From the Press Box: Atlantic Division Booms & Busts

We are now less than a month away from the beginning of another NHL season. Today, I begin another four-part series, which I call Boom or Bust. I will go through each division and attempt to point out players who will better their point totals from last season and those who will regress. I will also give a brief team capsule and a predicted order of finish in the regular season. First off, the Atlantic Division.

Boston Bruins
The Bruins began to pay for their excessive spending in previous years with a quiet offseason. It is more important to note key departures in Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton, which point to a bit of a backward step this season because players of equal quality have not replaced them.

Matt Beleskey: He parlayed a career high 22-goal campaign with the Ducks into a long-term free agent deal with the Bruins, but Beleskey will be hard-pressed to repeat that performance. The strength of this team is their depth on the wings and he may be hard pressed to crack the top two scoring lines on a regular basis. BUST

David Pastrnak: This skilled winger made a strong impact in a half-season in Boston where he quickly rose up the depth chart. He will start this season with a fairly certain guarantee to play on the top two scoring lines, with one of their talented puck-distributing centers, Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci, feeding his scoring opportunities. He will also be featured on the power play. BOOM

Jimmy Hayes: With the departure of Lucic, the 6-foot-6 winger who came over from the Panthers will be given every opportunity to play a key role on the power play and also play on the top two lines. He's not a tough guy but his size and good hands should lead to a career year. BOOM

Loui Eriksson: The veteran winger has never really lived up to expectations since the Bruins acquired him two years ago. The Bruins appear to be transitioning (rebuilding) with the addition of several young wingers, which may push Eriksson down the depth chart, particularly if they commit to a rebuild. BUST

Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres rebuild began in earnest this summer as they drafted a potential franchise player in Jack Eichel and made a couple of trades that will give them a new look on their top scoring lines. They focused on their forward lines and are likely to be plagued by the fact that their defense does not have much in terms of attacking depth.

Evander Kane The troubled winger is hoping to get a fresh start after some difficult times in Winnipeg. He has the chance to step into a top-line role, alongside a quality center in Ryan O'Reilly, who plays a similar style and has excellent offensive skills. BOOM

David Legwand: The veteran center is on the tail end of a career where he has been a top six forward much of the time. He will not get that opportunity this season, unless there are a rash of injuries, so don't count on him for much offense. BUST

Matt Moulson: The quality that will surround him on a scoring line will help him bounce back from a 13-goal season last year, and he should also be a key element on an improved power play. BOOM

Detroit Red Wings
This is a team that has maintained a high level of competitiveness despite a high amount of turnover in their lineup during the last three seasons. They will feature a new head coach, Jeff Blashill, who moves up from a similar role with the Wings' AHL affiliate (Grand Rapids) following Mike Babcock's move to Toronto. In keeping with their reliance on a veteran core, their two biggest offseason signings were 35-year-old center Brad Richards and 29-year-old defender Mike Green. They will try to extend their consecutive playoff streak to a league-record 25 this season. I am not betting against them.

Tomas Jurco: He is the youngest of their holdovers among the forwards and should see an increased role after auditioning the past two seasons. He should be in the hunt for a top-six role and could be a 20-goal scorer if he makes that grade. BOOM

Pavel Datsyuk: The wily vet is now 37 and is still plagued by injuries that he battled last season. He has become very prone and had a back surgery that could delay his debut until December of this season if the recovery doesn't go smoothly. BUST

Teemu Pulkkinen: Is he the latest future star that has come through the Wings never-ending Euro pipeline? He enjoyed great success at Grand Rapids, with 61 points in only 46 games, and is primed to build on that experience. He looks like a great offensive talent. BOOM

Florida Panthers
This is a team that is starting to look like a new contender as GM Dale Tallon has collected a team of big body players who also possess high hockey IQs and skills. They have fallen short of the playoffs in recent years, but they appear to have hit on a number of recent high draft picks. This could be the year that it comes together.

Aleksander Barkov: The 6-foot-3, 213-pound pivot formed a potent line combination with fellow young gun, Jonathan Huberdeau, which really took off once they were paired with the venerable Jaromir Jagr in the second half of last season. He should be able to hit the 20-goal and 50-point plateaus. BOOM

Jonathan Huberdeau: He was a high draft pick who has followed the path of many similar players who made a breakthrough last season. He is an excellent playmaker and should capitalize on the quality of his regular linemates. BOOM

Jussi Jokinen: The number of young forwards who dot this lineup have pushed Jokinen down the list in term of top-six minutes and power play time. He's 32 years old and will face an uphill battle for playing time on a top-scoring unit. BUST

Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens contended for the division lead all of last season, largely on the strength of a career-year by goalie Carey Price, who won four NHL awards. The thinking here is that he can't possibly repeat that effort and that the Habs may be exposed a little bit. They didn't do a whole lot to improve a low-scoring roster.

Alex Galchenyuk: The third-overall draft pick three years ago reached the 20-goal mark for the first time last season, but there has been a sense of disappointment about his development in some quarters. He will get a bigger role to start the season and should be a central figure on the Habs power play. BOOM

Tomas Plekanec: He has long been the Canadiens' most consistent two-way forward, but the 32-year-old may give way to Galchenyuk and drop down into a more focused role as a checking line center. His offensive totals will be reduced. BUST

Andrei Markov: The 36-year old blueliner was an effective playing partner alongside P.K. Subban, but at times opponents exploited his lack of foot speed. The Habs will lean on other options in an effort to reduce Markov's ice time, and his point totals will suffer a bit. BUST

Alexander Semin: He was once a high-scoring offensive threat but Carolina bought out his contract after an abysmal six goals in 57 games last year. Stay far away from him. BIG TIME BUST.

Ottawa Senators
The Sens season turned around when they made a coaching change and some of their younger players were given more ice time. That show of confidence was rewarded by great development for a number of newer players on the roster. It is a young core that has been together for a few years, enjoyed success in the AHL and now seems ready to do the same in the NHL.

Mika Zibanejad: His fortunes turned around with the coaching change that brought Dave Cameron to the helm. He settles in as the No. 2 center behind Kyle Turris, but he will also be a key on the Sens' very good power play. BOOM

Clarke MacArthur: He is another veteran winger who may see a number of younger high-end talents pass him on the depth chart and take away his minutes on a scoring line and especially the power play. BUST

Curtis Lazar: The former captain of Team Canada's world junior champs broke in last season as a physical presence on a checking line. His upside is much better than that, and he should be able to highlight his offensive skills in a breakout campaign on an improving team. BOOM

Tampa Bay Lightning
This is a team that had grown with a series of shrewd moves by general manager Steve Yzerman. It has seen great chemistry account for two of the best scoring lines on any roster in the NHL. They have been strong Stanley Cup contenders for the past two seasons and without making any significant moves, they could be even better this year.

Jonathan Drouin: This third-year pro was a high first-round pick who has yet to find his way into a prominent role. He had an odd score line of four goals and 28 assists, which certainly highlights his playmaking skills over 70 games last year. He should be ready to push for a bigger offensive role and could wind up on a line with Steven Stamkos. BOOM

Jason Garrison: The hard-shooting blueliner enjoyed a nice year all around, highlighted by a plus-27 rating but fell short of offensive expectations with only four goals. He should be a shoe-in for 10 goals and 40 points with all this talent around him. BOOM

Valtteri Filppula: He has consistently been around the 50-point plateau during his time with Tampa but that could change this yea if all of his talented young forward mates stay healthy. If they do, he will be pushed back into a lesser role. BUST

Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs made headlines in the offseason with a management makeover and a trade that sent Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh. The moves signals yet another makeover, but the plan is to see this rebuilding effort with traditional reliance on drafting and developing high-end talent. In the mean time, a number of veterans have been brought in as placeholders.

Dion Phaneuf: The much-maligned team captain received a vote of confidence from Mike Babcock, which prevented him from also being traded. He will be asked to do less and will have the confidence and energy to produce more than he has in years. BOOM

Tyler Bozak: He did most of his scoring on the power play last season. The Leafs will likely give Nazem Kadri every opportunity to play top line minutes, and with Kessel moving on, Bozak's productivity will decline in a big way. BUST

Richard Panik: This Tampa castoff was one of the few players who thrived during the second disaster in Toronto last season. He should be able to build on that test of character and is just the kind of player who may take the most advantage of playing in Babcock's very structured approach. He could hit the 20-goal mark. BOOM

Predicted Finish:
1. Tampa
2. Ottawa
3. Montreal
4. Florida
5. Detroit
6. Boston
7. Buffalo
8. Toronto