The Eastern Conference is stacked! The Eastern Conference isn’t as good as many people think! The Metropolitan Division is guaranteed to improve after last season! The division has plenty of weak competition that good teams will take advantage of throughout the season!
Related: 5 Bold New York Islanders Predictions in 2024-25
Heading into the 2024-25 season, there are two alternate realities about the New York Islanders and their surrounding opponents. Depending on who is asked, the perception is that the Islanders are sure to fall out of the playoff picture or be a good not great team in the mix. Likewise, the opponents will either give them a tough time or allow them to pile up the wins.
The bottom line is that they look like a bubble team as they can sneak into the playoff or just miss it. The question is which teams will bump the Islanders from a playoff spot or pose the biggest threat? Assuming the top tier in the conference (Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, and so on) is significantly better, there are a handful of teams after that to watch out for.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are at the end of their rebuild and look ready to take a big step this season. It’s reflected in their offseason addition of Patrik Laine, a dynamic winger who is expected to take a good forward unit and take it to the next level. Suddenly, the Canadiens head into the season as a team that can easily sneak up on the rest of the league.
With Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, and rising star Juraj Slafkovsky already in the top six, Laine is the cherry on top. Then there’s the great defensive unit that has a mix of veterans and youth, making it one of the deeper units in the NHL. Sure, goaltending is still a question mark but it’s an issue many teams around the league have.
The Canadiens will enter the playoff conversation and they will be a particularly tough matchup for the Islanders. They have the speed and skill to pressure the Islanders defensive unit and make games high-scoring. Ultimately, it will come down to great goaltending to save the day.
New Jersey Devils
There’s a good argument for the New Jersey Devils to be in a tier above the Islanders. They are considered one of the elite teams in the conference and last season was a one-off, one where everything that could go wrong did. One problem the Devils have is the injury bug. Specifically, they are a team that can’t afford to lose their star players and they’ll already be without Luke Hughes for a significant time.
Other than that, the Devils are expected to be one of the best teams and fighting for a playoff spot. They have the star power led by Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier while also possessing a revamped defense and goaltending unit. On top of that, they hired Sheldon Keefe who is one of the best coaches in the league (at least in the regular season).
The Islanders will likely battle the Devils for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division throughout the season. As a result, the games between the two teams will be great, back-and-forth, even-matched contests. The Devils and Islanders both have top-heavy rosters, are expected to play with structure, and have elite two-way players. One of these teams will have the third-best record in the division or at least secure a wild card spot.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators come as a surprise to many. They were a mess last season and outside of the Linus Ullmark addition, didn’t make significant upgrades in the offseason. There’s a case to be made for them to finish in last place in the Atlantic Division this season.
The reason the Senators will pose a threat to the Islanders is that, unlike the other teams in their division, they addressed the issues that derailed them last season. They lacked depth, so they acquired both David Perron and Michael Amadio. They didn’t have stay-at-home defensemen, they added Nick Jensen. Goaltending was their undoing, they acquired Ullmark to fix that.
The Senators will not only be a thorn in the Islanders’ side throughout the season, but they will also be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. They can grab a wild card spot or the third seed in the Atlantic Division, making it difficult for the Islanders to sneak into the playoffs.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers looked like fool’s gold last season or they provided false hope for most of it. They got off to a hot start but they weren’t a great team and it showed down the stretch. They went 2-7-2 in their final 11 games and missed the playoffs.
This season, they will be a problem for the Islanders and the rest of the division. For starters, head coach John Tortorella will bring out the best in the Flyers roster. Then there’s the defense which impressed last season and looks to be great behind a young group of core players. Lastly, they have the biggest X-factor in Matvei Michkov, their 2023 first-round selection who has star potential. Add it all up and the Flyers will be one of the tougher opponents to face.
What About the Other Teams?
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are older and have aging cores, giving them lower ceilings than the Islanders. Sure, the Penguins have top-end talent, and the Capitals are built well from the net out. However, both teams are weak opponents that the Islanders can easily take care of this season.
The Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres are often grouped together with the Senators. They have young and talented cores plus after years of rebuilding they look to take that next step. However, both teams have their issues as well, notably, they lack depth and a reliable goaltender.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be an interesting team to watch as well. On one hand, they have the star players to easily grab a wild card spot or even the third seed in the Atlantic Division. On the other hand, without depth, they can unravel this season and fall out of the playoff picture entirely.
Then there are the Columbus Blue Jackets who have a long way to go before they are in the contention conversation. Some of that has to do with the tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau but a lot of mismanagement also put them years behind. They are in the middle of a rebuild and are not expected to challenge the Islanders or any team in the conference.
The Islanders will be in the mix for a playoff spot but it won’t be easy for them to get back. They’ll have to fight their way back in and outplay a lot of talented teams in the Eastern Conference.
