The Atlantic Division is a gauntlet. There are no easy points won. Every team in this division expects to make the playoffs and to perform well. Each team at the top is capable of winning the division. The playoff race will be close all season long.
In part one, we broke down the bottom four teams in the Atlantic:
8. Detroit Red Wings
7. Ottawa Senators
6. Boston Bruins
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
While the four teams above are nothing to scoff at, the top four teams in this division will be lethal all year long.
4. Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres broke their 14-year playoff drought last season. Under the guidance of Jack Adams Award finalist Lindy Ruff, the Sabres won the Atlantic Division. In the first round, the Sabres beat Boston in six games. It was exciting to win a round, but the Sabres want more. Fans expect a hungrier team this season.
The Sabres experienced a number of changes to their roster this summer. The most notable departure is the sign-and-trade deal made with the Washington Capitals for Alex Tuch. Tuch was a 66-point forward who threw 82 hits last season. Tuch was an essential part of this offense. The Sabres forward group will now rely heavily on center Tage Thompson, who had 81 points last season.
The Sabres got to show off their exciting young talent when Konsta Helanius was called up for the playoffs. In four games, Helanius had two points. Fans are expecting Helanius to contribute this season. The Sabres acquired 23-year-old defenseman Olen Zellweger via trade with Anaheim. Zellweger was a +4 who put up 22 points last season.
One question mark facing the Sabres lies in net. Last season, goaltender Alex Lyon posted an impressive .907 save percentage. Unfortunately, in the second round of the playoffs, Lyon’s save percentage dropped to .712. Further cause for concern is the injury Lyon sustained in a preseason game. Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen posted a .910 save percentage last season. With the games divided fairly evenly last season, this duo has proven they can be elite.
The Sabres traded defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Louis Crevier and the fourth overall pick used to draft Daxon Rudolph. Rudolph is a right-shot defenseman who had 78 points in 68 games in the WHL last season. Louis Crevier is a great addition to this backend as he is a physical defenseman who played 78 games last season. Crevier is at the right stage of his career to grow with Buffalo’s young group.
Buffalo has consistently had good defensemen. The Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin was a Norris Trophy finalist for best defenseman. Last season, Dahlin had 74 points, a +18, and 79 blocked shots. Mattias Samuelsson usually plays opposite Dahlin on the blue line and was equally impressive last season, posting a +41. Samuelsson is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The Sabres will need him to be healthy if they hope to repeat last season’s success.
The Buffalo Sabres proved a lot of people wrong last season, and they can do it again. They will be a threat in the Atlantic Division.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the worst teams in the league last season. They finished with only 78 points in the standings. This wasn’t the season Leafs fans expected, but the franchise couldn’t have benefited more from this dip in the standings. The Leafs won the draft lottery and selected Gavin McKenna first overall.
The Leafs made a lot of offseason changes, starting with a new general manager, John Chayka, and a new head coach, Jim Hiller. Chayka was busy this offseason adding several players to the Leafs roster. One of the best additions is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky won two Stanley Cups in Florida. Last season, he posted an .877 save percentage, his lowest ever. The Leafs are confident that he will return to cup-winning caliber this season.
The Maple Leafs have a great group of forwards. William Nylander led the team in scoring last season with 79 points in 65 games. John Tavares had 71 points in 82 games last season. With captain Auston Matthews returning from injury, the Leafs can expect him to lead them in scoring. To bolster the offense even further, the Maple Leafs acquired forward Kirill Marchenko, who scored 27 goals and had 67 points last season.
The Leafs’ forward group should be able to focus on scoring with new additions on the back end. The best addition to this roster by far is defenseman Darren Raddysh. Raddysh had a 70-point season in Tampa. He ended the year +21. The Maple Leafs went from defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Reilly, who were -6 and -18, respectively, to having a true number one defenseman. Raddysh has a great shot and is lethal on the power play.
The Toronto Maple Leafs play in the league’s most competitive division. They will have to beat the best teams to make a run this season, but this roster is complete and dangerous. They are top three in the Atlantic.
2. Florida Panthers
Last season, the Panthers were the second team eliminated in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers started last season as the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. The Florida Panthers struggled with injuries last season, including missing captain Aleksander Barkov for the entire season.
Despite that, through the Winter Classic in January, the Panthers were only one point out of the Eastern Conference Wild Card. The Panthers are an experienced group that plays with the kind of physicality that makes them hard to play against. The Panthers were second in the league in hits last season with 2,112.
The Florida Panthers had an aggressive offseason. The Panthers acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk had 59 points last season. Tkachuk is a physical presence with 162 hits last season. The Panthers also added to their physicality by adding Radko “The Butcher” Gudas. Gudas averaged almost three hits per game last season.
The Panthers also welcome back Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, who missed most of the season with injuries. In Barkov’s last healthy season, he had 71 points in 67 games and won the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. In Matthew Tkachuk’s last full season, he posted 88 points. Defenseman Seth Jones will also be returning this season after being injured in January and again in April.
One major concern the Panthers needed to address this summer was their lack of a goaltender. With Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov walking in free agency, the Panthers were left without a goalie. Florida traded for Jacob Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils. Markstrom posted an .883 save percentage last season and has proven he can play exceptional goaltending. His career average is .907. Akira Schmid, traded by the Knights, posted an .893 save percentage last season and won 16 of 34 starts in Las Vegas.
The Panthers’ strength lies in their grit and experience. However, this aging core and physical style could take a toll. The Florida Panthers are formidable, are built to win, and will be in the top two of the Atlantic Division.
1. Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens finished last season in third place in the Atlantic Division with 106 points in the standings. In 2025, the Canadiens had 91 points in the standings. The Habs have continued to build and improve every year. The Canadiens won two playoff rounds last season. The Canadiens beat Tampa Bay, then Buffalo in seven games. This Canadiens team fell to the 2026 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, in five games in the Eastern Conference Final. Canadiens fans can expect another stellar season.
The Canadiens have one of the best young rosters in the league, signed through 2030, with no single average annual value above $10 million. The Canadiens were quiet early in the offseason. The most exciting before September was the 8-year extension of Calder Trophy runner-up Ivan Demidov. Demidov, alongside 78-point defenseman Lane Hutson, will be an exciting duo to watch this season. In September, the Habs also extended restricted free agents Zachary Bolduc, who had 30 points last season, and Kirby Dach, who had 15 points.
The Canadiens signed Chris Kreider after he and Anaheim terminated his contract. The Kreider signing is cap-conscious. Kreider brings a strong net-front presence to this Canadiens team. At 35 years old, he brings experience and professionalism, and he is still a 50-point player. The Canadiens can also expect captain Nick Suzuki to build on his 101-point season. Suzuki expects Kreider to “help with our shot volume this year.” Alongside Suzuki and Kreider, Cole Caufield could outperform his impressive 51-goal season.
The Canadiens had a crowded net in camp but ultimately moved forward with Jakub Dobeš and Sam Montembeault this season. Dobeš proved himself in last year’s playoffs. He started 19 straight games, stole two game-sevens, and posted a .908 save percentage. Montembeault did not have the best season last year, posting an .872 save percentage. However, Montembeault has been the best goalie in training camp and performed well in the preseason games against Ottawa and Toronto. The Canadiens are in a good spot in net and can expect this tandem to perform well in the regular season.
The Canadiens are the best-built team in the Atlantic Division. They have exceptional depth, offensive talent, net stability, and a winning culture. The expectations for this group have never been higher, and they will deliver. They will win the Atlantic Division.
Conclusion
The Atlantic Division will be the division to watch this season. With returning playoff powerhouses and rising young cores, the hunt for a playoff spot will be tight all season long. The best teams in this division made key adjustments and set the tone for a successful 2026-27 season in hockey’s most competitive division.
Tune in for opening night on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. EST.
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