When the Florida Panthers raised the Stanley Cup in June, it marked the fourth time in six years that the Stanley Cup winner came out of the Atlantic Division. Sure, the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning won all those championships, but the rest of the division has still clearly been the best in hockey during that span.
Playoff woes aside, the Toronto Maple Leafs have consistently been among the best regular season teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy in 2020 and 2023, while also winning the Eastern Conference in 2019. In what feels like a distant memory, the Montreal Canadiens even made the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Unfortunately for the Detroit Red Wings, this Atlantic dominance coincides with arguably the worst stretch in franchise history. The Wings have not made the playoffs since 2015-16, and their roster is still far from that of a true contender.
Will the Red Wings ever rise to the top of the best division in hockey? Below are grades for each Atlantic team's long- and short-term outlooks. The teams are ordered based on their divisional finish from last season.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
Despite losing Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Leafs are still one of the best teams in the NHL. They have one of the best players in the game with Auston Matthews, one of the more underrated players in William Nylander, and an overall strong roster that remains mostly intact from their division-winning squad of last year.
The Marner departure may even be a positive, as the star forward’s off-ice drama and playoff struggles outweighed his high-level production in the regular season.
However, their recent success and trades have damaged their prospect system, which is 28th on The Athletic’s prospect rankings. Toronto has Matthews, Nylander, and Matthew Knies locked up long-term, but the lack of young talent could eventually hurt them.
They still need to prove they can win in the playoffs, and their lack of high-end prospects is concerning, but Matthews alone makes Toronto at least a regular-season force for years to come.
Short-Term Outlook: B+, Long-Term Outlook: B-
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Since they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, everyone has been waiting for the fall of the Lightning. However, despite former captain Steven Stamkos leaving last offseason and the roster growing older, Tampa has remained one of the best teams in the league.
The team continues to be led by captain Victor Hedman, perennial Hart-candidate Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Jake Guentzel, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. They also have decent depth, including Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli.
Although they have defied the odds so far, age continues to be the growing concern in Tampa. Hedman (34) and Kucherov (32) are likely past their primes, while Vasilevskiy (30), Point (29), and Guentzel (30) are not too far behind them.
It is also worth mentioning that the Lightning have failed to make the second round of the playoffs since losing to the Avalanche in 2022. Even if the falloff cannot be seen in the regular season, there are at least some signs in the postseason.
Conor Geekie is a promising part of the Lightning’s prospect pool, but they also lost Isaac Howard, and their system remains near the bottom in the NHL (24th per The Athletic).
Tampa very well may defy Father Time once again in 2025-26. A precipitous drop-off is very likely in the coming years, though, as the roster continues to age and there is no young talent to make up for it.
Short-Term Outlook: B-, Long-Term Outlook: D+
3. Florida Panthers
Back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions, three-straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, and they locked up all their notable free agents in Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad. It is no surprise that the Panthers’ short-term outlook is probably the best in the NHL.
There are some concerns long-term, however. First, they have a ton of money tied up in their current stars. Along with their three re-signings, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones, and Gustav Forsling are each making between $5.25 and $10 million AAV through at least 2030. Aside from Tkachuk, each player is also at least 29 years old.
While their core will be in their primes on the front end of these contracts, the back end may turn disastrous as each player ages and all their playoff miles begin to catch up to them.
The other concern is that Florida’s prospect system is ranked the worst in the NHL by The Athletic.
Unfortunately for the rest of the division, the Panthers are likely a couple of years away from these concerns rearing their ugly heads. They will remain one of the top teams in the league for at least the next few seasons.
Short-Term Outlook: A+, Long-Term Outlook: B
4. Ottawa Senators
After years of unfulfilled potential, the Senators finally broke through last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. Their franchise revolves around 25-year-old Brady Tkachuk, who is locked up through the 2028 season.
Tkachuk’s main support comes from young stars Tim Stuzle, Jake Sanderson, and Dylan Cozens, each signed through at least 2030. 31-year-old Linus Ullmark may be aging, but he is still one of the best goaltenders in the league and will remain in Ottawa until 2029.
Ottawa has had its fair share of chaos in recent years, but the fact is they have a very young and talented roster that will only get better. With their playoff drought now snapped, they could be a very dangerous team in the years to come.
The Sens have top prospect Carter Yakemchuk also waiting in the wings. However, even with Yakemchuk, their system is 27th in the league according to The Athletic.
Although their short- and long-term outlooks appear promising, Ottawa’s lack of a prospect pool could haunt them if their franchise returns to its dysfunctional ways, and their stars (including Tkachuk) leave through free agency or trade.
Short-Term Outlook: A-, Long-Term Outlook: B
5. Montreal Canadiens
Projected in the preseason to finish last in the division, the Canadiens came out of nowhere to make the playoffs last year. With a young core that is mostly in-place for the foreseeable future, they may be the scariest team in the Atlantic.
Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kaiden Guhle are each 25-years-old or younger and signed through at least 2030. Reigning Calder-winner Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov are still on their entry-deals, but Montreal will probably look to extend them soon as well.
They were also active this offseason, acquiring one of the biggest names on the market in Noah Dobson. The star defenseman is 25 and his contract goes until 2033.
On top of all of that, they have the third best prospect pool in the NHL and the best in the Atlantic according to The Athletic. Their system is headlined by Jacob Fowler, Michael Hage, and David Reinbacher.
The Canadiens have it all: a competitive team featuring controlled, young stars with even more high-level prospects on the way. The Atlantic still runs through Florida, but it may run through Montreal very soon.
Short-Term Outlook: A-, Long-Term Outlook: A+
6. Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season last year. Despite valiant efforts to bring in a top free agent this offseason, goaltender John Gibson was the biggest Detroit acquisition and their roster looks much the same as in 2024-25.
Stars Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider are each signed through at least 2031. Outside of Alex DeBrincat, there is a weird mix of relatively unproven players and aging veterans behind Detroit’s big three.
While the 2025-26 Red Wings may not be impressive, their saving grace is their prospect system. Per The Athletic, the Wings boast the fifth best pool in the NHL. The high-ranking does not even account for Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, and Albert Johansson, each of whom were promising in their first full seasons in Detroit last year.
Detroit’s system may lack a bonafide superstar, but they have several strong players like Nate Danielson, Sebastian Cossa, Trey Augustine, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Carter Bear.
Barring an unforeseen trade, it appears that the Wings are putting all their faith in their prospects to eventually save them and mold them into true Atlantic contenders.
Short-Term Outlook: C, Long-Term Outlook: A
7. Buffalo Sabres
Albeit for a few bright spots, the Sabres continued their status as one of the most dysfunctional teams in the NHL last year, missing the playoffs for a record 14th straight season. There also continues to be drama within the front office and ownership, evidenced by JJ Peterka demanding a trade to the Utah Mammoth this offseason.
Buffalo has some talent on their roster. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin are legitimate stars, while Jason Zucker, Alex Tuch, and Josh Norris are solid veterans. The Sabres are also hoping that former number one pick Owen Power will develop more into the star he was drafted to be.
In terms of prospects, the Sabres have a respectable pool, coming in 11th on The Athletic’s rankings. Radim Mrtka, Jiri Kulich, and Konsta Helenius lead the group.
Overall, the Sabres are middling on all fronts. Their NHL roster has some talent, but not enough to compete with the top dogs in the division. Their prospect system is also decent, but not as good as Detroit’s or Montreal’s. It would not be surprising if Buffalo’s playoff drought lasts a bit longer.
Short-Term Outlook: C-, Long-Term Outlook: C+
8. Boston Bruins
The Bruins decades-long tenure at the top of the Atlantic was bound to end at some point and the team officially hit rock bottom last year, finishing dead-last in the division.
The team is in a precarious position as they have stars David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman signed through 2030, but not much support around them. Boston is putting a lot of faith in Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, Hampus Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, and Viktor Arvidsson to provide that depth. As evidenced by last season, it is unlikely these players will rise to the occasion and it is probably going to be another long year in Beantown.
To further complicate matters, the Bruins have the 30th-ranked prospect system per The Athletic. James Hagens falling to them in the 2025 draft was a blessing, but the pool is still not great.
Although you can never count out a roster that has some of the best players in the league, Boston proved last year that they are just not a good team anymore in spite of Pastrnak and McAvoy. It seems far more possible that the Bruins will trade their stars to improve their farm system and fully begin a new era.
Short-Term Outlook: C-, Long-Term Outlook: D
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