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NHL Core Strength: How Atlantic Division teams found their best players

The best way to examine how NHL teams are built is to look at their cores. The teams of the powerhouse Atlantic Division all took different paths.

nick ashbourne
Writer
·9 min read

This is Part 1 of a series examining how NHL teams acquired their top players and what we can learn from their team-building efforts.

For the purposes of this series, we'll look at the top three forwards, the top two defensemen, and the starting goalie on each squad for 2023-24. That can get a bit subjective, but when in doubt, 2022-23 playing time and point totals (or salary) all work as handy tiebreakers.

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The Atlantic Division has been the NHL's toughest in recent years, sending a representative to the Stanley Cup Final in five consecutive seasons.

While its top teams are all fierce, they've come upon their success with different team-building strengths and weaknesses. Even if some of the bottom-feeders aren't competitive yet, there's something to learn about how they're building.

Here's a rundown of how the teams in the Atlantic put together their cores:

Boston Bruins

Core players

What we can learn: The Bruins haven't had the chance to bottom out in recent years, but they've also had the longevity and continued effectiveness of Patrice Bergeron and Marchand to count on.

Nailing the Pastrňák and McAvoy selections despite not having high picks helped Boston sustain its success — as has signing Ullmark and making an aggressive play for Lindholm.

Coyle's name seems odd as a top-three forward on a Bruins team that set records last season, but right now he has the third-highest salary and projects as the top-line center. Boston is likely to seek another top forward on the trade market before 2023-24 begins.

The Bruins are built around star forwards David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
The Bruins are built around star forwards David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Core players

  • F Auston Matthews (Drafted 1st overall in 2016)

  • F Mitch Marner (Drafted 4th overall in 2015)

  • F John Tavares (Signed as a free agent in 2018)

  • D Morgan Rielly (Drafted 5th overall in 2012)

  • D T.J. Brodie (Signed as a free agent in 2020)

  • G Ilya Samsonov (Signed as a free agent in 2022)

What we can learn: The Maple Leafs built their team in a textbook manner by drafting top-end talent with high picks and then adding free agents around it.

While that sounds good on paper, Toronto retained the players it drafted on massive contracts, and used another big deal to lure in Tavares. When the salary cap flattened out, the team was forced to constantly pinch pennies to build a supporting cast, which often meant acquiring players at a premium due to salary retention.

You wouldn't want to build a team the way the Maple Leafs have in recent years, but the basic principles Toronto's squad has been constructed on might've held up under different financial circumstances.

The Leafs' talented core hasn't been able to drive postseason success. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Leafs' talented core hasn't been able to drive postseason success. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Core players

What we can learn: More than any other team in the division, the Lightning found impact players later in the draft to build a formidable core. Sure, grabbing Stamkos and Hedman with top-two picks played a major role in the team's success, but finding guys like Point, Kucherov, and Anthony Cirelli (72nd overall in 2015) later on was a true differentiator.

Fleecing the Montreal Canadiens in the Jonathan Drouin trade also helped. As did having the courage to commit to a first-round goaltender back in 2012.

There has been some quibbling with Tampa Bay's willingness to trade first-round picks in recent years — and the Tanner Jeannot deal remains a head-scratcher — but this has been a model franchise that's missed the playoffs once in the last 10 seasons, making the Stanley Cup Final four times in that span.

The Lightning have been extremely successful with their current core. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Lightning have been extremely successful with their current core. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)

Florida Panthers

Core players

What we can learn: Like the Maple Leafs, the Panthers have taken the traditional route of bottoming out and acquiring some foundational pieces, then building on them.

Verhaeghe, Montour, and Sam Reinhart are also excellent internal development stories as each of the trio found a higher level with the Panthers than they achieved elsewhere. Add in an audacious trade for Tkachuk and you've got a recipe for an Eastern Conference champion.

Arguably the biggest misstep the Panthers made was throwing a colossal contract Sergei Bobrovsky's way when they felt like it was time to compete, but that paid off in the 2023 playoffs.

The Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last season. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last season. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/NHLI via Getty Images)

Buffalo Sabres

Core players

What we can learn: Being able to build your blue line around a pair of first-overall picks is a nice luxury to have. Beyond that, the Sabres did well with early picks for Cozens — and to some extent Casey Mittelstadt (8th overall in 2017) — while watching Thompson blossom into a superstar before their eyes.

Losing a player like Jack Eichel seemed like it would really set the Sabres back, but they've gotten excellent value from Alex Tuch, and Peyton Krebs may still develop into an impact player.

If Devon Levi becomes a reliable starter, a Sam Reinhart deal that initially looked awful for Buffalo may be salvaged. The combination of high picks and solid trades has given Buffalo a strong foundation. The team's next step may be to get active in free agency.

The Sabres have some intriguing building blocks in place. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Sabres have some intriguing building blocks in place. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ottawa Senators

Core players

What we can learn: The Senators have gone about their rebuild in a relatively common way by establishing some high picks at the NHL level and adding around them.

Things got a little bit weird with the acquisition of Alex DeBrincat for a package that included the seventh-overall pick as Ottawa tried to accelerate its timeline. After a single season, DeBrincat was gone for a lesser package, and the Senators missed the playoffs.

If Kevin Korchinski or another player drafted shortly after him in 2022 turns out to be a superstar, the DeBrincat move could be the thing that ruined Ottawa's rebuild, but the team appears to be largely on the right track. Adding Chychrun looks like it will solidify the defense and the Korpisalo signing is high-risk, but could pay off nicely if he can maintain his 2022-23 form.

The Senators hung around the playoff race last season. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Senators hung around the playoff race last season. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Detroit Red Wings

Core players

  • F Dylan Larkin (Drafted 14th overall in 2014)

  • F Lucas Raymond (Drafted 4th overall in 2020)

  • F Alex DeBrincat (Trade acquisition in 2023, extended in 2023)

  • D Moritz Seider (Drafted 6th overall in 2019)

  • D Ben Chiarot (Signed as a free agent in 2022)

  • G Ville Husso (Trade acquisition in 2022, extended in 2022)

What we can learn: While the Red Wings have become infamous for signing veteran after veteran in free agency recently, they are not trying to buy a core. They have a group of players to build around — particularly after the DeBrincat deal.

Whether the team's top young players are ultimately good enough to drive winning and whether the signings they've made are the right ones are both up for debate.

From a 30,000-foot perspective, the idea of establishing a few youngsters and insulating them with veteran talent makes sense, but the Red Wings don't look like they'll be the top dog in this division any time soon.

The Red Wings still have a ways to go to be competitive in the Atlantic Division. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Red Wings still have a ways to go to be competitive in the Atlantic Division. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens

Core players

What we can learn: The Canadiens are a bit of an odd duck from a team-building perspective as an enormous percentage of their top players were acquired via trade. Of their top-nine forwards, seven were traded to the team, according to the admittedly imperfect CapFriendly depth chart.

The defense corps is a little more homegrown, and the whole picture could change if 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky and 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher become stars. Even so, it's more common to lay the foundation with top picks and build around them. Things are going in the opposition direction for Montreal, which isn't particularly encouraging for the Canadiens.

Hitting on Caufield in the middle of the first round was a coup for the Habs, but they don't have a blueprint most teams would opt to follow.

The Habs have a long road ahead to get back to the playoffs, but there are some solid pieces in place. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Habs have a long road ahead to get back to the playoffs, but there are some solid pieces in place. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)