It's been almost three months since we last took a look at the best teams in the Eastern Conference and power ranked them by division. Considering how much money changed hands and bodies moved cities since July 1, we felt it was the perfect time to revisit our rankings and provide an updated order of things in terms of NHL hierarchy. Although not a ton has changed, it's still a worthwhile fantasy endeavor to know what is expected for each and every club in the league for the upcoming campaign.

Next week we'll hit the Metropolitan, but to kick things off let's jump into a rapidly-improving Atlantic Division that, realistically, has seven teams out of eight with a legitimate shot at a playoff spot – sorry, Montreal.

8) Montreal Canadiens

There is no denying the fact the Habs are going to be an improved group this season with one of most loaded NHL prospect pools there is, but until young guns on the blue line in Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Justin Barron, and Logan Mailloux establish themselves as consistent everyday contributors, fantasy GMs should be wary of this Canadiens squad as one likely to be in the basement of the division once again. The other obvious concern has to be in net, where two relatively unproven fantasy options in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau are also looking to cement themselves as pieces to be regularly relied on throughout the course of the season. Marty St. Louis is an excellent coach who clearly has the admiration of his players who should have Montreal back in the playoffs before long, but other than a few stud young guns up front in the trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and budding superstar Juraj Slafkovsky, this is not a team to invest in or expect anything else than a last-place campaign. Despite all the fan-fueled hype over the addition of Patrik Laine and the newly-formed trio of himself alongside other reclamation projects in Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, the Habs also lack depth scoring that, combined with their other weaknesses, could lead to another long season in La Belle Province.

7) Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings finished ninth in league scoring just a season ago and with a top-six forward group that flaunts the likes of Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and two of the more lethal offensive vets left in the sport in Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane, Detroit should be a tough offensive group to handle – especially on the man advantage where last year the Wings finished ninth in power-play proficiency. The four-headed monster in Detroit's blue paint is definitely the biggest concern and fantasy red flag for this organization, as Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and newly-added Jack Campbell and supposed starter Cam Talbot are all vying for minutes which could ultimately lead to a lot of time sharing and split starts. If one of those aforementioned netminders manages to take the crease and be a clear-cut starter then the Wings likely have enough talent to knock on the door for a wild-card spot but that is an if we don't want to risk.

6) Buffalo Sabres

Few teams in the NHL today are blessed with the offensive gifts the Sabres tout, as this is arguably the best young core in the league with top draft picks at seemingly every single position. Last year's dip in production across the board from the likes of Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, and  bounce-back candidate Tage Thompson clearly contributed to an overall deflating season for a franchise in Buffalo that's missed out on spring time hockey since Lindy Ruff last coached the team way back in 2011. For that ugly curse to finally be snapped, up-and-coming fantasy hockey goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is going to be relied upon heavily who could make for the perfect target for fantasy GMs looking for some depth in the cage as a second or even better, third option. UPL was sensational down the stretch last year to finish with a 27-22-4, 2.57 goals-against average, .910 save percentage, and five shutouts, and will need to be that solid once again if the Sabres hope to topple the teams above them on our list.

5) Ottawa Senators

Linus Ullmark. That's seemingly the only name Sens fans have been talking about for three months who will be counted on to take one of the most disappointing teams in the league last season back to the promised land. Considering the dangerous forward group at new head coach Travis Green's disposal for the upcoming campaign that includes one the most attractive fantasy hockey names in the game in Brady Tkachuk and rising young pieces like Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto, Ottawa should be a much improved club looking to resurrect their 23rd-ranked power play from a year ago.

4) Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have a stingy combination of a blue-line loaded with big boys highlighted by Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov and an All-Star caliber netminder ready for takeoff in Jeremy Swayman and the only thing holding them back is a lack of secondary scoring punch. A lot of pressure is on the the top line of Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, and of course, potential top-five fantasy hockey draft pick David Pastrnak to carry the bulk of the load offensively and if that trio struggles, expect the rest of the Bruins to do so as well despite being one of the tougher teams to face in their own end. The Bruins are a team somewhat difficult to put a finger on despite their perennial success and regular trips to the postseason. After Pasta, Swayman, Marchand, and McAvoy, be wary of how much you invest into their fantasy options.

3) Toronto Maple Leafs

Questions abound in Leaf Land once again and it all boils down to the same narratives: Who will be the answer in Toronto's crease? Can the core-four of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares finally get it done and carry the Leafs on a prolonged run? Will the latest offseason upgrades of Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz be enough to go up against other re-tooled teams in the east? There's no doubting the amazing fantasy hockey options the Buds employ but in terms of whether or not this group has what it takes to make noise in April and May, once again, only time will tell.

2) Tampa Bay Lightning

Like we've said before when discussing the Tampa Bay Lightning's offseason moves and expectations for the 2024-25 season: Steven Stamkos out, Jake Guentzel in, and likely, business as usual and another really good Bolts bunch who should be at the top of the division at the end of the year. Take your pick of elite options and Tampa has 'em covered: Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and of course, Nikita Kucherov will all be names off draft boards in the first four or five rounds that any fantasy hockey GM would be lucky to own. Expect Tampa to be in the mix for one of the top spots in the division once again.

1) Florida Panthers

Back-to-back trips to the Cup, one the best goalies of the past twenty years, a wizard behind the bench, and a balanced team at every position cements the Panthers as the number one club in the division heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Their top fantasy targets have been well documented, and for good reason, but if we had to name an under-the-radar Panther for the upcoming year that could see an uptick in minutes and production it would be Anton Lundell. Don't sleep on Lundell's two-way game or upside, his 35 points from a season ago are just scratching the surface of his potential output as a player who could wind up stealing the second-line centre spot from Sam Bennett and get a really good look playing with Matthew Tkachuk. The losses of Brandon Montour and Vladimir Tarasenko are two subtractions that should be noted but not counted on in anyway to limit Florida's ability to once again run through the division and the rest of the conference.