Raz’s 2025-26 Standings Predictions: Atlantic Division

Even though a slight step back is expected, I think the Canadiens are on track to have a relatively similar season but come up short in terms of clinching a playoff spot. As far as I’m concerned, there’s one wild card spot up for grabs in the Atlantic, and I just don’t see them beating out the Ottawa Senators. 

Tampa Bay Lightning 

There’s just no shortage of great hockey teams down in Florida, and if the Florida Panthers aren’t atop the Atlantic, it’s because the Tampa Bay Lightning are. Still in their window to contend for another Stanley Cup, the Lightning have loads of talent in all the right places up and down their lineup. Although this group’s core is aging, they still have a couple more seasons competing at the top of the Atlantic. The Bolts’ forward group as a whole might be the strongest outside of the Panthers. Even with a first line of Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov leading the way, the Lightning still have guys like Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nick Paul, and Yanni Gourde scattered throughout their lineup.

The forward group is deep, and the elite talent is plentiful. Combined with a goaltender like Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning are looking like a scary bunch. I’d be shocked if neither the Lightning nor Panthers finished first in the Atlantic. 

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going through more change this offseason than they have in the past, and the “Core 4” is no more. Mitch Marner is no longer a Maple Leaf, and the level of high-end talent the Leafs had is no longer the same. Regardless of Marner’s inability to truly make a difference during the playoffs, the reality is he’s a 100-point player that doesn’t come around all the time. His regular-season production will undoubtedly be missed, and you can bet the Leafs are going to feel the effects of his departure.

Still, this roster looks very competitive and should be one of the strongest in the league. Matias Maccelli has shown glimpses of elite playmaking during his time in Arizona with the Coyotes and should be able to complement Auston Matthews’ game pretty well. The Leafs’ depth looks unreal with the additions of Nicholas Roy and Dakota Joshua, and who knows, maybe this is the roster construction the Leafs need to actually go far in the playoffs, because Marner aside, the Leafs look built for playoff success. 

Florida Panthers 

The state of Florida continues to dominate the NHL, more specifically South Florida and the Panthers, who have made it to the Stanley Cup Final three times in a row and are coming off back-to-back championships. With the wizardry general manager Bill Zito and the Panthers were able to pull off this offseason, I think it’s safe to say that their reign of terror is probably not finished just yet. Being able to bring back Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand was nothing short of remarkable, and it’s the reason they will remain a contender. The Panthers are looking to accomplish what their rivals to the west of them just fell short of doing four seasons ago, and that is three-peating. Only subtracting Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanacek puts the Panthers in the best position to get the job done.

Yes, the Panthers have played loads of hockey over the past three seasons, and Matthew Tkachuk will likely be out of commission for a bit, and that will probably slow them down. Regardless, this group has shown countless times that when it’s time to lay it all on the line, they find a way to do just that. Even if this team doesn’t manage to win the Atlantic, I think they are poised for another deep playoff run.

Detroit Red Wings 

The city of Detroit has been waiting for the Red Wings to be competitive again for a while. The “Yzerplan” has taken longer than expected, and it’s been nine straight seasons without a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately for Red Wings fans, I don’t see that trend changing this season. Once again, the Red Wings aren’t a bad team; there’s lots of promise throughout this roster, but when you’re in a division with so many elite teams, success becomes a lot harder to grasp. There’s not much about this current roster that makes them that much better than they were last season, other than the addition of goaltender John Gibson.

If the Red Wings are to take a step forward, it will be due to internal growth from younger players like Marco Kasper and Simon Edvinsson, because there weren’t any significant additions that were made this offseason. If anything, the Red Wings could be in the mix for a wild-card spot this season, and could very well be fighting for that last one till the end of the season, but ultimately, I’d be shocked if they pull it off. 

Buffalo Sabres

When will the Sabres finally be known as something other than the most miserable and depressing franchise of all time? It’s almost a one step forward, two steps backwards type of situation with them as they work towards building a promising group, but then lose guys like Jack Eichel, Dylan Cozens, and JJ Peterka. There’s been endless disappointment with the Sabres and their inability to snap their 14-season playoff drought, and unfortunately for the hockey fans in Buffalo, it doesn’t feel likely that this is the season that anything changes.

I actually like how the Sabres look heading into the season and believe they can be a team in the mix for a wild-card spot. I think they handled the Peterka trade perfectly, and while the return might not make the same impact right away, acquiring two young, talented players like Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring is most definitely a positive for the future. The Sabres have tons of young talent that could take steps forward and give them a more competitive roster than we are expecting. Doan, Kesselring, Jack Quinn, Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Peyton Krebs, and Owen Power are all capable of being impactful contributors. Playoffs would be spectacular, but in a division like this, the most important thing for the Sabres this season is to see some steady growth from the roster as a whole. 

Ottawa Senators

It took a while, but the Senators finally took that step forward last season, making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Nothing major happened for them this offseason, although they did acquire Jordan Spence, a young right-shot defenseman who has been frothing at the mouth for a bigger role. I think full seasons with Fabian Zetterlund and Cozens should help boost their offensive production. The Senators have great pieces in all the right areas and should have no trouble making it back to the playoffs this season.

While I think ultimately they secure the first wild-card spot, I wouldn’t be shocked if they were able to lock down a top-three spot in the Atlantic. It should only be up from here for the Senators, who should be looking at achieving some playoff success after going through that much-needed “playoff experience” last season.

Final Ranking

1. Florida Panthers – X
2. Tampa Bay Lightning – X
3. Toronto Maple Leafs – X
4. Ottawa Senators – X
5. Montreal Canadiens
6. Buffalo Sabres
7. Detroit Red Wings
8. Boston Bruins 

X = clinched playoff spot 

Trying to rank the teams in the Atlantic is the hardest thing to do because there truly aren’t any awful teams, hence why it’s known as the strongest division in the league. The bottom four teams will most likely be within a few points of each other and could seriously finish anywhere, while the top three teams are essentially locks for the playoffs. Because of how many capable teams there are in the Atlantic, it wouldn’t be that surprising if both wild-card spots end up being Atlantic teams again, although I expect the Metropolitan Division to be better than it was last season.