Updated September 24, 2026
The Atlantic Division remains one of the deepest divisions in the NHL entering 2026-27. Florida returns healthy and reinforced, Tampa Bay remains a regular-season powerhouse, and Montreal is coming off a run to the Eastern Conference Final.
Buffalo won the division last season, while Toronto and Ottawa give the Atlantic several more teams capable of challenging for a playoff position.
Florida enters the season as the Atlantic Division favorite, followed by Tampa Bay and Montreal.
The market gets considerably more open after the top three. Toronto, Buffalo and Ottawa form the next group, while Boston and Detroit carry longer prices.
With several teams capable of reaching the playoffs, the Atlantic Division futures market should remain competitive throughout the season.
Florida enters 2026-27 trying to return to the playoffs after an injury-plagued season ended its pursuit of a third consecutive Stanley Cup.
Aleksander Barkov is healthy again, while Brady Tkachuk joins Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett in an extremely deep forward group.
The Panthers also made a major change in goal, replacing Sergei Bobrovsky with Jacob Markstrom. There are some questions after missing the postseason last year, but a healthier Florida roster remains the most talented team in the division.
Tampa Bay finished 50-26-6 last season and continues to be one of the strongest regular-season teams in the Eastern Conference.
Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point remain at the center of the offense, while Andrei Vasilevskiy gives Tampa Bay stability in goal. John Carlson was also added to strengthen an experienced defensive group.
The Lightning have been eliminated in the first round in four consecutive seasons, but that matters less when evaluating a regular-season division market. Tampa Bay remains one of Florida's biggest threats for first place.
Montreal took another major step forward last season, finishing 48-24-10 before reaching the Eastern Conference Final.
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky have developed into one of the NHL's strongest top lines, while Montreal continues to build around a young and improving defense.
The Canadiens now enter the season with significantly higher expectations. Finding enough scoring behind the first line and getting consistent goaltending will be important if Montreal is going to challenge Florida and Tampa Bay for the division.
Buffalo was the surprise winner of the Atlantic Division last season, going 50-23-9 and ending a 14-year playoff drought.
Tage Thompson remains the centerpiece of a talented young roster, but the Sabres enter this season without two important players from last year's team. Alex Tuch was traded to Washington, while Bowen Byram was moved to Chicago.
Buffalo has enough young talent to remain competitive, but repeating as division champion could be more difficult after those departures.
Toronto enters 2026-27 looking dramatically different after finishing last in the Atlantic at 32-36-14.
The Maple Leafs added No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and signed Sergei Bobrovsky to become their new starting goalie. There were also major changes in the front office and behind the bench.
Auston Matthews remains the player everything revolves around. If Matthews stays healthy and Toronto's new pieces settle quickly, the Maple Leafs have enough talent to climb back into the playoff race.
Ottawa made the playoffs for a second consecutive season last year but now has to move forward without Brady Tkachuk.
William Eklund was acquired to help replace some of that offense, while Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson and Dylan Cozens remain important pieces of the Senators' core.
Ottawa still has a competitive roster, but losing its captain and one of its biggest offensive threats creates more uncertainty than the other leading teams in the division.
The Atlantic has enough depth that the favorite is far from guaranteed to finish first. Tampa Bay has been one of the NHL's most reliable regular-season teams, Montreal continues to improve and Buffalo enters the season as the defending division champion.
Florida still has the highest ceiling.
The Panthers should be healthier than they were last season, and adding Brady Tkachuk gives an already physical and talented roster another high-impact forward.
There are questions in goal after the departure of Bobrovsky, but Florida has enough quality throughout the lineup to overcome them.
The Panthers are my pick to win the Atlantic Division in 2026-27.
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