Way-Too-Early Preview of the Montreal Canadiens and Their 2025/26 Atlantic Division Hopes

You can feel it in the air around the Bell Centre: optimism, tinged with impatience, and the sense that this time, maybe—finally—the future has arrived. The Montreal Canadiens clawed their way out of a four-year playoff exile last term with a gutsy, 40-31-11 campaign that lit up the city and had fans dreaming that a return of the glory days might not be a million miles away. Unfortunately, their postseason run ended as abruptly as it began at the hands of the Washington Capitals, but it was certainly a platform for the league’s record champions to now kick on from.

Gone is the air of rebuilding. In its place: a fresh pulse of ambition, sharpened by shrewd summer moves in one of the NHL’s most relentless divisions. But make no mistake. The Atlantic is a crucible shaped by giants.

Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are no strangers to showing plenty of fight. Back in the 1978 Stanley Cup finals, Montreal’s Pierre Bouchard threw down with perennial pest Stan Jonathan in what is arguably the best hockey fight of all time. And while he may have come out on the losing end, his scrappiness powered his team towards yet another championship. Fast forward almost half a century, and that same grittiness is beginning to rear its head once more – perhaps we’ll soon see another contender for the best hockey fights ever.

If the Canadiens’ return to the playoffs was overdue, their tone afterward was unmistakable: one round is not enough. GM Kent Hughes dialed up the aggression, flipping picks and prospects for Islanders blueliner Noah Dobson—a top-pair defender by any measure, who eats minutes and drives possession like a metronome. Up front, Zack Bolduc joins the cause after a modest rookie season in St. Louis. Supplemental signings Joe Veleno and Sammy Blais add valuable sandpaper and flexibility.

But it’s the core that turns heads, now as much for what it is as what it could become. Nick Suzuki has become Montreal’s answer to the modern two-way centre thanks to his 73 points and counting. Cole Caufield, with 36 goals and a shot that lifts fans out of their seats, is no longer a promise but a proven threat, while all 6’4′ of Juraj Slafkovsky finally looks ready to dictate games.

The Montreal faithful are hoping for a leap forward after last season’s exploits, not a stutter step. The goal isn’t just a ticket to the dance—it’s to become Canada’s number one team.

Ottawa Senators

Redemption stories always come with scars—and Ottawa’s seven-year wait for playoff hockey was full of them. But last spring, the Senators arrived, fueled by a core that’s no longer up-and-coming. Brady Tkachuk, the captain in blood and spirit, broke 80 points with his usual ferocity. Tim Stützle dazzled with end-to-end rushes and a career-best 78 points. On the back end, Jake Sanderson matured into a legitimate number one. The secret weapon? Linus Ullmark, the former Vezina winner snatched from Boston, who posted a .916 save percentage and added much-needed poise between the pipes.

Offseason? Busy. Jordan Spence was brought in to stabilise the defense, while Lars Eller and Arthur Kaliyev—each with a history of producing in-depth roles—were added for scoring support. Extension news was music to Ottawa fans’ ears, too: Claude Giroux’s renaissance continues, and Fabian Zetterlund is part of the long-term puzzle. Much like Montreal, Canada’s capital city side will be hoping for a second straight playoff berth… and perhaps even more.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Let’s not sugarcoat it—the ghosts of Toronto’s playoff failures grow heavier each spring, and last season’s second-round exit to Florida left another bruise. The Leafs won 110 points last season—top of the Atlantic—but after yet another early playoff heartbreak, they put the “core four” behind them.

The last time the Leafs won the cup the arena looked like THIS: pic.twitter.com/CMxrHVavzw

— Bodog (@BodogCA) August 18, 2025

Acquiring Nicolas Roy, along with Swiss army knife Matias Maccelli and versatile Dakota Joshua, the front office hopes a new mix will chip away at the staleness that’s defined Toronto in recent years. Auston Matthews remains the centrepiece, while William Nylander’s coming-of-age silenced critics.

Yet, some warn that regression is in the air—what is Toronto without Mitch Marner’s elite vision? Can Anthony Stolarz hold up between the pipes for over 50 games? There’s a whiff of desperation, but also belief. If Berube conjures the buy-in that took St. Louis to a Cup, and if the roster adapts, the Leafs could finally trade heartbreak for hope.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Every dynasty runs into headwinds, and Tampa Bay’s were hurricane-force last year. The Lightning torched the league offensively—averaging four goals per game with Nikita Kucherov in Hart Trophy form courtesy of 110 points, while Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel filled the net with regularity beside him. Victor Hedman, steady as ever, logged 25 minutes a night anchoring an aging blue line.

But playoff scars are fresh—the Lightning crashed out in the first round against Florida for the second straight year. Offseason moves addressed depth: Pontus Holmberg, Jakob Pelletier, and Boris Katchouk brought fresh legs, but the blue line grew thinner, especially with Nick Perbix departing. The wild card? Andrei Vasilevskiy’s health. Barely above a .900 save percentage, he’ll need to rediscover his dominant form if Tampa wants one more run.

Florida Panthers

This much is certain: the road to the Cup runs through South Florida. The Panthers aren’t just the class of the division—they’re the reigning back-to-back champions and the NHL’s current dynasty. The analytics confirm it—120 points last year, top 10 in every category that matters, and the confidence of a team that’s stared down the sport’s best and emerged unbroken.

Bill Zito’s summer was one of consolidation: re-signing Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and playoff spark plug Brad Marchand; shoring up depth with veteran Jeff Petry and backup goalie Daniil Tarasov. On the ice, the axis remains unbroken: Sergei Bobrovsky continues his late-career renaissance, Matthew Tkachuk dares his team to deeper heights, and Aleksander Barkov orchestrates like a maestro in every zone.

But questions arrive with every dynasty. Can Florida grind their way through another 100+ game season? Will Bobrovsky’s age, Marchand’s miles, and Ekblad’s medical chart finally catch up? Hockey’s cruelest truth is that empires fall not in one night, but in a hundred small stumbles.