The Buffalo Sabres snapped their 15-year postseason drought, winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after an offseason that saw Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch being dealt, the task of repeating as division champion or finishing in the top three of the Atlantic could be significantly more difficult.
We will finish up looking at the seven other teams in the Atlantic to see where they stand in comparison to where they were at the end of last season and see where they potentially stack up as competition with the Sabres.
The Toronto Maple Leafs followed up their Atlantic Division championship in 2025 with a disastrous campaign, that was littered with incompetence at the managerial and coaching levels, and injuries and underachievement on the ice. Their 32-36-14 record found them at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and led to wholesale changes, with GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube being let go and replaced by John Chayka and Jim Hiller.
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Additions
Sergei Bobrovsky - signed a three-year, $21 million deal as a free agent
Emil Andrae - acquired in a trade with Philadelphia
Darren Raddysh - acquired in a sign-and-trade with Tampa Bay
Nick Paul - acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay
Colton Sissons - signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal as a free agent
Jack Roslovic - signed to a two-year, $8 million deal as a free agent
Brandon Duhaime - signed a three-year, $7.8 million deal as a free agent
Zach MacEwen - signed a two-year, $1.75 million deal as a free agent
Subtractions
Dennis Hildeby - traded to Tampa Bay
Joseph Woll - traded to Philadelphia
Matias Maccelli - signed with the NY Islanders as a free agent
Nick Robertson - traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Carlo - traded to the St. Louis Blues
Outlook
Chayka benefited from a lucky rabbit’s foot in winning the draft lottery, enabling the Leafs to keep their first round pick instead of losing it to Boston and selecting Gavin McKenna first overall. McKenna is expected to play a significant role as a rookie, but Toronto has the luxury of a veteran core group that can take some of the heat off of the prized rookie at the start.
Hiller was part of the Leafs staff during Mike Babcock’s tenure in Toronto and has familiarity with the club’s core players, which should ease the transition somewhat, but the changes implemented this summer will likely result in nearly a 50% from last year’s roster.
Toronto is gambling on a 38-year-old Bobrovsky reuniting with Anthony Stolarz as a tandem that won a Stanley Cup in 2024. On defense, the addition of Andrae is expected to help their mobility on the back end, while Raddysh (coming off a 70-point season in Tampa) will add a big shot from the point on the Toronto power play.
With the exception of Roslovic, who may play the right side with Auston Matthews, the bulk of the Leafs forward additions will be bottom-six depth players, which were a necessity since they dealt players like Bobby McMann, Nicolas Roy, and Scott Laughton at the deadline. The most important factor for Toronto may be the health of Matthews, who suffered a season-ending knee injury at the hands of Radko Gudas.
With the loss of Alex Tuch and the Sabres current state at forward, the Leafs depth additions, the return of Matthews, William Nylander, and Matthews Knies to full health, and the selection of McKenna could make them a potent offensive force. Defensively, the departure of Bowen Byram and replacing him with Louis Crevier and Olen Zellweger has Buffalo’s defense taking a step back, but they are still superior to Toronto’s blueliner, with Raddysh potentially a flash in the pan, Chris Tanev’s uncertain health status, and the fact that they have not had a legitimate #1 defenseman since Borje Salming.
Bobrovsky is a big question mark, but it is unknown how much his bad numbers were because of the Panthers being poor in front of him. The trio of Buffalo netminders performed above expectations and there is a question whether they can do it again. The Leafs could be a top three club in the Atlantic if everything goes right, but they should be in the wildcard mix in the East, which is where the Sabres will likely be unless they pull off a trade for Connor Hellebuyck.
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