With September here, it's time to start thinking about hockey again. Training camps are just a couple of weeks away and players are making their way back to their teams in preparation for 2024-25. With that in mind, it's a good time to take a look back at what's changed and what's the same from the offseason. This will be a four-part series, taking a quick glimpse at one division per week, with the Atlantic Division up first.
Florida Panthers
There's no better place to start the preview process than with the defending champions. Both on the ice and in fantasy, the Panthers have quite a bit of momentum. Not only did they win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, but they're a testament to the evolving playing style in the NHL. They're fast, they play hard, but they're also responsible in their own zone. For fantasy purposes, the foundation is strong, but there's been a lot of turnover.
The Panthers lost more players than they gained, with Brandon Montour, Anthony Stolarz, Vladimir Tarasenko and Oliver Ekman-Larsson all cashing in during free agency. Depth players like Steven Lorentz, Nick Cousins, Kyle Okposo and Kevin Stenlund also are gone from the team. Sam Reinhart signed for big money, staying with Florida on an eight-year extension. The team also added veterans like Jesper Boqvist and Tomas Nosek up front and Adam Boqvist and Nate Schmidt on defense, as well as bringing back Chris Driedger to compete with Spencer Knight for the backup position in goal.
Florida's bread and butter will continue to be speed and skill. A strong top six, fronted by Aleksander Barkov, Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk, gives the Panthers two strong lines and the ability to mix and match. Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell are solid depth pieces capable of playing on the second line when injuries arise. The rest of the depth is less proven than last year, but a prospect like Mackie Samoskevich could make the jump to give this veteran team some new blood.
A lot of turnover on defense is concerning, but a top pairing of Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad remains quite formidable. Free-agent addition Schmidt can help the power play, and Michael Benning could get a look with the big club after posting 26 points in 72 games with AHL Charlotte last year. In goal, Sergei Bobrovsky is the starter, and after a stellar postseason, there should be fewer concerns about a goalie set to play the full campaign at age 36. Losing Stolarz, who proved himself as a diamond in the rough last year, will put some pressure of the revamped defense when Bobrovsky gets a night off. Driedger saw two games at the NHL level last year, while Knight spent all season in the AHL.
In all, the Panthers have a high ceiling, even if there's some concern of a championship hangover. They should push for 50 wins and rank top-10 in goals for after just missing that mark last year, placing 11th with 3.23 goals per game in the regular season. They may not look like world-beaters all the time, but with success comes the experience to know there are ups and downs in an 82-game season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
As of early September, it appears the calls for blowing up the Core Four have fallen on deaf ears in Toronto's front office. Mitch Marner and John Tavares are still around, and while the supporting cast underwent plenty of change, the biggest difference is head coach Craig Berube, who replaces Sheldon Keefe. It's fair to say Berube didn't have this much talent at his disposal over the last few years with the Blues, and it'll be on him to take star power in a pressure cooker and turn it into a five-star meal.
The Maple Leafs made key additions in free agency, adding Chris Tanev to bolster their defense as well as Anthony Stolarz to provide a veteran backup for Joseph Woll (back). Gone are Tyler Bertuzzi, Mark Giordano, John Klingberg and Ilya Samsonov. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers joined the defense, while Connor Dewar was the only notable addition up front.
A top six led by Auston Matthews and William Nylander is always going to have a high ceiling. That said, the Maple Leafs have some question marks at left wing. Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann both looked good there last year, but the loss of Bertuzzi leaves the team thin at that position. Alex Steeves could also step up, but Nicholas Robertson wants a change of scenery after posting 27 points in 56 contests despite an average ice time of 11:23. Third-liners Max Domi or Calle Jarnkrok could be temporary fill-ins in the top six, but the best-case-scenario is that a young player gets a chance there and runs with it all year.
For a few years, under both Kyle Dubas and current general manager Brad Treliving, the Maple Leafs' approach to defense has been quantity over quality. They'll head into camp with as many as nine NHL-ready blueliners, with Morgan Rielly the clear No. 1 and top power-play option. Ekman-Larsson and Timothy Liljegren may also do enough all around to earn fantasy buzz at times, but this is a fairly thin blue line, which puts more pressure on the forwards to produce. In goal, a combination of Woll and Stolarz looks good on paper, even with the aforementioned concerns with the defense, though neither looks to be a top-12 fantasy goalie. Matt Murray re-signed to provide a veteran depth option in the AHL.
As always, the pressure to succeed is high in Toronto, but this feels like the last kick at the can for the core. Tavares losing the captaincy to Matthews signals where the team's long-term interest is, and rightly so. Another first-round exit likely spells big trades to address areas of concern, while a deep playoff run could encourage Treliving to double down. For fantasy, the Maple Leafs should continue to be a goldmine on offense and on the power play, especially with potentially larger roles for depth forwards and a plethora of blueliners that can chip in for category coverage while lacking in offense.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Things will be different for the Lightning this year. Whether they're a better team than they were last year remains to be seen, but there's definitely a new coat of paint on this roster. As the NHL's standard-bearers over the last half-decade, they've learned the price of success the hard way, and also the cost of trying to stay competitive years after the prospect pool was depleted.
The two big changes in Tampa are the departures of Steven Stamkos, who signed with the Predators in free agency, and the trading away of Mikhail Sergachev at the draft. Anthony Duclair also left via free agency after finding success as a trade-deadline rental. The Lightning didn't let those holes linger for long -- Jake Guentzel was signed long-term to fill the void Stamkos left behind, at least from a production standpoint. The team also reunited with Ryan McDonagh in a trade with Nashville, giving them a reliable veteran on the back end. J.J. Moser was also part of the return for Sergachev, as was top prospect Conor Geekie, who could get a long look in training camp. Cam Atkinson, Jesse Ylonen and Zemgus Girgensons were added as depth signings.
The forwards remain a strong mix of offense and skill, led by Nikita Kucherov, who should be the top right wing off the board in fantasy drafts. Guentzel and Brayden Point make for a strong complement to Kucherov on the top line, though head coach Jon Cooper has never hesitated to shuffle the deck. Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul are among the more useful middle-six forwards, while Atkinson will look to stave off a decline in productivity at age 35. There are solid role players throughout the lineup, but this is a team that can't afford many injuries up front if they want to keep pace in the Atlantic.
After sharing power-play duties last year with Sergachev, Victor Hedman should have a spot on the No. 1 unit all to himself. He had 76 points in 78 contests in 2023-24, including 31 power-play points. Moser, McDonagh and Darren Raddysh figure to rotate in on the second unit, and whoever has that gig at any time will have the most fantasy value, though all of them offer decent non-scoring numbers. The Lightning are set to run it back with Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson in goal. Vasilevskiy is capable of being a top-tier fantasy goalie, especially since he's entering this year healthy after missing nearly two months to begin last season after back surgery. He's earned 30 wins in seven straight campaigns, but he had career-worst numbers in GAA (2.90) and save percentage (.900) last year. Johansson shouldn't be expected to make more than 30 appearances if Vasilevskiy stays healthy.
With as many players in their prime as the Lightning have, a rebuild is still years off. This summer saw them retool effectively, as long as all the parts come together on the ice. Expect the stars to be as strong as ever, but this team's success hangs in the balance of its depth players, leaving little room for fantasy managers to be looking for diamonds in the rough on draft day. Wait to see who fills out the top half of the roster before making waiver-wire gambles.
Boston Bruins
Trying to repeat the historic 2022-23 campaign was always going to be too tall a task for the Bruins' roster last season. They still put in a strong showing, finishing second in the Atlantic Division before a second-round exit against the eventual champions. The Bruins head into 2024-25 with a mixture of veterans and youth, giving them a wide range of outcomes depending on how the pieces fit.
The pipeline between Boston and Vancouver was in full effect, as former Canucks Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov highlighted the Bruins' splashes in free agency. However, forwards Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen and defenseman Derek Forbort headed to the Canucks after playing with the Bruins last year. The defense also took a significant hit with the departures of Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk, while James van Riemsdyk (unsigned) and Patrick Maroon (Chicago) have left the forward depth a little thinner and younger than before. Mark Kastelic (acquired in trade), Max Jones and Tyler Johnson (on a tryout) will compete to fill out the bottom six. There was also a massive change in goal, with Linus Ullmark flipped to Ottawa for Joonas Korpisalo, which is a net negative on paper for the Bruins.
The Bruins will have some questions at forward, especially with Brad Marchand recovering from three offseason surgeries. However, the addition of Elias Lindholm gives the team a clear No. 1 center to pair with a top-10 overall player in David Pastrnak after Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle filled that role at various times last year. Zacha should move to the wing, while Coyle will be on the second line. A healthy Matthew Poitras gives Boston upside down the middle, while Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau are among the depth forwards that could take another step forward after being pleasant surprises last year. Fabian Lysell still has a chance to prove something as a prospect after putting up 37 points in 54 games with AHL Providence last year, but he'll need a strong camp to begin 2024-25 in the NHL.
The success of the defense depends largely on getting bounce-back years from Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm. McAvoy wasn't too far off the pace with 47 points in 74 outings last year, but just 13 of those points came on the power play. The Bruins converted only 22.2 percent of their power-play chances last year, which is too middling for a team that still believes its championship window is open. Lindholm, however, needs a big year after posting 26 points in 73 contests one year removed from a 53-point season. Should Lindholm struggle again, Mason Lohrei (13 points in 41 games as a rookie) could be poised for a larger role. The lack of star power on the blue line isn't too much of a concern, as there is plenty of grit between Zadorov, Andrew Peeke and Brandon Carlo to make life easier for Jeremy Swayman, who will be an unquestioned No. 1 goalie for the first time in his career. Swayman's never been below a .914 save percentage in a season, and while a heavier workload could hurt his numbers, he should still be a strong fantasy goalie with his sights on his first 30-win year. Korpisalo is a veteran backup who should benefit from playing behind a better defense, giving him appeal in deep fantasy formats.
The Atlantic Division was the only one where every team finished with over 75 points last season. The Bruins have been a high-quality team for many years now, and there are plenty of reasons to expect them to continue to be successful, but they have less of a safety net now than they did even two years ago. They'll be tough to play against regardless, especially after ranking third in the league with 2,259 hits as a team last year and with just as much grit returning. The bottom half of the roster will be important to the team's success, though it wouldn't be surprising for offense to come at a premium in Boston in 2024-25.
Detroit Red Wings
It's getting to be proving time for the Red Wings' core after the team missed the playoffs by the thinnest of margins in 2023-24. They've developed players for key roles and have a few more in the pipeline, most notably defenseman Simon Edvinsson and forward Marco Kasper, as well as Nate Danielson in a few years. A playoff appearance in 2024-25 would go a long way to proving the Yzerplan is still on course.
The Red Wings let go of some veterans this offseason, allowing David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere, Daniel Sprong and James Reimer to walk in free agency. They also traded away Jake Walman just over a year after giving him a three-year extension and dumped Robby Fabbri to clear salary for their big fish Vladimir Tarasenko. Patrick Kane and Christian Fischer were re-signed, while Cam Talbot, Erik Gustafsson, Tyler Motte, William Lagesson and Jack Campbell were added. Outside of Gostisbehere, Detroit is unlikely to feel its losses, and the club mostly broke even or better with the replacements they found.
The top six has plenty of talent between Kane, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Tarasenko. A combination of Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher as the second-line center feels like a temporary situation, especially if Kasper can make the leap to the NHL this year. The departure of Sprong hurts the bottom six and power play, but a player like Jonatan Berggren or Joe Veleno should be a fine replacement. Sheldon Dries was also signed for fourth-line depth after a career-best 17-point season with the Canucks last year.
Defensively, Moritz Seider continues to grow as an all-around No. 1 blueliner. Gustafsson and Edvinsson are useful players who could chip in offense and power-play production, while Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, Jeff Petry and Justin Holl round out the depth. All can play a physical game, but they offer minimal scoring upside. For the second year in a row, the goaltending situation has emerged as a crowded crease. Talbot should be the starter or a 1A with Ville Husso, but Alex Lyon has proved himself as more than capable of filling a backup role. Campbell is good organizational depth as he looks to get his career back on track following a rough exit from Edmonton. If the Red Wings carry three goalies to begin the year, they'll all be tough to trust from a fantasy perspective, especially with prospect Sebastian Cossa waiting in the AHL.
The Red Wings should benefit from their close call last year -- experience brings wisdom, and the continued decline of former Eastern Conference giants could make a wild-card spot up for grabs. That said, letting restricted free agents in Raymond and Seider go unsigned this long could lead to a slow start. Getting to top-3 in the Atlantic is likely to prove tougher unless the whole roster takes a collective step forward. This should be a sneaky-good power-play team that can also hold its own at 5-on-5, though the goaltending-by-committee approach leaves a lot to be desired.
Buffalo Sabres
Recycling: good for the environment, and a great way to make what's old new again behind the bench. That's what the Sabres are hoping for in bringing back Lindy Ruff to guide the team for a second stint after a collective regression from 2022-23 to 2023-24. Most of the core is intact, and there's the potential for a huge rebound year, assuming the players don't collectively shoot 9.6 percent.
The biggest change for the Sabres was buying out Jeff Skinner. That will impact their cap ceiling heavily next year and the year after, but as long as the cap rises, it won't be an issue. Depth forwards Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons, Eric Robinson and Tyson Jost are gone, as is third-string goalie Eric Comrie. Prospect Matthew Savoie was also dealt away for a more NHL-ready player in Ryan McLeod, who projects to be a third-line center. Beck Malenstyn was traded from Washington to take up a fourth-line spot, while Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Sam Lafferty were signed for the same purpose. Jason Zucker adds to the middle six, but the rest of the growth will have to come from within. James Reimer was signed as a veteran option in goal.
That growth will rely on advancement for Zach Benson, John-Jason Peterka, Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, who should be in the lineup every game in 2024-25. Jiri Kulich, Peyton Krebs and Lukas Rousek will also push veterans for spots in training camp. There's a lot of talent, but it would be unfair to expect every one of those young players to have a breakout year. Rebound campaigns from Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch will also play a role, as they are the faces of the franchise up front and will have pressure to prove that Skinner was the problem with the top-six mix last year.
Defensively, the Sabres sport one of the most underappreciated blue lines in the East, if not the whole league. Rasmus Dahlin is a category-coverage machine in fantasy, while Bowen Byram and Owen Power offer two-way upside. Complementing all of that offense are two defensive specialists in Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju. Also returning are Connor Clifton, Jacob Bryson and Kale Clague, while Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert comes home for depth and physicality. It's not a particularly deep group, but the six regulars should do more than their fair share when healthy. In goal, it's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's crease after his breakout 2023-24. He's in a good position to be a solid No. 2 fantasy goalie. The backup spot remains a question, with Reimer offering experience and Devon Levi providing youthful upside.
There's a wide range of outcomes for the Sabres in 2024-25. The best-case scenario sees them return to their 2022-23 levels of offense with improvements on the back end. A worst-case scenario could see Luukkonen falter with Reimer and Levi unable to pick up the slack. If nothing else, this young team should be exciting on a nightly basis, giving Buffalo plenty of reason for optimism now and for the future.
Ottawa Senators
What was expected to be a take-off year ended up being a failed launch, as the Senators stumbled to a 37-41-4 record last season. Injuries played a role, but there was also a lack of growth from young players and a lack of depth. One big swing in the trade market will help in goal, but the depth issue remains heading into 2024-25.
That big swing was trading Joonas Korpisalo and Mark Kastelic for Linus Ullmark. The addition of Ullmark gives the Senators a Vezina-winning goalie to rely on, though he'll be playing behind a much less formidable defense than he had in Boston. He'll also be expected to see a larger workload. Other trades saw Jakob Chychrun shipped out to Washington for Nick Jensen for some cap relief, while Mathieu Joseph was sent to St. Louis. Depth defenseman Erik Brannstrom left via free agency after not getting a qualifying offer, while Dominik Kubalik, Parker Kelly and Boris Katchouk are also all gone from the forward depth. Noah Gregor, David Perron, Nick Cousins and Michael Amadio were brought in to help the forward group, while Filip Roos and Calen Addison (on a tryout) will compete for depth spots on the blue line.
While there are plenty of questions to ask of the Senators' bottom six, the top six can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league. Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle are the highlights, while Josh Norris is expected to recover from shoulder surgery to begin the season. Veterans like Perron and Claude Giroux, as well as the pesky Drake Batherson, will begin in the top six, and Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto offer skill from the third line. The prospect cupboard is a bit bare, but Jan Jenik and Tyler Boucher should be in the mix for NHL jobs as well.
Defensively, the duo of Jake Sanderson and the oft-injured Thomas Chabot, who had offseason wrist surgery, lead the way. They'll be paired with Artem Zub and Jensen, who are steady stay-at-home blueliners. Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic return from last year to compete for third-pairing spots with the aforementioned defensive depth acquisitions and prospect Tyler Kleven. It's a decent group, but one with plenty of risk, as there is no Norris candidate on this blue line. That leaves a wide range of outcomes for Ullmark, who will likely have a large role in determining how successful the Senators are. Anton Forsberg is a steady backup option coming off a rough year, and he should be capable of playing at least 30 games if necessary.
As mentioned before, the Atlantic Division is tight. The Senators replaced a lot of parts, but it's tough to see if they're materially better heading into 2024-25. Getting 70-plus games out of injury magnets Norris and Chabot could be the difference between being in the playoff race and getting lapped by the field.
Montreal Canadiens
With just 30 wins in 2023-24, the Canadiens finished last in the Atlantic Division, though it's fair to say they were unlucky to have 16 losses past regulation time, which was tied for first in the league. That highlights a need to be better in one-goal games, though it's a fixable problem. This is still a young team, with leaders like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield just entering their prime years. It may not get much better in 2024-25, but they should still be pushing upward.
Among the biggest offseason highlights was the trade for Patrik Laine, who wanted a change of scenery after a collarbone injury and a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program wiped out much of his 2023-24 with the Blue Jackets. Laine cost the Canadiens promising young defenseman Jordan Harris, but if Laine can find the 30-goal form that has eluded him since 2018-19, it will be worth it. Tanner Pearson, Johnny Kovacevic and Jesse Ylonen were also regulars last year but won't be back. Montreal is looking within to replace their contributions, with prospects like Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble expected to have impacts in 2024-25. Joshua Roy and Owen Beck could also be in the mix. In addition to youth, getting Kirby Dach back from knee surgery and awaiting Rafael Harvey-Pinard's return from a broken leg will add to the depth. The Canadiens still spent some money, securing long-term extensions for winger Juraj Slafkovsky and defenseman Kaiden Guhle to be part of the team's core.
Expect the trio of Suzuki flanked by Caufield and Slafkovsky to begin the year together. At 25 years old, Suzuki is the oldest of the trio and the team captain. Alex Newhook should start on the second line with Dach and Laine, another fairly young trio with upside, although also with significantly more injury risk. The bottom six is filled with useful veterans, including long-time third-liners Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson, as well as Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans and Joel Armia. Free-agent signing Alex Barre-Boulet is also in the mix.
On defense, Mike Matheson is the leader and one of two veterans, alongside defensive specialist David Savard. Guhle has displayed upside, while Hutson, Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron have more to prove this year. The trade of Harris leaves this group a bit thinner, and with little offensive upside outside of Matheson and Guhle, it's not a group fantasy managers want to look at much. All that youth could also mean trouble for Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau once again. Montembeault's .903 save percentage in 2023-24 was a career-high, while Primeau got into a career-best 25 games and had a .910 save percentage despite a 2.99 GAA. Primeau is still the goalie of the future, but the Canadiens really need the future to be now if they're going to chase down a playoff spot.
Overall, Montreal is a team that has a high ceiling but shouldn't be expected to peak this year. Fantasy managers know they can trust the top six and Matheson for power-play production, but it's best to take a wait-and-see approach in redraft leagues when it comes to the prospects. Aside from a blockbuster trade for a strong two-way defenseman, it's tough to see the Canadiens lifting themselves much higher than sixth in the division.
That's it for the Atlantic Division! Check back here Sept. 16 (Central), Sept. 23 (Metropolitan) and Sept. 30 (Pacific) for the remaining previews as we ramp up to the new season.
