NHL Atlantic Division Report Card
As the NHL postseason kicks off, it is time to reflect back on the 2022-2023 regular season. This season has been a record-holding year for numerous teams throughout the league, while others were controlled by a negative drive on a slope to the bottom. Both of these outcomes will be influential to all teams both during and after the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Boston Bruins (65-12-5)
With coach Jim Montgomery taking the place of Bruce Cassidy at the end of the 2021-2022 season, no one truly knew how this season would’ve played out for this Original Six team, with modest expectations for the team and reasonable doubt for the new head coach amongst fans. The 2021-2022 season proved to be mediocre at best, with growing pains and uncertain tension throughout the roster; however, the 2022-2023 season took a full 180 for the better.
The Boston Bruins ended the season with 65 wins, 12 regulation losses, and five overtime losses, both a franchise and a league record, coming in front of the 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-2019 Tampa Bay Lighting. Starting off the season, the Bruins won 12 home games in a row, another record for the team. Throughout the season, many players reached new milestones in their careers, including David Pastrňák reaching a modest goal count of 61, a career-high for him as well as placing second for goals behind Connor McDavid. The team amassed 133 points to the season, passing the 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens. Another player to highlight is Linus Ullmark, who ended the regular season with 40 wins, a 1.89 goals-against average, and a .938 save percentage. Linus also notably netted a goal this season against the Vancouver Canucks, becoming the thirteenth goaltender in league history to pull this off.
At the trade deadline, in exchange for Craig Smith, a 2024 first-round draft pick, and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick, the Bruins obtained Dmitri Orlov and Garnett Hathaway from the Washington Capitals and Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings. All three of these players came to Boston and made an impact on the outcome of the season. Tyler Bertuzzi racked up 16 points in his 21 games played with the Bruins while also acting as the gritty winger while Nick Foligno was placed on long-term injured reserve. The Washington boys, Orlov and Hathaway did not fly under the radar either. Dmitri Orlov accumulated 17 points in 23 games played, and while Garnett Hathaway did not amass too many points, he proved to be the same tough player that he was in Washington.
The Boston Bruins shattered the ceiling when it came to setting records, exceeding the expectations of fans, and setting a new standard for excellence and achievement throughout the National Hockey League. This Boston Bruins season was one for the books, both franchise and league-wide.
Season Grade: A+
Buffalo Sabres (42-33-7)
Going into the season, the Buffalo Sabres were projected to do significantly worse than the end result of the 82 games played exhibited. The team spent the last few games of their season pushing for a spot in the playoffs, but their attempts were put to a stop by their 6-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils. The Buffalo Sabres have not made the playoffs since the 2010-2011 season, making it a 12-consecutive-year drought, a league record.
This season, Canadian goaltender, Devon Levi, made his debut with the Buffalo Sabres on March 31st after playing for Northeastern from 2020 until the 2023 NCAA hockey season came to an end. Levi was drafted in the seventh round by the Florida Panthers, yet never played a game with the franchise. He was obtained by Buffalo, along with a 2022 first-round pick, in the offseason of 2021 in exchange for Sam Reinhart. Levi has played seven games this season with five wins and two losses. In his time on the ice this season, he faced 222 shots and only let up 21 of those. He ended the season with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. Devon Levi is projected to be a reliable goalie with the potential to benefit the team, especially with the recent retirement of the seasoned goalie, Craig Anderson. While those are some large shoes to fill, he is only 21 years old and proved to have a successful tenure with the Northeastern Huskies, so only time will tell.
The 2022-2023 season was the first full season without Jack Eichel on the team after he got traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in November of 2021 in exchange for Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch. While Jack Eichel was unable to play to his fullest during his time spent with Buffalo, it was known that there would be growing pains associated with his departure from the team. After Jack started what would be his first season with Vegas is when we saw Tage Thompson, the 6’6”, 220-pound center, truly live up to the capability he has. Thompson has increased his career high for points from 69 to 94. He has proved to fans this season that he is able to step up and allow the Sabres to get closer to their goal of a playoff run. Along with Tage Thompson, the defenseman Rasmus Dahlin put up impressive statistics this season. In the 78 games he played, he had 15 goals and 58 assists, totaling 73 for the season. An offensive defenseman with a high level of control, such as Dahlin, is going to truly benefit this team.
The Buffalo Sabres created a new record for being the youngest team in the league. Young players mean a lot of room to be able to fully develop and build a team that is going to be a playoff-eligible team year in and year out. The Buffalo Sabres have possession of some great young players who have the ability to really reshape the team.
Season Grade: B-
Detroit Red Wings (35-37-10)
This season, the Detroit Red Wings accumulated more losses than wins on their record. While the playing career of Steve Yzerman was nothing short of impressive, with 1,755 points in 1,514 games to his career, coming in tenth on the list of the most career goals, he has been significantly struggling as the general manager. The infamous “Yzerman Plan” has continued to prove time and time again ultimately unsuccessful.
The Detroit Red Wings finished the season seventh in the Atlantic Division, coming in just before the Montreal Canadiens. With more losses than wins this year, this season is far from one you’d write home about. The Red Wings have been struggling since their victory in the Stanley Cup Final in 2008. They have been on a steady decline, with an average of 38.38 wins from the 2008-2009 season to the present (*excluding the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons due to Covid-19). In recent years there have been mediocre draft picks, the most influential player being Moritz Seider in round one of the 2019 draft. Mortiz Seider was drafted under the impression of being a high-value, tough defenceman but has been unable to flourish under the conditions in Detroit. Seider has put up 42 points to the season in 82 games played. Moritz Seider was seen as the saving grace of the Red Wing’s defensive roster; however, without a team supporting him, he is unable to truly perform up to what was expected of him. Another star player stuck in Detroit, Dylan Larkin, has put up numbers that have been nothing short of impressive this season, with 79 points in 80 games, a career-high for him. While there are some hidden gems within the Red Wing’s roster, the current state of this team is not benefiting anyone.
Yzerman has accepted their fate of rebuilding and, in the past few years, has been prioritizing draft picks over current NHL players when it comes to trades. For the next few years, the Red Wings have significant control over the NHL draft. At the trade deadline of this season, Detroit parted ways with wingers Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, and Oskar Sundqvist, as well as defensemen Filip Hronek. It is safe to say that it is going to be a long time before we see any significant progress toward the success of this team if Yzerman’s plan works. The best word to describe the performance of this team is frustrating. With so much potential that is being wasted, one would think something would’ve changed by now.
Season Rating: F
Flordia Panthers (42-32-8)
The Florida Panthers had a rocky start to the season; however, they were able to turn the numbers around to allow themselves to take a wild card spot for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. From March 27th to April 10th, the Panthers had eight consecutive wins before they lost their final game of the season to the Carolina Hurricanes. Almost halfway through the season, many players, including Matthew Tkachuk, publicly displayed their frustrations about their poor standings. Going from number one in their division last season to where they stood then was nothing but a culture shock for both the team and fans.
The Florida Panthers faced injury consistently throughout this season. Their captain Aleksander Barkov alone was placed on injured reserve six separate times, as well as three players, Patric Hornqvist, Radko Gudas, and Chris Tierney, were out with concussions in just ten days. Until about mid-season, the Panther's roster was more unhealthy than not, which significantly impacted their performance and ability to lock in a playoff position early. Despite this adversity, the Panthers were able to rise to the fourth spot in the Atlantic Division. Some players, such as captain Aleksander Barkov ended the season with 78 points in 68 games played despite being on the injured reserve list numerous times, while some players, such as Patric Hornqvist, had only three points to the season in 22 games played. The biggest struggle for this team this year was being so unhealthy. With a fully healthy roster, it comes without question that the outcome of the season would have been significantly different.
With the addition of Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, the ability to adapt to changes of such significance also hindered the ability of this team. With the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk has put 109 points on the board this season, a career-high for him. He is thriving in Sunrise, Florida, but the change took valuable time to get used to. At the trade deadline, the Panthers stepped down and did not pick up anyone, not even a draft pick. The skill and ability of the players are not a concern to this team. The biggest drive come next season is attempting to keep the roster as healthy as possible in order for them to shift back to their norm, not being an eight-seed for the playoffs.
The Florida Panthers were just able to clinch a place in the playoffs after an upset of the Pittsburgh Penguins by the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the worst teams in the league. With the loss of Pittsburgh, the Panthers were able to, by the skin of their teeth, make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year in a row. Unfortunately, this team was rich with injuries this season, which was the main cause of their poor performance. Their current roster has more than enough skill and ability to be just as good as they were last season. Widespread injury does not impact a team lightly, it is frankly impressive they were able to completely turn their fortune around to be able to give themselves a shot at a playoff run.
Season Grade: B
Montreal Canadiens (31-45-6)
The Montreal Canadiens have been on a steady decline when it comes to their regular season record since the 2018-2019 season, factoring in the 2020-2021 shortened season due to Covid-19, where they went 24-21-11. In 2021, the Habs made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lighting in five games. Since then, the team has faced hardship when it comes to both the roster and coaching staff.
It is safe to say that; statistically, Nick Suzuki single-handedly carried the Habs on his back during the 2022-2023 regular season. He led the team in points this season with 66 points, which is also a career-high for him as well. The absence of Cole Caufield due to an injury of his right shoulder back in December has created a hurdle for the Canadiens. At the beginning of this season, Cole had 36 points to his name, 26 goals, and ten assists, and set a career-high for himself for goals. Unfortunately, Cole has not played since January 19th against the Florida Panthers and has not put any points on the board since January 15th when the Habs faced the New York Rangers. He is projected to be out long-term due to this injury. This summer, Caufield is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent, which further complicates the situation. The Montreal Canadiens have faced many struggles when it comes to staying consistent, which makes it just that much harder to create a good record for themselves.
During the off-season in 2022, the Canadiens received the young center Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for two draft picks. During his time in Chicago, the beloved center’s talent and true potential were significantly hindered by the team around him. While in Montreal, he has increased his point record by 12, but fans believe he still is not living up to his full potential and ability to truly benefit the team. Another player picked up over the summer was rookie Juraj Slafkovsky. The Slovakian 18-year-old has significant potential to be a driving aspect of the rebuild of this team. Slafkovsky’s rookie year was cut short due to a lower-body injury that would cause him to miss three months of the season. He has not played since January 15th and went pointless since December 14th against the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens lost two young, influential players at the same time, which again significantly hindered their ability to succeed.
Montreal is packed with young talent, with the average age of the team being 26.81, so future seasons have the potential to create a complete turnaround for this team. With proper coaching and guidance, the Habs have the potential to be something great again.
Season Grade: D-
Ottawa Senators (39-35-8)
Similar to the Detroit Red Wings, the Ottawa Senators finished their season with more losses recorded than wins. While in the bottom four of the Atlantic Division, in early March, the Ottawa Senators were five points away from clinching a wild card spot in the playoffs. As the rest of the season continued to play out, that spot slipped out of their hands. The Senators finished fifth in the division, six points behind the Florida Panthers, who clinched the last wild card position. The Ottawa Senators are still in the phases of rebuilding their team and have continued to struggle with consistency. The offense ranked 24th in the league, and the defense ranked 27th overall. There was a dim light at the end of the tunnel, but the inconsistency from the offense and the inability to prevent the opposing team from scoring has settled as a weight on the shoulders of the franchise.
In the off-season, the Senators obtained winger Alex Debrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks. Since his career start in 2017, he has stayed consistent with points per season, never dipping below 40 points. He finalized his record for the 2022-2023 season at 66 points, which is on par for him according to his past statistics. Debrincat has proved himself influential in the performance of the team due to his consistency, even when playing with a different team. Despite his age, Claude Giroux is as well remaining consistent with the weight he is pulling. His final points for the season, 79, are not outliers from the rest of the statistics sheet. Even though there are consistent players on the roster, the Senators are struggling more with chemistry than player skill. Two players in specific, Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle, have shown the opposite. Both players significantly increased their points for the season. Brady Tkachuk was up 16 points from last season at 83 points, and Tim Stützle was up a modest 32 points at 90 points for the season. Both Stützle and Tkachuk have proved they have the ability to improve their skill and benefit their team.
At the trade deadline, the Senators obtained a top defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes. As of present, he is expected to strongly benefit the performance, or lack thereof, of the defensive roster. Due to the struggles of the defense, goaltending has been a huge concern for the Senators. When there is an absence of a strong defense, the mess is typically thrown onto the goaltender, and in the heat of the moment, the ability of said goaltender typically hinders. More times than not, you cannot have a strong goalie without a strong defense. The decision not to resign the seasoned goaltender Cam Talbot adds to the despair for a solution.
Overall, the Ottawa Senators do not seem to have significant struggles with the skill of their players. They have a talented roster that is facing conflict with consistency and team chemistry. With some changes in coaching and different approaches, the Ottawa Senators have the potential to flourish and break out of the bottom four in the division.
Season Grade: C
Tampa Bay Lighting (46-30-6)
The 2022-2023 post-season marks the sixth consecutive year the Tampa Bay Lighting has made the playoffs. Since the 2002-2003 season, they have proved to be a consistent team with the ability to clinch a playoff spot in 14 out of 20 seasons played. This season was no different from the last; they have continued to show fans the outstanding ability of their strong, skilled roster.
The Tampa Bay Lightning fall above the league average in many aspects, including wins, losses, and overtime losses, going 46-30-6 for the season, compared to the league average of 41-32-9, and a shooting percentage of 8.2, compared to the league average of 8.0. The 2022-2023 season fell right into the line with the normality for the Lightning. Center Brayden Point ended the season as Tampa’s top goal scorer with 51 goals, and winger Nikita Kucherov ended his season leading the team in both assists and points with 113 points to the season, giving him the number two spot for most assists this season behind Connor McDavid. The Lightning, along with head coach Jon Cooper knows exactly what their key to success was in the 2018-2019 season and have not strayed from that since. Between the line chemistry and skill of each individual player, they have a consistently strong team. Every player on the roster has a purpose, and that factor allows them to continue to find themselves at the top of the division year in and year out.
Another driving factor in the success of Tampa Bay is goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. With a save percentage of .915, he is considered to be in the top 15 goalies for the season. Since his start in the 2016-2017 season, Vasilevskiy has shown an impeccable level of skill. Despite his age, his career statistics would place him next to some of the greats of this generation of players, such as Carey Price and Jonathan Quick; he just needs to continue to rack up awards for his resume to become competitive for the spot of “greatest goalie.” Despite the greatness of this team, the one critique would be their defense. Their defense consists of many strong players, one being Victor Hedman. Hedman has an impressive amount of awards and accomplishments to his name, including two Stanley Cups, being the top defenseman of 2018, the Conn Smythe, and being a five-time Norris Trophy finalist. Although the defense can occasionally be inconsistent, they have proved to fans that they have the capability to succeed. The defensive roster contains two extremes of young players and older, more seasoned players. This opens a door to continuing to improve the performance of the team and allows them to remain at the top of the league. As some of their defensive lines such as Ian Cole and Zach Bogosian, begin to leave their prime, the Lightning is able to bring in new talent that can continue to develop with their younger players.
Overall, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a very typical, successful season for themselves, but there is always room for improvement. While they are good, they are not as good as they were a few years ago, which is causing some concern for fans. The Tampa Bay Lightning has proved to be adaptable as well as skilled, so success is not going to be too difficult of a task. With the rate of consistency they have now, Tampa is not straying from the top anytime soon.
Season Grade: A