I think Florida is in a strong position to remain at the top for the next two years, as long as Bobrovsky plays well and they can stay away from major injuries. Bobrosvky is 35 and only has two years left on his deal. And they have some serious salary concerns over the next couple of years to try and remain competitive.
Boston is going to remain competitive, because they always seem to make it work.
Tampa is in the slow grind of regression, mostly because they don't have the assets to make bold moves. They spent a lot of their draft capital on Jeannot, Paul, and Hagel. They also have some big issues with signing players coming over the next 3-4 years as their superstars start to come closer to the ends of their careers.
Toronto is a crapshoot. Depending on what happens this summer, could shape their fortunes for the next 5+ years. Even with a 69 goal year from Matthews, there was legitimate concern that they might not make the playoffs up until Detroit ran into that bad losing streak in March. If Toronto regresses at all, things could get dicey for them.
I think Buffalo and Ottawa are lost. They have talent but no cohesive understanding of how to make it work consistently enough. They're not in perma-rebuild, but until Ottawa's organization has its feet down and they can establish a proper plan, it's going to remain ugly. And Buffalo doesn't know how to not shoot themselves in the foot. The Ruff re-hiring was mind-boggling and just another reminder that the Pegula's have no clue how a hockey organization should be run.
Montreal, for me, is a real diamond in the rough. The emergence of Slavkovsky, combined with the general trend of their players, combined with their stockpile of prospects and defensemen, are going to be a team to watch out for in the next couple of years. They already play teams extremely hard, but just lack the forward depth and the experience to win the 10 more games they need to make the playoffs.
Detroit needs to figure out its defense, going forward, to take the next step in their evolution. They are knocking on the door, and having Edvinsson for a full season SHOULD put them over the edge, but if they can solve the Holl/Petry issues, I think they could be a 100 point team, next year.
TLDR:
Florida should stay the same for the next 2-3 years before they start to fall back a bit.
Boston should remain competitive but not superlative, running anywhere from 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in the division from year to year.
Toronto, if things stay with the same delusional theme, should start to fall off. If they make sensbile/bold moves, they could start to challenge Florida.
Tampa is on a slow decline and having Kucherov throwing a career year like he did and they still were a wildcard team, doesn't bode well for them.
Detroit should improve and make the playoffs, next year, and for years to come.
Montreal will start rising from the bottom of the Atlantic this year.
Ottawa just doesn't have the defensive pieces to contend and they need to figure out what their ownership wants to do moving forward.
Buffalo is just nowhere, for me. Even when everything seemed to be going well for them, two years ago, they still couldn't sustain it. Just a real Jekyll/Hyde of a team, that I don't think has the organizational structure to allow them to be successful.
