5 things to watch in the Atlantic Division

After beating Boston in the second round of the playoffs, Montreal could be the favorite going into this season, but Boston and Tampa Bay are not far behind. All three teams have a good shot at winning the division.  Beyond those teams, the division isn’t very strong.  Ottawa and Buffalo don’t look like playoff teams leaving Toronto, Detroit, and Florida as possible bubble teams.

Here are some things to watch for this year in the Atlantic Division.

1.  How much longer will Randy Carlyle and Dave Nonis stick around?

Randy Carlyle, along with Rob Ford, has been one of the most hated men in Toronto over the last few years. The fans thinks he’s an idiot and his time in Toronto could end soon if the Leafs start slowly out of the gate. GM Dave Nonis could also be in danger of losing his job after new Team President Brendan Shanahan was hired. Shanahan already made some other changes to the front office, bringing in advanced stats guru, Kyle Dubas, to be the Assistant GM.

Given that Carlyle and Nonis weren’t his hires, Shanahan most likely won’t hesitate to make a change if he doesn’t like what he sees.

barkov

2.  Florida Panthers (I’m serious)

The Panthers have a wealth of high end young talent on their team. Jonathan Huberdeau, Alexsander Barkov, and Nick Bjugstad all have the potential to be excellent players. The Panthers also had the first overall pick this summer and took the top rated defenseman, Aaron Ekblad. The future may have never looked more promising in Florida.

The Panthers were also a big player in free agency, signing veterans Jussi Jokinen, Dave Bolland, Shawn Thornton, and Willie Mitchell.  All these veterans have played on some of the best teams in the league the last few years and the hope is that they can help bring along some of the younger guys. Roberto Luongo will also be the starting goalie for the whole season and Gerard Gallant is the new Head Coach. This could be a very interesting team to watch. I’m sure the city of Quebec is excited about the team they might be getting in a few years.

drouin

3.  Jonathan Drouin and Steven Stamkos

After going back to his junior team last season, Jonathan Drouin is ready to make the leap to the NHL. The bad news is, he got injured in training camp and will miss 3-4 weeks with a broken thumb. Drouin was picked behind Nathan MacKinnon and Alexsander Barkov in the 2013 draft and if he’s anywhere near the same level as those guys, he will be a big addition for the Lightning.

Steven Stamkos is coming off a year in which he started on fire and then broke his leg and missed a good portion of the season. He didn’t seem to be as dominant of a player when he returned to the lineup. After a full summer of healing and workouts he should be close to his normal self. He’s an early favorite to win the Hart trophy.

lucic-weise

4.  Montreal/Boston Rivalry

One of the best series of the playoffs last year was the 7 game battle between Boston and Montreal, in which the Canadiens ended up winning. The hatred between those two teams was on full display throughout the series and even carried over to the post series handshake line when Boston forward Milan Lucic threatened members of the Canadiens. Expect the hate to carry over into this season. The first meeting between these teams will be October 16 in Montreal.

Another series in April/May could happen since these teams should make the playoffs easily in a weak division.

Mike Babcock

5.  Is this Mike Babcock’s last year with the Red Wings?

The Red Wings and Mike Babcock have not come to an agreement on a new deal so far during training camp and this situation has the potential to be a bit of a distraction going forward.  Babcock would be highly sought after if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the Red Wings. Lots of rumors have surrounded Babcock, including going to Pittsburgh. Even Toronto could be a destination if he decides to leave. Babcock might simply be waiting to see what kind of team he’s going to have in Detroit this year and what some of the younger players can do going forward.

The Red Wings have Jeff Blashill, who just signed a new three year deal to coach in Grand Rapids, Detroit’s AHL affiliate. He led Grand Rapids to a championship in 2013 and would be the logical choice to succeed Babcock.

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