The 2023-24 NHL season is starting and the race for the Atlantic Division will be tight. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a special winner of the Atlantic Division prediction and pick.
Last year, the Boston Bruins won the division after they had the best record in the NFL and broke the record for most wins and most points in the regular season. Still, the season ended in disappointment, losing in the first round in seven games to the Florida Panthers. Those same Florida Panthers won the President's Trophy for the 2021-22 season and slipped into the playoffs as the eighth seed. They had struggled throughout the season but ended up making it to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The new favorite to win the division is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last year it was a second-place finish in the division, and then they won their first playoff series in 19 years. They brought in veteran forwards Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi to help stabilize the line-up as they look to take the next step in winning a cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning also will be looking to make a run at the division. After three straight Stanley Cup finals, they had the longest offseason in a long time, being eliminated in the first round by the Maple Leafs. There are also the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres looking to make a run at the division again this year.
Here are the Winner of Atlantic Division Winner NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Winner of Atlantic Division
Toronto Maple Leafs: +185
Boston Bruins: +350
Florida Panthers: +500
Tampa Bay Lightning: +550
Ottawa Senators: +1000
Buffalo Sabres: +1000
Detroit Red Wings: +2000
Montreal Canadiens: +11000
Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Will Win the Atlantic Division
The Maple Leafs will be looking to win the division for the first time in a non-Covid season since the 1999-2000 season. This year they won 45 games and had 100 points. Last year was even better though, hitting 111 points, and their second straight 50-win season. Still, many of the mid-season trades from last year are not gone. Ryan O'Reilly, Erik Gustafsson, and Luke Schenn all left. To replace them Tyle Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and John Klingberg all joined the team. Bertuzzi broke onto the scene with a 62-point season in 2021-22 but was down last year and will be looking to rebound. Max Domi looks to be better than he was in Dallas last year, as he struggled to find his groove after being traded to Dallas.
Meanwhile, John Klingberg hopes to provide a defensive presence to help goaltending play. That will be Ilya Samsonov as the primary man in the net. He was 27-10-5 last year with a fifth-ranked 2.33 goals-against average. He was solid in the regular season, but the question is can get a shake-off of a bad playoff performance with just a .898 save percentage in the playoffs?
Why the Boston Bruins Will Win the Atlantic Division
The Bruins were the best team in the NHL last year and had the best record in NHL history for the regular season. Patrice Bergeron is gone, heading to retirement. David Krejci followed him to retirement. Gone are Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Dmitry Orlov. In are James van Reimsdyk, Milan Lucic, and Kevin Shattenkirk. van Riemsdyk will most likely join the top line, but he struggled down the stretch last year, scoring just two goals and one assist in the last month. Lucic comes in off a 19-point season, but Shattenkirk is still a top defender in the NHL.
Still, the Bruins have Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swaymann in goal. Ullmark has an NHL-best 40-6-1 record, a 1.89 goals-against average, and a .938 save percentage. Meanwhile, Swaymann was fourth in the NHL with a 2.27 goals-against average and a fourth-best .920 save percentage. Combined, they were the best goalies in the NHL last year, and the combination should prove efficient again this year.
Why the Florida Panthers Will Win the Atlantic Division
The Panthers almost shocked the NHL world and then did shock the NHL world. After winning the President's Trophy two seasons ago, they almost missed the playoffs, then they beat the best team in the regular season had ever seen in the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. The Panthers return the bulk of their goalscoring, including Matthew Tkachuk. He scored 40 goals last year and added another 69 assists for 109 points. The other two top-line forwards Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, and Brandon Montour also returned all with over 70 points last season.
The biggest concern is goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky will be the top goaltender once again. Last year he was 33rd in the NHL in goals against average. He was 24-20-3 with a 3.07 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Gone is Alex Lyon behind him, and Spencer Knight has been sent to the AHL. Anthony Stolarz comes in as the backup. Anthony Stolarz has spent the last four seasons as part of the Anaheim Ducks. He was 5-6 last year with a 3.73 goals-against average and will need to improve on that.
Why the Tampa Bay Lightning Will Win the Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay has continued to lose players due to the salary cap. They have done a great job of developing talent, but at some point, too many players need to be paid to keep. This past year it was Alex Killorn who will need to be replaced. Killorn had 64 points last year that need to be replaced. Still, the top line is back and all together. Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov all reutrn. the Trio had a total of 115 goals last year while landing 117 assists last year. This is a combination of 232 points last year.
The biggest concern for the Lightning is going to be goaltending. Andrei Vasilevskiy is going to be out for the first month of the season. He was 34-22-4 last year with a 2.65 goals-against average. This will put Jonas Johansson in the net for the Lightning. He played in three games last year, with two starts. In the two starts, he has a 2.51 goals-against average with two wins in that time.
Why the Buffalo Sabres Will Win the Atlantic Division
The Sabres do not keep catch breaks at times. In June, Jack Quinn ruptured his Achilles tendon. He was expected to be a major part of this Sabres offense, and while he has resumed skating, he will be out for a while. Last year was a positive year for the Sabres, but they are also on the cusp of the playoff teams unless they over-perform. They still have Tage Thompson though who has 94 points last year with 47 goals and 47 assists. With a young core looking to take the next step, the Sabres have all the tools needed to make a big jump or miss the playoffs completely.
Final Winner of Atlantic Division Prediction and Pick
Boston lost too much to make a run this year. They are missing all of their leaders, and with multiple people leaving in free agency, they will be scrapping for a playoff spot. The Lightning will be good, and it seems like they always are, still, they are a second or third-place team overall. The Sabres are the boom pick. At +1000, that pick will pay big, but will most likely lose. This leaves Florida and Toronto. Florida does not have the goaltending. Toronto does, and while they lost players, they kept their core intact.
Final Winner of Atlantic Division Prediction and Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (+185)
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