We are officially Aki Berg days out from the launch of a new NHL season, so what better
time to fire up our very own “Frozen Fairways” blog (hopefully that name isn’t already
copyrighted). You can find out a little more about who will be running the show under the “about
creators” section, but other than that I don’t think we need a big intro…. let’s get to the
predictions, starting with the Atlantic division.
Toronto Maple Leafs
It is definitely nice to see some new captain representation from the GLOAT (greatest
leaf of all time) aka Papi, but as I look up and down this roster, I can’t help but think…. again? I
mean if your girl cheats on you once do you run it back? They added no talent to their roster, but
instead signed two wildcard veteran defenseman in hopes of changing the narrative that their
defense hasn’t been up to snuff. Only time will tell but I can’t see them getting over the hump
with their current roster.
Prediction: 2nd in the Atlantic and Phil Kessel becomes a Leafs TV Analyst.
Ottawa Senators
Tkachuk, Stutzle, Sanderson. Need I say more? These three have been the only ones
providing this organization with any sort of spark over the “dog days”. Sure, they have Claude
Giroux who has been great considering the placement of this team over the last few years, but
he has no part in their future. Drafting Carter Yakemchuk has definitely addressed their need on
the right-side of the backend going forward but how do they expect to be playoff bound with
such a similar roster. These guys need a Walt Tkachuk callout on live television if they want to
go anywhere.
Prediction: 6th in the Atlantic and Brady remains Walt's second favourite son.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is a very young and exciting team. I cannot wait for these young guns to
come into their own and dominate. The only problem going forward with this team is goaltending
and another thought is who on earth do you get rid of because there ain't no way they will be able to afford all of
these guys 5 or 6 years down the road. With that being said, they have a lot of maturing before
they crack the playoffs. I wonder if Marty’s skates are still sharp…
Prediction: 8th in the Atlantic and Trudeau International Airport gets ranked as the worst in Canada.
Buffalo Sabres
I still do not entirely comprehend the Savoie trade. How do you give up a kid with so
much potential when he hasn’t even played an NHL game yet. I understand they are in playoffs
now mode, but Ryan Mcleod was the best you could do? I just do not see this trade making that
big of an impact in the short or long run. Another question mark going forward is Tage
Thompson. This guy went from looking like a prime Mario Lemieux to a 38 year old Alex
Ovechkin in a matter of months. What a waste of a fantasy trade by me. I see them taking a
very small step forward, but nothing to write home about.
Prediction: 5th in the Atlantic and Tage lets me down again in fantasy hockey.
Detroit Red Wings
Any Red Wings fans reading this may want to grab the nearest brown paper bag before
proceeding….fair warning. I might be crazy in saying this, but I see this team being closer to a
retool than playoffs. They have no bonified superstars up front, an average backend along with
questionable goaltending. Their offseason moves had me scratching my head similarly to when
I didn’t shower as a kid. The Yzerplan clearly didn’t see how the showtime x tarasankshow
collab worked out in the big apple. This team is mediocre and too soft…bland, as Gordon
Ramsay would say.
Prediction: 7th in the Atlantic and Patrick Kane gets banned from Detroit Metro Airport Taxi Service.
Tampa Bay Lightning
I am not a lightning fan, and after seeing how they treated their longest serving captain
in team history, I’m not sure how anyone else would be. The addition of Guentzel is very
intriguing as he is a pretty much guaranteed point per game player, but the subtraction of
Sergachev is a borderline fire-able offence. Yes, they had to clear up some cap space, but this
guy was slinging it around on the first line powerplay when he was healthy and will continue to
dominate the rest of his career. I actually like the makeup of their roster and with their proven
track record, I don’t see how they miss the playoffs… especially with that psycho in net.
Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic and surrender a hat trick to none other than Steven Stamkos in their first meeting this season.
Boston Bruins
A lot of people may disagree with where I have the bruins ranking but let me refresh
your memory before you jump to criticism. You all said the same thing last year. Adding
Lindholm makes them stronger down the middle which in hand gives them a stronger left side
with Zacha sliding to the wing. This team has proven time and time again why we shouldn’t
doubt them, and Swayman is a rockstar between the pipes. In other news this team just got
1000x more bearable to watch now that Dopey Jack Edwards has hung up the microphone.
Prediction: 4th in the Atlantic and a bronze statue of Sir Jack Edwards is erected at TD Gardens.
Florida Panthers
Hockey belongs in Sunrise and these boys just proved it. The whack pack is must
watch TV and deserved that cup more than anyone else. This team has a similar makeup from
last year’s top 6 forwards and defense which is scary for the rest of the league. Losing Montour
is a big hit as he ate up a lot of big minutes, but Florida played the first quarter of the year
without him last year and looked just fine. I’m not saying they are going to repeat but it’s
certainly not out of the question. I hope Matt Tkachuk puts the 2-4’s away at some point this
summer because they are going to need that same rat this year.
Prediction: 1st in the Atlantic and Matthew fails his conditioning test.
Bottom line for the Atlantic Division is it's going to be more of the same: dominance from the usual suspects over the past number of years. Ottawa or Buffalo have the potential to knock one of them out of the running but I think that's more of a pipe dream than reality. Be sure to check out our next blog: Metro Division Predictions.
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