Did The Maple Leafs Have The Best Offseason in Atlantic Division? NHL Analyst Thinks So

The Atlantic Division is a tough neighborhood in the NHL. Three of the last five Stanley Cup winners reside there, and four of the last six Presidents Trophy winners. So of all those top teams, the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lighting among them, which team had the best offseason in the division?

According to longtime NHL coach Bruce Boudreau, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the team that impressed him the most, after their acquisitions of free agent defensemen Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Did the Toronto Maple Leafs have the most impressive offseason in the Atlantic Division?

Bruce Boudreau believes they did. @TonyLuftman | #LeafsForever | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/dGxsxepiqY
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 7, 2024

"I really like what they did with their defense," said Boudreau in his role as NHL Network analyst. "Especially when you get Tanev. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, when he's at his best, he's still a really good defenseman. These guys are really good players and Toronto's already got the offense... If they've got the defence that goes with it, I really believe they can make it past the first round and go a little bit further."

Jani Hakanpaa is another potential signing on the blueline, but that transaction is still up in the air.

As for the new head coach, Craig Berube, who was also an offseason acquisition for the Leafs, Boudreau is all for that addition as well. And he's coached against him plenty, so he knows of what he speaks.

"He was always a tough guy to go against... That's going to make the Leafs a little bit tougher, a bit more sandpaper... I do see them being tougher to play against next year."

As for the Leafs' competition in the Atlantic, the Panthers lost Brandon Montour and OEL off their blueline, rental Vladimir Tarasenko up front, and solid backup netminder Anthony Stolarz, who was also another strong Maple Leafs addition.

The Lightning added Jake Guentzel, but lost team icon Steven Stamkos, while the Bruins' big moves included signing Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm, but they also lost a number of players, including Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen.