Poll: Who Will Win The Atlantic Division In 2024-25?
The NHL’s Atlantic Division had been a clear-cut case of the have-and-have-nots for the past few seasons. That’s begun to change, though, with the Sabres finishing one point out of a playoff spot in 2022-23 and the Red Wings losing out on a playoff spot thanks to a tiebreaker in 2023-24.
The basement is rising, and the ceiling is falling. The Panthers, Maple Leafs, Bruins and Lightning have all made the playoffs for multiple years in a row, but at least one of those streaks could end with most of the division’s other half expecting to challenge to end their postseason droughts.
In most eyes, the safest spot belongs to that of the defending Stanley Cup champion. Only two teams in the salary cap era, the 2006-07 Hurricanes and the 2014-15 Kings, missed the playoffs after winning it all the previous season.
There’s little reason to suggest the Panthers will join that list. They have lost key names on the back end in Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and haven’t landed surefire replacements. But Adam Boqvist and Nate Schmidt are now in the mix and will work with returnees Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola to help replace the losses by committee.
But up front and in goal, they’re still one of the league’s scariest teams. Little has changed from the top end of Florida’s championship-caliber forward core aside from the departure of trade deadline pickup Vladimir Tarasenko. Sergei Bobrovsky is back between the pipes with a high-ceiling option at backup in 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight.
The Maple Leafs didn’t embark on a full retool after yet another first-round heartbreaker. But they’re arguably in a much better position to contend for the division title – and a Stanley Cup – after a free-agency shopping spree landed them Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, and Jani Hakanpää on the back end. Their forward corps largely remains intact, although they will be counting on some depth names to step up and replace the loss of top-six winger Tyler Bertuzzi. Their goaltending is improved as well with Anthony Stolarz, the league’s best backup with the Panthers last year, in to replace the hot-and-cold Ilya Samsonov.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Bruins’ fate has hinged on the back of spectacular goaltending by Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. The latter is out the door to a division rival, and the former remains unsigned amid a contract stalemate that doesn’t appear to be ending soon. That could cause serious issues early on for Boston, which did well in replacing its departing UFAs with new faces but still has concerns about depth scoring. Their No. 1 option between the pipes for now is Joonas Korpisalo, who posted a .890 SV% in 55 games for the Sens last year and is a historically below-average netminder over his 276-game NHL career.
The Lightning may have lost Steven Stamkos but replaced him with the younger Jake Guentzel, who’s produced at the same level as the former captain over the past two seasons. Outside of Guentzel, Nikita Kucherov, and Brandon Hagel, their wing depth is concerningly thin. But they still have a solid one-two-three punch down the middle, have an all-world netminder in Andrei Vasilevskiy, and did well to rebalance their defense this summer by reacquiring Ryan McDonagh from the Predators.
After the Ullmark acquisition, the Senators may be the Atlantic rebuilder best positioned to reclaim a playoff spot in 2025. They addressed their biggest weakness, added some solid top-nine scoring depth in Michael Amadio and David Perron, and improved their depth at right defense by recouping solid stay-at-home presence Nick Jensen while parting ways with Jakob Chychrun.
The Red Wings will undoubtedly be in the conversation, too, after finishing tantalizingly close to a playoff spot in 2024. But they did little to address a porous defense that made them one of the league’s worst possession teams last season and paid to unload arguably their best shutdown defender, Jake Walman, on the Sharks. Their scoring depth is in good shape after signing Tarasenko, and their goaltending has some decent veteran tandem options, but whether a defense that took a step back on paper can be salvaged by top-10 picks Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson remains to be seen.
The Sabres are also chomping at the bit to return to playoff action for the first time in 13 years. Injuries decimated them last season, and they’re hoping an overhauled bottom-six forward group now oozing with two-way responsibility can give them the roster makeup they need. Familiar face Lindy Ruff is back behind the bench, too.
The Canadiens, while seemingly on track in their rebuild, are likely to be the only non-factor in the Atlantic in a welcome change of pace. Their next wave is still a year or two out, although a potential full season of 20-year-old Lane Hutson on the blue line will be a story to watch. Some added scoring after picking up Patrik Laine in a trade with Columbus should boost their record, too, but not much above their 76-point finish last season.
So, we ask you, PHR readers, who do you think will have locked down the No. 1 spot in the Atlantic at the end of the regular season? Let us know by voting in the poll below:
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Atlantic Notes: Ullmark, Lorentz, McCabe, Seider
Linus Ullmark is preaching consistency as he takes his talents between the pipes from Boston to Ottawa. The 2023 Vezina Trophy winner will be the Sens’ biggest X factor as they try to return to the postseason for the first time in seven years. He’ll play a leadership role as well after three straight playoff appearances with the Bruins.
“I have to show them how it has to be done every single day and not just same days,” Ullmark told Bruce Garrioch for the Ottawa Citizen. “It’s a long road ahead of us. You can’t just play for 25 games, you’ve got to play for 82 [games]. When the dog days come around 56 games into the season, and you’re gone on a road trip for nine days, and you’re going on a back-to-back in Western Canada or whatever it may be, those are the games that you need to win. It’s all about making steps and becoming the better team after every 20 games or so.”
Ullmark’s acquisition alone may be enough for the Sens to get back to the playoffs. They’ve retooled their roster in other areas, but Ullmark has been a consistently above-average starter, even dating back to his final couple of years with the Sabres around the pandemic. He saved 13.7 goals above average last season, night and day, compared to Joonas Korpisalo‘s, Anton Forsberg‘s, and Mads Søgaard‘s combined -36.8 GSAA for Ottawa last year. The Senators actually outpaced the Bruins at even strength in their ability to control shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger chances.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- Maple Leafs training camp attendee Steven Lorentz hit a snag Friday in his quest to land a contract from his PTO. The forward is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and didn’t skate, per the team. After spending most of last season in the press box for the Stanley Cup champion Panthers, recording three points in 38 games, the 28-year-old pivot had to settle for a tryout offer earlier this month.
- Still with Toronto, defenseman Jake McCabe confirmed a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman a few weeks ago that his camp has begun contract extension negotiations. The 30-year-old told reporters today, including David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that he’s loved his time with the Leafs and will let his agent continue talks throughout the season. Toronto has had McCabe on their books at a bargain $2MM cap hit for the past season and a half, thanks to the Blackhawks retaining 50% of his $4MM AAV in the February 2023 deal that sent him to Ontario.
- Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider isn’t at training camp Friday after inking his seven-year, $59.85MM deal yesterday, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. He’s still in his native Germany but is scheduled to fly to Detroit tomorrow. He’ll link up with the team on Tuesday. The Wings’ first preseason game isn’t until Wednesday in Chicago, so he’ll be technically available to play, but that would be a tight turnaround.
Senators Reach Agreement To Build Downtown Arena
The Senators have come to an agreement with the National Capital Commission to construct a downtown arena and surrounding entertainment district in Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats neighborhood, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reports. The team is expected to hold a press conference Friday afternoon to confirm the agreement.
The news comes hours before a memorandum of understanding between the two parties governing a potential arena deal was set to expire. It’s a major step toward moving the Senators out of the Canadian Tire Centre in the inconveniently located suburb of Kanata, which has been their home since 1996.
But it’s not the final step in the process, Garrioch cautions. There’s still much to be decided about how the project will be funded, a source close to the development told him.
Still, it’s a major sigh of relief for new majority owner Michael Andlauer. The Senators have been working to acquire land in LeBreton Flats since submitting an initial proposal to the NCC. It’s been a long and winding road since then, with negotiations on their current MOU, signed in 2022, heating up in particular over the past few months.
“League sources say the NCC and the Senators made progress on the size of the parcel of land, which would allow for more on-site parking,” Garrioch wrote. “The Senators know they can’t rely solely on the troubled [light rail] system for people to get in or out of the arena.”
Earlier this week, Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet put together an expansive FAQ about the remaining roadblocks ahead for the Sens to actually put shovels in the ground. There’s no timeline yet for a prospective groundbreaking or opening date.
Devils Sign Dawson Mercer To Three-Year Deal
3:20 PM: The Devils have confirmed the signing through a press release.
9:38 a.m.: Mercer’s deal consists solely of base salary, PuckPedia reports. He’ll earn $3MM in 2024-25, $4.75MM in 2025-26, and $4.25MM in 2026-27. That means he’s owed a $4.25MM qualifying offer upon expiration in 2027.
7:06 a.m.: The Devils and restricted free agent forward Dawson Mercer have come to terms on a three-year, $12MM deal, Darren Dreger of TSN reports Friday. It’s good for a $4MM cap hit.
Mercer, 23 next month, was one of four notable RFAs still left unsigned after training camps began across the league earlier this week. Now, only Nikita Alexandrov (Blues), Cole Perfetti (Jets), and Jeremy Swayman (Bruins) remain without deals among RFAs who logged significant NHL time last season.
The 2020 No. 18 overall pick is coming off a down year, making it easy to shift negotiations toward a bridge deal rather than shelling out cash for a long-term pact with greater risk for the team. The Newfoundland and Labrador native still managed to hit the 20-goal mark but posted career lows in assists (13), points (33), and rating (-26).
Mercer is a skilled shooter, finishing on 14.3% of his 449 shots on goal over his three-year career. He’s also proven highly durable – he’s yet to miss a game since making his NHL debut on the opening night of the 2021-22 regular season.
While a natural center, Mercer has spent most of his time on the wing in the NHL. That’s partly because the Devils have Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes locked in as their top two centers but also because of Mercer’s struggles in the faceoff dot. He’s improving in that regard, winning 119 of his 265 draws last year (44.9 FOW%), but still has a career win rate of 39%.
He’s flashed hints of his offensive ceiling, posting 56 points in 2022-23 during New Jersey’s resurgent 112-point campaign. His production and possession numbers have primarily risen and fallen with the team’s record, so with the Devils primed to return to postseason competition next spring, expect a rebound from Mercer.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald said they were close to a deal over a month ago, but it took quite a lot of work to finalize. There were near-daily reports over the past few days that the Devils and Mercer were feverishly working toward getting him signed and in training camp as soon as possible.
After averaging a career-high 17:13 per game last season, including significant time on both special teams units, Mercer will look to stick in a more consistent top-six role at even strength in 2024-25. He bounced around plenty last year, not recording more than 100 minutes of ice time with a single set of linemates, per MoneyPuck. Early line rushes at training camp, accounting for placeholders, suggest he could open the season alongside Hughes and Timo Meier.
The Devils now have $976K in projected cap space with an open roster spot after Mercer signed, per PuckPedia. That figure assumes defenseman Luke Hughes will start the season on standard injured reserve with a shoulder injury, not long-term injured reserve.
Keeping Mercer’s cap hit to $4MM allows the Devils to carry a full 23-man roster on opening night without needing to place Hughes on LTIR to open up cap space. Santeri Hatakka is the likeliest candidate to fill in as an extra defender on the NHL roster after posting two assists and a +5 rating in 12 games in fringe action for New Jersey last season.
A three-year deal doesn’t walk Mercer to unrestricted free agency. He’ll still be under team control when his deal expires after the 2026-27 season.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blue Jackets Promote Rick Nash To Director Of Hockey Operations
The Blue Jackets have named Rick Nash their director of hockey operations, general manager Don Waddell announced Friday. They’ve also brought in former Hurricanes manager of hockey operations Zach Abdou in the same role and named Basil McRae their director of professional scouting.
For the 40-year-old Nash, it’s another big step toward becoming an NHL GM. Columbus’ all-time leader in every offensive category has been part of their front office since announcing his retirement in 2019. He first joined as a special assistant to former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, serving in that role through 2020-21 before being promoted to their director of player development.
In addition to his Jackets duties, Nash has gotten his feet wet internationally. He was an assistant GM for Canada at the 2022 World Championship and returned as GM this year, but the team failed to medal for the first time since 2018 despite going undefeated in the group stage.
Nash will largely replace McRae’s duties. McRae, 63, has been with the Blue Jackets on and off since 2013 as an amateur scout and director of player personnel. He had been an assistant GM since Nash joined the front office for the 2019-20 season. He’ll now move back fully to the scouting department as the top name on that pyramid.
Abdou, 27, worked under Waddell for the latter’s final three seasons as GM of the Hurricanes, serving as their hockey operations coordinator for two years before a promotion to manager for 2023-24. He follows his boss to Columbus after Waddell signed a multi-year deal to become the Jackets’ GM, alternate governor, and president of hockey operations back in May.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/20/24
As teams across the league begin the early stages of training camp, the first fringe roster cuts are coming out. This article will update you throughout the day with the latest information on Friday’s reassignments.
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
G Ryerson Leenders (to OHL Brantford)
F Ethan Miedema (to OHL Kingston)
Metropolitan Notes: Ovechkin, Sandin, Mayfield, Karlsson
While Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin avoided a new injury when he left an informal skate earlier this week, he’s still not 100%. Washington head coach Spencer Carbery said Thursday that Ovi is still “a little bit nicked up” from a minor injury he sustained while training over the summer and was slightly limited during the Caps’ first full camp practices yesterday (via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti).
The 39-year-old isn’t concerned about it as he enters a campaign that could cement him as the NHL’s all-time goals leader. “You just have to be smart, and we talked about it with our trainers and the coaching staff,” he said. “So, I went [out] there just to see how I feel, and I feel nice out there. I was skating normal.”
Ovechkin needs 41 goals to tie Wayne Gretzky‘s record of 894 career snipes and 42 to break it. Before dropping to 31 tallies last season, Ovechkin had 42 goals in 2022-23 and 50 in 2021-22 – putting some April 2025 history well within reach.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Sticking with the Caps, defenseman Rasmus Sandin is still absent from camp festivities Friday due to issues with his U.S. work visa, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. The 24-year-old Swede had 23 points (3 G, 20 A) with a -13 rating in 68 games during his first entire season in Washington after being acquired from the Maple Leafs before the 2023 trade deadline. He projects to start the year as Washington’s No. 2 left-shot defenseman behind offseason trade pickup Jakob Chychrun after averaging a career-high 21:07 per game last season. Without a full slate of practices, Sandin appears unlikely to be able to play in the Caps’ preseason opener against the Flyers on Sunday.
- As expected, Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is full go as training camp kicks off. He told Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News that his ankle “feels fine” after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a fracture in March. Mayfield, 32 in October, sustained the break in the 2023-24 regular-season opener but played through it as best he could, posting five points and a -7 rating in 41 contests. It was an underwhelming start to the seven-year, $24.5MM contract he signed to stay an Islander for likely the rest of his career in July 2023.
- Penguins star defenseman Erik Karlsson is absent for the third straight day of camp with an upper-body injury, relays Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He remains labeled as day-to-day but should now be considered doubtful for Saturday’s preseason opener against the Sabres. The 34-year-old played in all 82 games last season in his first campaign as a Penguin, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 56 points (11 G, 45 A).
Central Notes: Holland, Perfetti, Sundqvist, Jiricek
Longtime executive Ken Holland may be joining the third team of his career with former player Jordan Schmaltz reporting Holland will be joining the Utah Hockey Club in some capacity. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff slightly downplayed the report by indicating Holland had merely been invited to Utah’s camp and no formal hire had been made.
Both reports from Friedman and Seravalli indicated that Holland maintained several connections in Utah’s front office leading to the invite to training camp. There may even be a pathway for Holland to work with his son Brad in some capacity with the newly relocated franchise as the latter recently parted ways with the Edmonton Oilers as assistant general manager.
A hire of Holland would undoubtedly bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the new franchise with Holland starting his professional career as an amateur scout for the Detroit Red Wings in 1985-86. He went on to win four Stanley Cups with Detroit (three as general manager) in six attempts and one attempt with the Oilers last year. Any hypothetical role he takes in Utah will be a lesser one than he is accustomed to with the organization already having a president of hockey operations in Chris Armstrong and a general manager in Bill Armstrong.
Other Central notes:
- Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke at length today regarding the extension negotiations with forward Cole Perfetti (X Link). Cheveldayoff was adamant the team is still trying to craft a resolution with Perfetti now that training camp has kicked off. Perfetti is looking for other skating arrangements while the contract negotiations play out to be ready for the start of the regular season. It doesn’t appear the lengthy negotiations will tarnish the relationship between the Jets and Perfetti with Cheveldayoff saying, “Personally, I’d give these guys the moon. I’d love to have the ability to pay them everything they want and deserve. In a salary cap world I have to make business decisions“. Winnipeg currently has approximately $5.77MM in cap space with no other RFA’s to sign according to PuckPedia.
- The St. Louis Blues will be without a couple of players to start training camp with Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting Oskar Sundqvist and Adam Jiříček are out with knee injuries. Neither player is expected to play any preseason contests but Sundqivst should already have a guaranteed spot on the roster despite his early absence. Jiricek, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman, David Jiříček, was recently selected by the Blues as the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Jiricek was limited to 19 games last year with Czechia’s HC Plzeň due to a season-ending knee injury and his availability for the 2024-25 season is still in the air.
San Jose Sharks Announce Multiple Injuries
The San Jose Sharks are set to begin camp without four notable players. General manager Mike Grier announced that Yaroslav Askarov, Logan Couture, and Shakir Mukhamadullin are out with lower-body injuries, while Marc-Edouard Vlasic is out with an upper-body injury (X Link).
None of the injuries, except for Couture, are expected to be long-term, but they will prohibit each player from joining the team at the beginning of camp. Max Miller of The Hockey News reported today that Couture hasn’t skated since his last game on January 31st, 2024, and isn’t close to resuming on-ice activities. There is little to no chance that Couture will be available to the team at training camp with Miller also reporting Couture is expected to start the year on the team’s injured reserve.
Couture was limited to only six games in the 2023-24 season due to osteitis pubis, joint inflammation that causes considerable pain and swelling in the groin and lower abdomen. It appears to be a question of not when but if Couture can return to his duties in San Jose for the 2024-25 season. He remains the highest-paid player in the organization with three years and $24MM remaining on his contract.
The team’s second highest-paid player, Vlasic, has been relatively healthy throughout his 18-year NHL career but did lose about two weeks of playing time last year in February with an upper-body injury. Vlasic has seen his playing time drop considerably over the previous four seasons after being one of the league’s best shutdown defensemen for over a decade. The acquisitions of Jake Walman and Cody Ceci over the offseason will likely lead to an even further decrease in ice time for the team’s most veteran defensemen.
The injuries to Askarov and Mukhamadullin will delay San Jose’s ability to analyze two of their better prospects heading into the season. Askarov’s success in the AHL is well-known up to this point and he is well-positioned to be the Sharks’ goaltender of the future after being acquired from the Nashville Predators late in the summer.
Mukhamadullin joined the organization in 2023 as a part of the package for Timo Meier. He skated in 55 games last year for the organization’s AHL affiliate in San Jose recording seven goals and 24 points. His size and skating ability on the blue line should make him a popular candidate to make the Sharks defensive core out of camp.
Atlantic Notes: Dahlin, Adams, Marner, Vasilevskiy
Sabres star defenseman Rasmus Dahlin won’t be out long after sustaining an undisclosed injury in practice Wednesday. Head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters Thursday that Dahlin’s ailment is “nothing too serious” and will miss the next couple of days of practice, likely ruling him out of the Sabres’ preseason opener against the Penguins on Saturday (via Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News).
Dahlin sustained the injury on a non-contact play early in yesterday’s practice session, and Buffalo staff essentially deemed his absence precautionary. Playing in a preseason opener is always a long shot for veterans anyway, as many teams stick to the eight-veteran minimum early on in the exhibition schedule.
The 24-year-old is entering the first season of the eight-year, $88MM extension he signed last October to remain with the Sabres through most of his prime. The first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft finished 15th in Norris Trophy voting last season after recording a career-high 20 goals and 235 shots on goal, adding 39 assists for 59 points in 81 games. The Swedish native has averaged over 25 minutes per game in the last two seasons.
More out of the Atlantic Division:
- Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has faced criticism for not weaponizing all of his cap space as Buffalo attempts to end its 13-year playoff drought in 2024-25. He told Lysowski on Wednesday that there’s been “zero pushback from ownership about what we spend or can’t spend,” saying that he’ll “spend the money that we think we need to spend to win.” The Sabres have $7MM in projected cap space with a full roster, per PuckPedia, giving them space to add effectively any player they want to on trade deadline day if they’re in a position to buy.
- Mitch Marner is open to continuing extension negotiations with the Maple Leafs as the regular season progresses, he told reporters (including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). But don’t expect him to be involved in them directly. “I’m going to let my agent and Brad [Treliving] do all the talking and figure stuff out. I’m just going to focus on playing hockey and trying to help this team win games,” the star winger said.
- After missing the first few weeks of last season while recovering from back surgery, Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy is ready to return to his routine heavy workload. The four-time Vezina Trophy finalist told reporters Wednesday that he’d be comfortable playing 70-plus games if head coach Jon Cooper let him (via Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times). He might need to if the Lightning end up in a tight race for a playoff spot – Jonas Johansson will be back as Vasilevskiy’s backup for a second year in a row while boasting a subpar career .888 SV% in 61 games.