and as a result, I have them finishing as the fourth-place team in the Atlantic while claiming the first Wild Card Spot in the East.

5. Ottawa Senators
Even though the Ottawa Senators traded captain Brady Tkachuk in the off-season, it is something that should improve the team’s morale. With the acquisition of William Eklund, who had a strong preseason, the Senators should hover around the same spot as last year, which is why they will finish fifth in the Atlantic and make the playoffs as the second Wild Card team.

6. Toronto Maple Leafs
After a disastrous year during the 2025-26 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs improved their roster a lot in the off-season, most notably drafting Gavin McKenna first overall and signing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year deal. However, the Atlantic Division is so competitive that I predict they will just miss out on the playoffs this upcoming season, finishing sixth in the division.

7. Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are not a bad team, but compared to the teams above them, they lack serious depth behind David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. In recent years, the Bruins usually find a way to become a playoff team; however, this upcoming season, the Atlantic Division looks to be too stacked for them to make the postseason this time around.

8. Detroit Red Wings
The easiest prediction of the entire Atlantic Division is that the Detroit Red Wings will finish last. With the Dylan Larkin trade rumours playing a huge distraction on the team, the Red Wings should be at the very bottom of an otherwise very strong Atlantic Division.

JD

1. Montreal Canadiens
In an earlier article on this very website, I had the Canadiens finishing third in the division. At the time, Kent Hughes had yet to make any moves to improve any of the team’s biggest needs. The signing of a quality veteran winger like Chris Kreider adds size and experience to the top-6 group of forwards, which could be enough to get passed Tampa Bay.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Jon Cooper is one of the best coaches in the NHL and he has had the same core for several years. They have lost Darren Raddysh and Nick Paul to Toronto, but they have signed John Carlson and added Ilya Mikheyev, two quality players. I suspect that they will be just as strong as last season, good enough to battle for the Division title.

3. Florida Panthers
Having reached the Stanley Cup finals for three consecutive seasons, having won twice in the process, fatigue and injuries caught up with the Panthers to the point of missing the playoffs last season. With the exception of Brad Marchand, they seem healthy and have added Brady Tkachuk and Radko Gudas. Jacob Markström is replacing Sergei Bobrovsky. They are a team built for playoffs, so they will do just enough to qualify for the post-season.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs have had a lot of turnover this off-season and while the jury is out as to how it will affect them long-term, they have improved in the short term. Darren Raddysh and Nick Paul came from Tampa Bay, and they added Sergei Bobrovsky and Jack Roslovic. Rookie Gavin McKenna will be making his much anticipated NHL debuts and they are hoping that Auston Matthews returns to shape.

5. Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres took everyone by surprise by winning the Atlantic last season and headcoach Lindy Ruff was robbed of the Jack Adams Trophy. This upcoming season will be more challenging for the Sabres, as they won’t surprise anyone and they have lost two key components in Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram.

6. Boston Bruins
Newly appointed captain David Pastrnak and the Bruins will have their work cut out in this competitive division, and having lost Viktor Arvidsson. They should, however, compete for a wild-card spot down the wire. At the end, they may just run out of munition and depth.

7. Ottawa Senators
I long hesitated with the Senators. The loss of captain Brady Tkachuk can work two ways. He was a big piece of their team so on the ice, they will miss him. We tend to downplay the importance of grit and size on the top-6 group of forwards. But they won’t have the distraction either, which could play in their favour. William Eklund and
André Burakovsky are interesting pick ups.

8. Detroit Red Wings
At the time of writing this, former captain Dylan Larkin has yet to be traded. This is a huge distraction on and off the ice on a Red Wings team that was already struggling to find the necessary tools to compete in this tough division. And if traded, it’s unlikely that they will receive enough in return to tip the balance in their favour.