Two teams that are coming off strong 2021-2022 regular seasons but have not been able to turn regular season success into playoff results remain favorites to win the Atlantic Division. Here are our top picks for the Atlantic Division in 2022-23.
There was a significant gap between the playoff teams and others in the Atlantic Division last season. As such, while the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators all appear to have improved over the offseason, last season's top teams are still heavy favorites.
The top four teams in the Atlantic Division – the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning – all finished within the top eight in the league when it came to five-on-five score-and-venue adjusted expected goals percentage last season.
The other four teams in the Atlantic? Buffalo, Ottawa, Detroit, and the Montreal Canadiens ranked between 25 and 31. So even if those teams have improved, they need massive improvement at a core level if they are going to have the kind of sustainable performance that is necessary to win the Atlantic Division.