The Tampa Bay Lightning had a busy offseason in an attempt to reverse their playoff fortunes and make a run for another Stanley Cup. These moves were made to make one final push toward that goal as the team’s core group ages and starts to see some decline in their games. With their bold moves, one question is if the decisions made in the offseason will still field a team strong enough to qualify for the playoffs.
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Another reason for worry is that many teams that did not qualify for the playoffs last season were also busy in the offseason attempting to improve their teams enough to take one of the playoff spots that the Atlantic Division’s Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Lightning have held for the past couple of seasons. Vegas oddsmakers do feel that the Lightning will qualify for the playoffs, but head coach Jon Cooper will face the task of taking the team’s new acquisitions and making them a playoff and Stanley Cup contender by the end of the season.
Here is a look at three teams that could have a chance to jump past the Lightning and take a playoff spot away from them.
Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings failed to qualify for the playoffs last season because they lost the tiebreaker to the Washington Capitals, who earned the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with the same number of points but more regulation wins (32-27). Detroit’s playoff drought stretched to eight seasons, the longest in the team’s 98-year history, but this could be the year that ends. The team will be led by Dylan Larkin, Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane. Improvement from Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno will go a long way to give the Red Wings the best chance to make the playoffs.
The area that might prevent the Red Wings from being a playoff contender is their defense. They allowed 279 goals last season while cycling through multiple partners for sophomore blueliner (and reigning Calder Trophy winner) Moritz Seider, ultimately settling on Jake Walman after giving Ben Chiarot a long look in that spot. The Red Wings invested plenty of money into reshaping their defensive group over the summer, but there are still questions about how much they can improve this season.
Ottawa Senators
After a disappointing season in 2023-24, president of hockey operations Steve Staios has the reins now, and the 1,000-game NHL veteran made his first big splash at the helm by acquiring 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins for Joonas Korpisalo and a late first-round pick. While Ullmark will not be able to do everything by himself, the additions of David Perron, Nick Jensen, Michael Amadio, Nick Cousins, and Noah Gregor will join Sens captain Brady Tkachuk, veteran Claude Giroux, and Drake Batherson and give the team a chance to make great strides this season.
The issue that still may haunt the Sens is their blue line play. Last season, there was a massive gulf between Ottawa’s expected goals against (245) and the actual number (281), which they must improve dramatically if they want to be a playoff contender. They do not have a lot of defensive depth but the Sens are hoping that their bottom-six forward group will provide some physicality to help their defensive group.
The Senators probably do not have enough talent to overtake the Red Wings and the Lightning, but this team can make a nice run at a playoff spot if their new acquisitions can play up to their potential.
New Jersey Devils
The rules for qualifying for the NHL playoffs allow two wild cards to come from the same division. This makes the New York Islanders a viable option as a Metro Division team that could take a wild card spot away from the fourth-place team in the Atlantic. A likely candidate would be the New Jersey Devils as former Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe takes over and looks to instill toughness, accountability, and consistency to the Devils’ roster.
After using five goalies in 2023-24 and allowing 3.43 goals per game, the Devils will turn to Jacob Markstrom and backup Jake Allen. Each will need to pick up their teammates at various points during the season if the Devils plan on returning to the playoffs. They also bolstered the defense in front of their netminders, adding Brett Pesce, who signed a six-year contract after nine seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils also hope Dougie Hamilton remains healthy after playing just 20 games last season due to a torn left pectoral muscle.
While expectations are high for the Lightning to make the playoffs this season, a decline in their play will give at least three other teams the chance to keep them from earning a chance to win another Stanley Cup.
