Tampa Bay Lightning Favored at +125 Odds to Repeat as NHL Atlantic Division Champions

• The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Presidents’ Trophy last year as the best regular season team
• They were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets and have not turned over very much of their roster
• The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed their key free agents and have a young core ready to compete for the Atlantic Division and Stanley Cup in 2020
  

  ---

The Tampa Bay Lightning had an incredible season last year – an incredible regular season that is.

They won a record-tying 62 games and finished with 128 points which was the fourth-highest total in NHL history. What did it get them? Exactly zero playoff wins thanks to a sweep courtesy the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’re back looking for blood this year and the oddsmakers favor them to once again win the Atlantic Division.

2019-20 Atlantic Division Odds

*Odds taken 10/01/19

I am fading the Lightning and it’s not just a case of what have you done for me lately. Here’s the case against Tampa Bay, and for my pick to win the division, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

2019-20 NHL Season Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

The final team (as if it would be any other) is hoping to put last year's humiliation behind them and become the final team when it matters: in June, not October or April.https://t.co/6JkegrtuNW pic.twitter.com/q0yCaI2rdS

— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) September 27, 2019

Lightning Learned Valuable Lesson Last Year

You know how load management is all the rage in the NBA? Well, that may not make it’s way to the NHL but there will surely be some correction after the Lightning emptied their tanks chasing the all-time points record only to get bounced from the playoffs as fast as possible.

Tampa Bay didn’t only win the Presidents’ Trophy last year, they lapped the field. Check out the standings in the Atlantic Division, which included two other elite teams in the Bruins and Maple Leafs.

2018-19 Atlantic Division Standings

*Made playoffs

Nikita Kucherov won both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay awards, while goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy took home his first Vezina Trophy. Trying to imagine a team beating them in a series was difficult, never mind imaging them never winning a game in the playoffs. The lesson is a clear one; win enough games to make the playoffs but leave enough in reserve to withstand the rigors of playoff hockey. If they take their foot off the gas as is expected, another team could emerge with the division title.

Maple Leafs Championship Window Now Open

All signs point to the Maple Leafs having a successful regular season and perhaps finally winning a round or two in the playoffs. They’ve been bounced by the Boston Bruins each of the past two seasons in round 1 and the year before that they fell to Washington in the opening round. This year could be different for the team that finished fourth with a +35 goal differential last year.

Wipe the slate, clear the canvas.
The next chapter is ready to be written.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ji7vKzIzBI

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 30, 2019

The teams core are linked to long-term deals and are all in the prime of their careers. Auston Matthews is 22-years-old as is Mitch Marner, William Nylander is 23 and number 1 defenseman Morgan Rielly is 25. The team’s other two key players John Tavares and Frederik Andersen are the elder statesman and even they are only 29.

The combination of this core with pending UFA’s Tyson Barrie and Jake Muzzin give Toronto the players to compete for not only the division crown but the Presidents’ Trophy. They have tallied 100 or more points each of the past two seasons and should add to those totals this year.

Take Toronto at +275 Before the Price Changes

If Toronto is quick out of the gate that number is going to change in a hurry. They open with games against the Senators, Blue Jackets and Canadiens and should be sizeable favorites in all three. The Atlantic won’t be decided early in the year but getting your money in before books change the price is the wise move. Put your trust in the Maple Leafs’ young core of star scorers and enjoy a season full of wins and highlight reel plays.

Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (+275)