With professional ice hockey returning to North America this month, and after some August summer hockey predictions, let’s continue this for this month. 

This division, while my most watched and televised hockey in my area, is the whackiest and confusing set of teams to analyze. 

Washington is mostly the same team as last year, with the kids developing another year and some of the AHL veterans moving on, the gap is widening on this team in what may be the final season of the Great 8. 

Carolina is always on the cusp of contention, but they never have the right mix at the right time to get over the third round hump from 20 years ago. 

New Jersey with a healthy roster is right there. They can be at the top of this division, or right down at 7 on the year. 

After a surprise year last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets are the wild card in the division. They could surprise again and be in the mix as the aging teams fall off in the division, or struggle in net and sink to the McKenna sweepstakes. 

The New York Rangers must find a way to rebound after falling off a cliff last season. Is Sullivan the right coach for this squad? Drury and company believe so. No more Chris Kreider to worry about in. 

The New York Islanders are a breath of fresh air after the shuffle of Mathieu Darche adding Matthew Schaeffer, Ethan Bear, Emil Heineman, and Jonathan Drouin. They could content or continue to build their own youth movement. 

Philadelphia made fascinating moves down the middle with Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak behind Sean Couturier this season. The tandem in net is still a concern, but players love the Rick Tocchet system. 

Pittsburgh is Crosby’s team. They will always fight, but there is not much left on this team anymore to love. Sad to see the glory days behind them and continue to look bleak going forward the next season or two. 

WashingtonCarolina New JerseyColumbus New York RangersNew York Islanders Philadelphia Pittsburgh 

The success of the league runs through the state of Florida through the 2020s. With no Matthew Tkachuk until near the Winter Olympic Games in 2026, there could be some early surprises coming from this division. 

Without Marner and the noise around him, the same expectations are with Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares. The better defense and goaltending can be credited to the Treliving. 

The Canadiens have done almost everything right. Drafting and development has gone smoothly. Trading for projects has worked out somewhat. Goaltending has even come together for them. The draft floor saw them get their new number one blue-liner. Team toughness and the gritty power forward might be all that’s left for them to get over the elite cup contenders. 

No notes about the Cats. Wait until the postseason and they will be right there again. 

Tampa Bay has confused me since Stamkos left. While they still have some of the best players in the game, they just don’t feel like they did after the cups. Guentzel, Atkinson, McDonagh, Gourde, and Bjorkstrand are nice assets to have had come through town, but there still is something left to be desired. 

Ottawa will have to fight again and hope the Metro continues to sink and the Florida teams struggle to get back into the postseason. Tkachuk wants more runs at this, but will it be team first or country first? 

Detroit needs to find their way in the playoffs or fire Yzerman. No postseasons in the Little Caesars Arena. Get in or find a new stragety. 

Buffalo is in between a rock and a hard place. Everything has to go through Pegula for Adams to approve, but they keep getting rid of talent. They could be so much better…

Boston is staying here for a while. Besides Pasternak, McAvoy, and Swayman, not much is really going their way. The Jeannot contract might’ve been the worst addition this summer by any team for term and figure. 

Toronto MontrealFloridaOttawaTampa BayDetroitBuffaloBoston 

While there were surprises and success stories in this division last year, this year might be the year of a first ever. 

The first full season of the Moose in Dallas will keep them in Cup contention once again. This team is just deep at every level. Will Gulutzan be the guy to get the Stars to hoist the Cup?

Jonathan Toews is a part of the Winnipeg Jets. That’s weird to write. Captain Serious was always in Chicago. After winning the President’s Trophy with the league’s best goaltender, the Jets got a bit older, but they will still be in the postseason. 

The Avalanche got lucky with the Brindley trade to dump Coyle and Wood. The best of a bad situation. As long as MacKinnon and Makar are there, they will be in playoffs. 

Utah will be a playoff team this year. The defense is still lackluster on paper, but the offense is believable. 

Minnesota could either be playoff bound with the richest skater in the cap era or have two struggling Swedish goaltenders. 

The Blues have a full season of Monty, but is the veteran defense and goaltending able to repeat what they did last season? 

The Predators are the wild card here. They could finish second and not surprise me. Maybe last season was the abnormality. 

Chicago is stuck in the basement again. The veteran mix is not working besides for Foligno. Bedard and Nazar are on an island. This rebuild is going need more time. 

DallasWinnipegColoradoUtah St. LouisMinnesota Nashville Chicago

Will this be the last season of Kopitar and McDavid in the same division? 

The top two in this division is a coin flip, where third through last is a mixed bag where it could be any of them at any point. 

McDavid v Eichel. Same story as 2015 atop the Pacific for supremacy. 

Holland’s moves on July 1 were not appealing, especially on the backend. Lafferiere was a great extension. Perry was also a sneaky good move. The rest? 

The Canucks could be great with a healthy Demko but stink with another bad year out of forward Elias Pettersson. 

The Ducks have John Quenneville behind the bench, and no more John Gibson in the crease. The Zegras era is over and the Kreider regime is here. 

San Jose upgraded everything. This could be a very good thing for the youth movement, or adding more pieces for 2026, 2027, 2028, or 2029. 

Calgary has a number one goalie. Once Andersson is dealt, the defense is thin and the offense is just what it is. 

Seattle worries me the most in this division with Grubauer still under contract. As long as he holds an NHL job, 

Edmonton VegasLos AngelesVancouverAnaheimSan JoseCalgarySeattle