The Detroit Red Wings need to fix a few issues before they're surefire playoff contenders, but they also need to find ways to beat their toughest opponents in the Atlantic Division. And when you look at each division rival, even a quick glance, you won't find a truly weak team among them.
That's gonna make the Wings work harder if they plan on upending their rivals often. How tough are they? Let's start with the two teams most think will do nothing this season, and that's just than the launchpad.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins look like a team in retooling mode, but they still got David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman, Pavel Zacha, Hampus Lindholm, Elias Lindholm, and Charlie McAvoy. So the core's intact, meaning I'm not about to count them out.
If the Bruins can maximize output from their star players, and even see a resurgence from guys like Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson, watch out. They're gonna be better than everyone thinks.
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres are the weakest link in the Atlantic, and it's weird to say that because I actually like their lineup. The problem is, there are too few proven talents to take this team far, and they'll suffer for it.
If there's an upside, it also means the Blue and Gold could be serious contenders in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes. And if they landed the "McDavid" of the draft class instead of the "Eichel," maybe the rest of the 2020s won't be so painful.
Florida Panthers
One word surrounds the Florida Panthers this season: Dynasty. Or, there are synonyms, like 'three-peat." Bill Zito's constructing an absolute masterclass on how to maintain a team, and you can expect the Panthers to be arguably the Red Wings toughest opponents.
Florida's that team you want to see the Wings catch when they're struggling through a bad night or even a rare bad stretch. But they're so deep, the Wings odds of winning the luck of the draw are slim at best.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are 'that team' this season, and it could be either a good thing or a bad thing. Being 'that team' means that you shocked the league a season ago, so everyone's expectations for you increased eleven-fold.
And they got the core, with players like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Sam Montembeault, and Juraj Slafkovsky, and that doesn't include the next-level prospects. But are they for real, or did they just enjoy a good campaign last season?
Ottawa Senators
The Senators need to answer the same question. They outplayed expectations with a young, solid core that found out they mesh well. But will Brady Tkachuk and Company make it two for two?
If there's one thing the Sens have more of, it's that they boast experience, with players like Linus Ullmark, Nick Cousins, Lars Eller, and Claude Giroux giving this crew a guiding light. We'll see if another playoff appearance manifests with this group seeing success for the first time in a while.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The team that just keeps on churning out, or acquiring, talent 'as needed.' If the Lightning keep that system going as their best players show age and wear, don't expect them to fade into the abyss anytime soon, and it ain't gonna happen this season.
Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Brayden Point have shown little signs of slowing down. The Lightning like to hover between the wild card spots and third place in the Atlantic until the 'down the stretch' part of the season arrives, then they kick it into high gear.
Toronto Maple Leafs
No, Mitch Marner's departure's not hurting this team. The Maple Leafs are still one of the better, more experienced, and deepest teams in hockey without him, and Matthew Knies is raring to step up so this group don't miss a beat.
Like the Panthers, the Leafs are a team the Wings need to catch sleeping if they want to beat them consistently. That's gonna be tough, considering how high octane Auston Matthews and Company will get.