Carolina Hurricanes

The Sabres are progressing but doing so slowly. They are not a playoff contender this year. While they have  a solid mix of fresh young talent and seasoned veterans, the team will continue to grow. However, temper your expectations. Wait a year or two and you’ll see the Sabres creep their way up the rankings.

Philadelphia Flyers

Columbus Blue Jackets

Its hard to know what to expect from this team. They’ve had too terrible seasons due to injuries and there’s no way to know if they’re ready to compete in 2016. If they can stay healthy, they have a chance. However, history proves that’s unlikely.

The Leafs are still developing and their future looks bright, but not this season. They have a ton of young talent like Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Nikita Zaitsev. Furthermore they have a top-tier goalie in Frederick Andersen. This Leafs team will be better than last year but not good enough. Expect big things in 2017 and 18 but not in 2016.

The Senators have been quiet this offseason aside from adding Derek Brassard and a new head coach, Guy Boucher. This team could go either way. I could see them sneaking into a wild card spot, but more likely I see them falling somewhere near 4th or 5th in the Atlantic and missing the playoffs.

New York Islanders x

Trading Tyler Sequin will haunt this team forever. They will continue to be terrible in 2016 and I’m glad for it.

New Jersey Devils x

The Red Wings were very good last year and they have essentially the same roster in 2016 except for the loss of Datsyuk and the additions of Vanek and Nielson. In all likelihood, these subtle roster moves will probably hurt the Red Wings, but they are still good enough to wrangle a wild card spot as they have done for the last 25+ years in a row.

The Rangers are closing in on their finals days of being a playoff contender with their current roster. Most of their impact players like Rick Nash, Lundqvist and Girardi are at the ends of their careers. The Rangers haven’t drafted well in the last few years and they will begin to feel the impact of those mistakes in the coming years. This may be their last true shot at a deep run.

The Lightning managed to make a deep playoff run in 2015 despite a roster plagued with injuries all season long. The team is loaded with stars and will have no trouble competing in this division. The team is loaded with talent and depth, but Nikita Kucherov will be the guy to watch in Tampa after he led the team in goals and points in 2015.

The Caps had an impressive 56 win 2015 regular season that was good enough for 8th most in NHL history. They, however, were knocked out of the playoffs in round two by the Penguins. Expect Ovechkin, Oshie, and Kuznetsov to come back with a vengeance in 2016.

Mike Sullivan turned this team around halfway through the 2015 season and led them to a 14-2-0 run in their last 16 games. The Penguins are a fast team full of top tier veterans including captain, Sidney Crosby, who proved he’s still one of the best on the ice with a late season streak. They also have a budding crop of young dynamic players including Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Matt Murray. This is a team with both talent and depth and should be at the top of the standings for years to come if they can stay healthy.

The Panthers had a franchise record season in 2015 with 47 wins and 103 points. This team will look to build on that momentum as its younger players gained valuable experience in their short playoff contention. The loss of Brian Campbell will be felt, but Jaromir Jagr is coming off a tremendous season in 2015 and should continue to be a scoring threat in Florida.

This Habs team is a contender for most improved team in the division. The additions of Weber, Radulov, and Shaw will make dynamic changes in their performance. Furthermore, they still have Carey Price. This is a powerful team that will be tough to beat. Expect big things from the Habs in 2016.