The division-by-division analysis kicks off here, with Daniel Alfredsson's Northeast Division.
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Last year’s “race” in the Northeast Division was truly never much of one. Although the Buffalo Sabres beat out the Ottawa Senators by only eight points by end-of-season, the Sabres went wire-to-wire as division leaders en route to the Presidents Trophy for best record in the NHL. Yet from roughly the turn of the calendar through the end of the season it was the Ottawa Senators who were the better team, and they proved it in the playoffs by eliminating the Sabres in five games to advance to their first Stanley Cup final since they were reborn in 1992 and the city’s first Cup final since 1927. Beyond those two elite teams, however, the division suffered as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins all missed out on the playoffs entirely – with both the Canadiens and Leafs being eliminated on their very last games.
This season brings many questions for the Northeast division: Can the Sabres recover from the loss of both of their high-scoring captains and use their seemingly endless supply of young talent to finally get past the third round, or will their progress be hindered and send the team tumbling back towards the pack? Will the Senators be able to put a complete season together and recapture the division title and finally win the Cup? Have any of the other three teams made enough of an off-season impact to challenge the top two teams in this division?
Predicted Order of Finish
- Ottawa Senators
- Buffalo Sabres
- Montreal Canadiens
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Boston Bruins
