{"id":840767,"date":"2026-08-01T17:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T17:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/840767\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T17:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T17:07:12","slug":"nhls-atlantic-division-might-be-different-in-2026-27-without-the-olympics-the-hockey-writers-season-previews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/840767\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL’s Atlantic Division Might Be Different in 2026-27 Without the Olympics – The Hockey Writers – Season Previews"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the habits I carried with me from more than 40 years as a university professor is that I still tend to think in research questions. When something interesting happens, I don\u2019t immediately jump to an answer. I start with a question. Then I look at what the evidence seems to be saying. Watching the Atlantic Division this past season while thinking about the coming season led me to ask a few research questions. <\/p>\n

Here are the questions I found myself asking: Was last season\u2019s Atlantic Division standings an aberration? If so, did the Olympics play a role? Did the Olympic schedule really affect every team equally, or did it favour certain roster constructions? If it didn\u2019t affect every team equally, did it influence where teams ultimately finished? <\/p>\n

Most fans seem to assume the answer is obvious. Every team dealt with the compressed schedule. Every team lost players to the Olympics. Every team had to play more games in fewer nights. So everyone was affected equally. That sounds reasonable. But I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n

The Same Event Doesn\u2019t Necessarily Produce the Same Results<\/p>\n

One of the first lessons researchers learn is that people can experience the same event but not the same consequences. The event may be identical. The impact rarely is.<\/p>\n

That made me look at the Atlantic Division a little differently. The Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> and Florida Panthers did not make the postseason. The Buffalo Sabres finished first with 109 points<\/a>. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens both finished with 106. The Boston Bruins ended with 100. Those aren\u2019t huge gaps. When the standings are that close, little differences begin to matter. One extra win. One extra injury. One week when tired legs don\u2019t quite recover.<\/p>\n

\"OliverOliver Ekman-Larsson of the Toronto Maple Leafs played for Team Sweden at the Olympics.
(Photo by Mark Blinch\/NHLI via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Those little things can change who wins a division. Now think about how these teams were built. <\/p>\n

The Lightning, Bruins, and Maple Leafs Depend Upon Elite Players<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay and Boston have depended on veteran stars for several seasons. Toronto also depends heavily on elite players who log big minutes and are exactly the kind of players selected for Olympic rosters.<\/p>\n

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, that\u2019s usually what successful teams look like. But veteran players recover differently than younger players. If they also spent two intense weeks competing in the Olympics before returning to an already compressed NHL schedule, they weren\u2019t simply playing more hockey. They were recovering less<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now compare those teams to Buffalo and Montreal. Both teams have become younger. Both have more speed throughout the lineup. Both can spread minutes more evenly across four lines.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t automatically make them better hockey teams. But it may make them better equipped for a season where recovery became almost as important as talent. <\/p>\n

Looking at the Olympic Rosters of Atlantic Division Teams<\/p>\n

Looking at the Olympic rosters of select<\/a> Atlantic Division teams, the Sabres had two Olympic team members (Rasmus Dahlin (RD) \u2013 Sweden and Tage Thompson (C) \u2013 United States) and the Canadiens had four (Oliver Kapanen (C) \u2013 Finland; Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd (LW) \u2013 Slovakia; Nick Suzuki (C) \u2013 Canada; and Alexandre Texier (RW) \u2013 France). By and large, they are younger players.<\/p>\n

In contrast, look at the Bruins, Panthers, Lightning, and Maple Leafs. While Toronto has the least excuse for an Olympic impact, the other teams made a huge contribution to the Winter Games.<\/p>\n

Boston Bruins (7)<\/p>\n

Henri Jokiharju (D) \u2013 Finland<\/p>\n

Joonas Korpisalo (G) \u2013 Finland<\/p>\n

Elias Lindholm (C) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

Hampus Lindholm (D) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

Charlie McAvoy (RD) \u2013 United States<\/p>\n

David Pastrnak (RW) \u2013 Czechia<\/p>\n

Jeremy Swayman (G) \u2013 United States<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers (10)<\/p>\n

Uvis Balinsksis (RD) \u2013 Latvia<\/p>\n

Sam Bennett (C) \u2013 Canada<\/p>\n

Gustav Forsling (LD) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

Anton Lundell (C) \u2013 Finland<\/p>\n

Eetu Luostarinen (LW) \u2013 Finland<\/p>\n

Brad Marchand (W) \u2013 Canada<\/p>\n

Niko Mikkola (LD) \u2013 Finland<\/p>\n

Sam Reinhart (RW) \u2013 Canada<\/p>\n

Matthew Tkachuk (W) \u2013 United States<\/p>\n

Sandis Vilmanis (W) \u2013 Latvia<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning (8)<\/p>\n

Oliver Bjorkstrand (LW) \u2013 Denmark<\/p>\n

Erik \u010cern\u00e1k<\/a> (RD) \u2013 Slovakia<\/p>\n

Jake Guentzel (LW) \u2013 United States<\/p>\n

Zemgus Girgensons (LW) \u2013 Latvia<\/p>\n

Brandon Hagel (LW) \u2013 Canada<\/p>\n

Victor Hedman (LD) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

Pontus Holmberg (RW) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

JJ Moser (LD) \u2013 Switzerland<\/p>\n

\"AustonFeb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Auston Matthews #34 of Team United States celebrates after the game against Team Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs (3)<\/p>\n

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (RD) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

Auston Matthews<\/a>\u00a0(C) \u2013 United States<\/p>\n

William Nylander (RW) \u2013 Sweden<\/p>\n

Technically, Every NHL Team Played a Similar Schedule<\/p>\n

Fans might say that every team played the same schedule. Technically, that\u2019s true. But the same schedule isn\u2019t necessarily the same experience. If five people run the same marathon, nobody assumes they\u2019ll all feel the same the next morning. Age matters. Conditioning and recovery matter. Previous injuries matter.<\/p>\n

Why would hockey be any different? I\u2019m not arguing that Buffalo won the Atlantic because of the Olympics. Nor am I arguing that Tampa Bay, Boston, or Toronto would automatically have finished higher without them. That\u2019s impossible to prove.<\/p>\n

What I am suggesting is that the Olympic schedule may have rewarded younger teams with more depth while placing a heavier burden on older, star-driven clubs. <\/p>\n

Should We Expect the Atlantic Division to Finish the Same Way Again?<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s true, then perhaps the final standings weren\u2019t simply a reflection of talent. They may also have reflected which roster construction was best equipped to handle one of the most unusual NHL seasons we\u2019ve seen in years. If that\u2019s the case, then we should probably be careful about treating last season\u2019s standings as a reliable predictor of what comes next.<\/p>\n

Buffalo and Montreal may indeed be emerging powers in the Atlantic Division. Their young cores have earned that respect. But it\u2019s also possible that veteran teams like Tampa Bay, Boston, Florida, and even Toronto were asked to navigate a season that placed a heavier burden on the very players they rely on most.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t excuse disappointing seasons. It simply reminds us that context matters. That\u2019s one reason I still enjoy thinking like a researcher. Research questions don\u2019t always produce definitive answers. Sometimes they simply encourage us to look at familiar evidence from a different angle.<\/p>\n

Did the Olympics Change the Atlantic Division Race?<\/p>\n

The question isn\u2019t whether the Olympics affected the NHL season. They almost certainly did. The better question is whether they affected every team equally. If they didn\u2019t, then last season\u2019s Atlantic Division standings may tell us as much about an unusual schedule as they do about the true balance of power in the division.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a question worth keeping in mind before we assume the Atlantic Division will unfold the same way this season.<\/p>\n

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