By Peter Valentino

Of the four divisions in hockey, the Atlantic is hands down the least competitive. Three teams handily have a playoff spot, then a 20 point gap separates the 4th-best team in the division. The Bruins, Lightning and Maple Leafs will be the three teams coming out of this division in April, barring a miracle comeback à la the 2015 Senators. That being said, the division still has a lot of questions about certain teams and where they stand in their development.

Boston: The Bruins have somehow gotten past their drafting woes and become one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The fusion of young talent from Pastrnak to DeBrusk to McAvoy has been astounding to watch. Tuukka Rask is back to Vezina Trophy form and Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron are playing probably the best hockey of their careers. If this team adds a defenseman at the deadline (Ryan McDonagh?), this team becomes a Stanley Cup favorite.

Tampa Bay: Currently on pace to win the President’s Trophy, there may not be a more potent offense in the league than the Lightning’s. Stamkos, Kucherov and Point were All-Stars for the league’s hottest team, along with Vezina favorite Andrei Vasilevskiy. The team has been banged up as of late, but their hot start has given them the cushion they need. They are still in the Stanley Cup conversation and I expect them to still be playing in late May.

Toronto: This team has played a ton of games and has racked up 71 points, yet people in Toronto are telling them to sell. Am I missing something? The team has a ton of young talent, and if they get depth at center, they should be able to make a run. Eventually, this team will take that next step, and with how weak the East is, they could make a run. However, I don’t know if they can beat both Tampa and Boston. If they want to sell Tyler Bozak or Van Riemsdyk and take the hit on this year in order to be better next year, I could understand that, but it’s not as likely. They’ll probably stay the course through the deadline.

Florida: Remember that 20 point drop off? Here’s the first team out. The Panthers are just kind of there. They have a good core with players like Barkov, Ekblad and Trocheck, but haven’t been able to bring it all together. I could see them staying the course before the deadline like Toronto might do, since they have no one of value worth trading to anyone. They’re a pretty moot team, and I assume that they will be this way for a while.

Detroit: Nice new arena. That’s really all I can say about this team. The Red Wings are suffering from attempting to just be good enough to make their playoffs. They have a lot of players signed to long, terrible deals and are now stuck in the worst position possible. They can trade Mike Green and Athanasiou for something, but really that’s it. This team is gonna be bad for a long time.

Montreal: Quite frankly, this team is in the same position as the Red Wings. They tried to be stable for years, relying on Carey Price to play well, and now it’s all crashing down on them. They may be back in the playoffs next year, but they are far from ever contending for a Stanley Cup.

Ottawa: Probably the most disappointing team this year has been the Senators. They were a double overtime in Game 7 away from the Stanley Cup Final, and now they stand at the bottom of the league. They could trade their best player this year in Mark Stone, but it’s hard to see ownership this bad not step in the way of things. They could even trade Karlsson if they choose to blow it up. They’re a hard team to read right now.

Buffalo: I went out on a limb and said they were going to be the last wild card team in October. That was a bad take. This might be their worst team yet. Eichel can’t single-handedly take over games, and Kane (who could be traded) is a headcase. That being said, the development of a lot of other players like Ristolainen and Reinhart are coming along. I expect them to be good… someday.

The anticipation coming out of this division is wondering what those top two teams can do come playoff time. Assuming they end up meeting in the second round, the league already knows it’s in for a great playoff series.