NHL's Atlantic Division promises to be as competitive as ever with 7 teams realistically in the hunt

Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak remembers the good old days when 90-plus points was a realistic objective for teams to qualify for the playoffs.

Not this year, with the NHL’s newly expanded 84-game schedule adding two more tilts to the mix. And it’s definitely not the case in the Atlantic Division based on last season’s numbers, where the five postseason qualifiers finished with at least 99 points.

“The 100 points is the new 90 points to make the playoffs,” Pastrnak said ahead of his 13th NHL season. “Our division is crazy. ... There’s no room for mistakes. Everybody is getting better, including us.”

How much better remains to be seen in a highly competitive division in which:

__ The Buffalo Sabres snapped an NHL-record, 14-season playoff drought to win their first Atlantic title.

__ The Montreal Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final before losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina in five games.

__ The Tampa Bay Lightning remain the constant with nine straight playoff appearances, including Cup titles in 2020 and ’21.

__ The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs made significant offseason changes after missing the playoffs.

The last time an NHL division featured five playoffs teams with 99 or more points was the Metropolitan in 2014-15.

With the exception of the Detroit Red Wings, who face uncertainty with Dylan Larkin wanting out, a case could be made for seven Atlantic teams being playoff contenders this year.

The Sabres are banking on their wealth of youth to step in to replace the offseason departures of forward Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram. Montreal’s young core remains intact, and the team added a veteran presence with the signing of Chris Kreider. The Lightning added defenseman John Carlson in free agency and welcome back captain Victor Hedman, who took time off last season to focus on his mental health.

Meantime, the Panthers improved at the expense of Ottawa by landing Brady Tkachuk in a trade. And the Maple Leafs added a promising star by drafting Gavin McKenna with the top pick, and upgraded their goaltending by signing Florida stalwart Sergei Bobrovsky.

“It’s a tough division for a reason,” Lightning winger Jake Guentzel said. “There’s nothing we can do about it. And it’s fun when you play against these guys every night. Yeah, it’s going to be good battles.”

On the rise

The Canadiens’ youth movement blossomed last season with 50 wins and 106 points, both the team's best in 11 years.

“Everyone kind of knows that goal that we want to get, but there’s still a lot of work to be done, and I think the experience from last year will help for sure,” Montreal winger Cole Caufield said. “But it’s only going to be harder."

The Panthers appear primed to reclaim their place of prominence after missing the playoffs entirely following two Stanley Cup titles. Aside from adding Tkachuk, Florida welcomes back captain Aleksander Barkov, who missed last year with a right knee injury.

“You can already feel the confidence everybody has in themselves and in one another,” said Brady Tkachuk, who is reunited with his brother, Matthew. “They’re not even talking about the two Cups before that. They’re still so focused on last year and the motivation that it created for this year.”

The Maple Leafs have a new look after bottoming out with a 32-win, 78-point season and missing the playoffs for the first time in Auston Matthews' decade in Toronto. The Maple Leafs usher in a new era with John Chayka taking over as GM and Jim Hiller as coach.

“A frustrating year,” Matthews said of last season. “New group of guys, a lot of new people. Exciting to come to the rink and have that energy, have that excitement again.”

On the decline

The Sabres might not be able to match their first 50-win season since 2006-07, but they have the coaching in Lindy Ruff and talent in place — captain Rasmus Dahlin and three-time 40-goal-scorer Tage Thompson — to remain contenders.

“Last year’s over with. It doesn’t give us a free ride to the same spot,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have to earn it.”

In Ottawa, the Senators still have plenty of talent and depth to overcome their captain’s abrupt departure. But they could be hard-pressed to match last season’s 99-point total that got them the second and final wild card spot in the East.

The Red Wings are in transition, with Larkin's status in limbo, and front office questions with Shawn Horcoff being installed as interim GM after Steve Yzerman stepped down. Detroit has the longest active playoff drought in the league at 10 seasons.

On the hot seat

The uncertainty in Detroit leaves coach Todd McLellan’s tenure in question entering his third season.

There is a sense of urgency in Tampa Bay. Though the Lightning have been dominant in the regular season under coach Jon Cooper, the team hasn’t won a playoff round since 2022, when Tampa Bay lost in the final to Colorado.

“You start to identify some reasons why we haven’t advanced,” Cooper said. “And I think there were some points there that we want to build on this year that not only do we make the playoffs, but we make a run.”

Predicted order of finish

Montreal, Florida, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, Boston, Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit.

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno, and AP Sports Writers Kyle Hightower and Rob Maaddi contributed. ___

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