The Florida Panthers are healthy, or at least much healthier, and will be back with a vengeance this season with the hopes of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Sunrise. During their one-down year, several other Atlantic Division clubs racked up over 100 points, further pushing the Panthers down the pecking order. Now these young up-and-coming teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, are not going anywhere, so Florida's path to the division title just got a little harder. While several Eastern Conference teams improved during Florida's injury-plagued season, others may be heading the other way. Today, we rank the three least intimidating opponents standing in the Panthers' way.
New York Rangers
One of the biggest problems for the New York Rangers is that they hired Mike Sullivan, who failed to get his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to the playoffs for years leading up to his departure. During his first season on Broadway, he tanked the Rangers so badly they were the worst team in the Eastern Conference with only 77 points. Despite having Igor Shesterkin, arguably one of the best goalies on the planet, New York is nowhere near contending for the Stanley Cup, let alone a playoff spot. Moreover, the club has traded away a couple of its star players, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trochek. Of course, the Rangers will never be an easy opponent, but as the franchise sits at a crossroads, they are not a threat to the Panthers reclaiming their spot at the top.
New Jersey Devils
For the last two seasons, Jacob Markström tended goal for the New Jersey Devils, but with two years left on his current deal, the club traded him to the Panthers. Like the Rangers, New Jersey has some All-Stars in its lineup, including Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, yet it has made the playoffs only three times since Martin Brodeur left in 2014. Meanwhile, since both Jack and Luke Hughes are skating with the Devils, the franchise will remain in the news because their Norris Trophy-winning sibling, Quinn, is set to become a free agent in 2027 and could end up wearing red and black. Until that day comes, whether it ever does or not, the Devils are hoping for another solid year from 36-year-old Jake Allen and hope that other Metropolitan Division teams stumble so they could sneak into the wildcard spot again. However, this is all hypothetical.
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are going to have a rough year in the Atlantic Division. As a team that can’t seem to get out of its own way in its rebuild, the Red Wings lost Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk this offseason, meaning a significant portion of their goal total is gone. Meanwhile, captain Dylan Larkin is most likely fed up with losing and not making the playoffs, and he’s publicly requested a trade. Things got so bad that the legendary Steve Yzerman stepped down as General Manager and moved into senior management because the team appears to be a mess. Last year, the Red Wings were lucky to accumulate 92 points and, based on their awkward summer, should find themselves at or near the bottom of the standings in 2026-27.
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