New Atlantic Division projection lands the Maple Leafs in advantageous spot

NHL.com's Dave McCarthy has revealed his prediction for the Atlantic Division with the Maple Leafs landing in a very advantageous position.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have yet to claim the Atlantic Division since the realignment in 2013 and they were only crowned as the Northeast Division champions once back in 1999-00. Even though they were atop the reconfigured North Division during the shortened 2020-21 season, they've only won their respective division twice since 1938. So it's not all too surprising to see that NHL.com's Dave McCarthy believes that the Leafs will go yet another year without a divisional crown.

After finishing 2nd in 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Leafs finished 3rd last year, however, McCarthy believes that Toronto will one-up their 2023-24 season by claiming the 2nd spot and trail only the defending Stanley Cup champions in the Florida Panthers.

Following the Maple Leafs on McCarthy's list are the Boston Bruins, which would mean yet another rematch between the two Original Six teams in the first round of the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning, the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Detroit Red Wings to round out the group on McCarthy's predicitons.

The Panthers will assuredly be the team to beat in the Atlantic after their incredible 2023-24 season. The Bruins will always be a handful for the Maple Leafs and with the additions of Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm, they've become an eve tougher adversary. The Lightning always find themselves in the mix, despite their losses during the off-season.

In saying that, Toronto does always find a way to flex during the regular season, but can they finish among the top two teams in the division this season and secure home ice in Round 1 of the playoffs? The obvious hope is yes, but there's a lot of road to travel between now and then.

Source for divisional information: Hockey Reference
Toronto Maple Leafs

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