The kid is turning heads.

18-year-old Kailer Yamamoto scored his fifth goal in four preseason games for the Edmonton Oilers in a loss to Carolina on Monday, and is making a very strong case to make the team out of training camp.

"It's been impressive watching him," head coach Todd McLellan said after the game. "When he continues to open your eyes, he deserves the opportunity."

Expected to have a cup of coffee with the big club before being sent back to junior, the 22nd overall pick from the 2017 NHL Draft is belying his age and 5-foot-8 frame to make an undeniable impression.

At the very least, it appears as though he'll get a nine-game look before the team has to decide whether to burn a year off his entry-level deal or send him back to the WHL's Spokane Chiefs.

"I don't care who plays on our team," McLellan added. "We need 23 guys to wear jerseys, whether he's 18 or 38, we want to win. It doesn't matter to me what their names are or how big they are, if they can get the job done then they should play."

As noted by Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Yamamoto is likely competing with highly-touted prospect Jesse Puljujarvi for the forward spot, and has a clear skate up on the fourth pick of the 2016 Draft.

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Sidney Crosby's decision to visit the White House is already drawing some heavy criticism.

Georges Laraque, a former teammate of Crosby's, called Pittsburgh's decision to visit the White House 'an embarrassment', and now Crosby is hearing it from his home province of Nova Scotia.

"It's an act of moral cowardice," El Jones, a poet, professor, and activist in Halifax told Metro News. "I think that he can still fix this and maybe with pressure he will."

Crosby's decision to have his team visit the White House comes in the wake of President Donald Trump scolding NFL players who kneel during the anthem, and revoking his White House invite to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

"Sidney is a superstar. He's not some rookie that doesn't have a voice in the locker room," Jones said. "If he didn't want to go, as captain and as the biggest superstar in the league he could've made a serious point about not going. He has a lot of power here."

Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, is undoubtedly the most prominent athlete the province has produced. Jones believes this decision could tarnish his image.

"A lot of people who play hockey in this province who are Black and who admire Sidney Crosby are now facing the idea that Sidney Crosby has no interest in standing up for them or seeing them or thinking that they're worth speaking for," Jones said.

Despite the decision, Jones believes there's still time for Crosby to make things right.

"I hope that he sees this and realizes how greatly disappointing this is to Canadians and particularly to Black Canadians," Jones said. "He has a chance to reconsider. I'm not saying he's a terrible person, but he made a terrible choice."

- With h/t to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Sidney Crosby's decision to visit the White House is already drawing some heavy criticism.

Georges Laraque, a former teammate of Crosby's, called Pittsburgh's decision to visit the White House 'an embarrassment', and now Crosby is hearing it from his home province of Nova Scotia.

"It's an act of moral cowardice," El Jones, a poet, professor, and activist in Halifax told Metro News. "I think that he can still fix this and maybe with pressure he will."

Crosby's decision to have his team visit the White House comes in the wake of President Donald Trump scolding NFL players who kneel during the anthem, and revoking his White House invite to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

"Sidney is a superstar. He's not some rookie that doesn't have a voice in the locker room," Jones said. "If he didn't want to go, as captain and as the biggest superstar in the league he could've made a serious point about not going. He has a lot of power here."

Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, is undoubtedly the most prominent athlete the province has produced. Jones believes this decision could tarnish his image.

"A lot of people who play hockey in this province who are Black and who admire Sidney Crosby are now facing the idea that Sidney Crosby has no interest in standing up for them or seeing them or thinking that they're worth speaking for," Jones said.

Despite the decision, Jones believes there's still time for Crosby to make things right.

"I hope that he sees this and realizes how greatly disappointing this is to Canadians and particularly to Black Canadians," Jones said. "He has a chance to reconsider. I'm not saying he's a terrible person, but he made a terrible choice."

- With h/t to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Boston University researchers claim to have developed a method that could lead to diagnosing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in living patients, TSN's Rick Westhead reports.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease that's been found to be caused by repetitive blows to the head.

Researchers studied the brains of 23 former football players as well as non-athletes and patients with Alzheimer's, and found that the football players had an increased level of CCL11, a biomarker, Westhead reports.

"The findings of this study are the early steps toward identifying CTE during life," author Ann McKee, a director at Boston University's CTE Center, said in a release, per Westhead.

"Not only did this research show the potential for CTE diagnosis during life, but it also offers a possible mechanism for distinguishing between CTE and other diseases," Boston University postdoctoral fellow Jonathan Cherry added.

Former NFL players Junior Seau, Ken Stabler, and Aaron Hernandez are among those who have been diagnosed with CTE after their brains were examined posthumously.

Boston University - considered a leader in research into the disease - houses an independent academic research center established in 1996.

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MONTREAL (AP) Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque says it is ''an embarrassment'' that the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are willing to visit President Donald Trump at the White House.

Laraque, who was a black player in a predominantly white league, told The Canadian Press that even though hockey is more conservative than other sports ''this time it's just wrong.'' Laraque added that he's surprised the NHL didn't take a stand and said when the Penguins go to the White House ''it's not going to look good.''

After Trump tweeted that the NBA champion Golden State Warriors were uninvited, the Penguins said over the weekend they'd honor the tradition of title-winning teams visiting the White House. Captain and playoff MVP Sidney Crosby, who's Canadian, said he supported the decision.

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The agonizingly long wait is almost over.

Colors start to change, the days get shorter, and the boys of winter get back to doing what they do best.

And, while the 2016-17 campaign was surely one to remember, the 2017-18 season is primed to be even better. Here's five reasons to look forward to the upcoming year.

Eichel will solidify himself as a superstar

If you haven't had the pleasure of visiting the lovely city of Buffalo, N.Y., over the past year, you may have missed out on the latest fever that's sweeping the town. Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel is quickly becoming, if he isn't already, the face of the franchise in the Queen City.

And for good reason.

Aside from being a homegrown American boy, Eichel can produce with the best of them, racking up 113 points across 142 regular-season games during his first two seasons in the league.

Factor in his top draft-pick status (yes, he was second overall but remember who went No. 1), seemingly limitless offensive potential, and that last year's numbers were slowed by recovery from a high ankle sprain, and you start to understand why folks in Buffalo have bought into Eichel-mania.

Battle of Alberta could produce a Cup winner

Hockey fans in the "Sunshine Province" have been waiting at least a decade for a Cup contender, and now they have two, as both the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers have legitimate shots at taking home the league's most-coveted piece of hardware.

Both teams qualified for the playoffs last season for the first time since 2006, but, it's their respective offseasons that should have fans most excited.

The Flames shored up their back end with the addition of veteran Mike Smith and bolstered their already stellar D-core with the acquisition of top-four rearguard Travis Hamonic. Meanwhile, the Oilers added depth up front with the additions of Jussi Jokinen and Ryan Strome - although, Edmonton's major offseason victories were the long-term signings of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.

Regardless, Calgary boasts one of the best defensive units in the league while Edmonton employs one of the most potent offensive attacks, setting up what is sure to be a very competitive season in Alberta.

Stamkos will remind everyone how nasty he is

A healthy Steven Stamkos is worth the price of admission, as few players in the league today can light the lamp like he can. Sure, the 27-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning pivot has only played in one full season since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a premier goal scorer with a bullet for a shot.

Across 586 career regular-season games, Stammer has racked up solid numbers, registering 321 goals and 261 assists while displaying a true nose for the net and wicked-fast release.

With Stamkos back at 100 percent, expect a lot of excitement - and success - to surround the Lightning this season.

The Maple Leafs are for real

The rest of Canada may not be ready to admit it just yet, but, the Toronto Maple Leafs are indeed a team to look out for in the revamped Eastern Conference.

Aside from the obvious talent of their top three forwards in Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner, the Leafs still ice a deep offensive team that also boasts the likes of Patrick Marleau, Nazem Kadri, and James van Riemsdyk.

Since the rest of the East has improved around them, with Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Buffalo all set to take major steps forward, Toronto will be in tough to replicate last season's 95-point performance.

However, thanks to the players already mentioned, the Maple Leafs should still be in the mix for one of the final two playoffs seeds.

Smashville will be even crazier

Nashville truly was the feel-good story of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, putting the league on notice with its quality hockey team and rabid in-game atmosphere.

Related: 10 best photos from the craziness that was Nashville's 1st Cup Final game

Raucous crowds, massive street parties, and an all-around fun approach to the game has quickly turned the city into a hockey market on the rise. But, keep in mind the team is returning almost the identical lineup that it played with last year, so expect the craziness to be ratcheted up a notch.

If you weren't able to witness the madness that was the Predators' postseason run, don't fret, as Nashville stands to be another club in serious contention to take home Lord Stanley's Mug come June.

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This is a standard scoring, head-to-head league made up of the following categories:

The roster positions go as follows: C, C, LW, LW, RW, RW, D, D, D, D, G, G, BN, BN, BN, BN, IR, IR

Draft Participants:

• Navin Vaswani, NHL Supervising Editor
• Esten McLaren, Football News Editor
• Craig Hagerman, NHL News Editor
• Josh Gold-Smith, Senior NHL News Editor
• Bryan Mcwilliam, MLB News Editor
• Josh Wegman, NHL News Editor
• Michael Bradburn, MLB News Editor
• Michael Amato, Senior Football News Editor
• Caitlyn Holroyd, Social News Editor
• Lanny Foster, Senior Social Media Editor

Round 1

The biggest shocker of the first round was Team Hagerman taking Karlsson at No. 3. If he's healthy, he's certainly worth a top three selection, but it's unclear how long he will be out to begin the season. Nonetheless, the fact that he was out skating Saturday is certainly a good sign.

Round 2

Team Gold-Smith made Hedman the only defenseman taken in the second round, and given that he is coming off a career-high 72 points, there's an argument to be made he should of went much higher.

Round 3

Team Vaswani opted to select Dubnyk as the first goalie of the draft. Dubnyk isn't the top goalie on too many draft boards, but considering his .924 SV% and 2.17 GAA since joining the Wild, it's hard to argue the selection.

This pick created a massive run on goalies, as nine of the next 15 players taken were netminders.

Round 4

Team Holroyd took Vasilevskiy higher than most anticipated, but the Russian netminder sported a 2.27 GAA and a .930 SV% once Ben Bishop was traded, signaling that he's ready to be 'the guy' in the Lightning crease. Furthermore, many have the Lightning as Stanley Cup favorites.

Round 5

Simmonds is much more valuable in leagues that record hits and blocks, but four straight seasons of 28 goals or more can't be overlooked. Plus, he has racked up 100 PIMs five times, providing value to a category many seem to overlook in standard leagues.

Round 6

Aho had a stellar rookie season, scoring 24 goals with 25 assists, but this might have been a slight reach by Team Foster. His dual-winger eligibility is very valuable, but fellow youngsters Ehlers, Marner, and William Nylander come with higher ceilings and floors.

Round 7

Drouin is projected to start the season at center, meaning he could be the only player in fantasy eligible at all three forward positions.

Team Amato is banking on a bounce-back year from Perry, and given that his shooting percentage from a year ago tied a career low, it seems likely.

Round 8

Pietrangelo recorded 18 points in 20 games once Shattenkirk's departure opened up some power-play time. A full season without Shattenkirk could result in multiple career highs for Pietrangelo, making this a very savvy pick by Team Hagerman.

Round 9

Hall isn't in the best of situations in New Jersey, but he has too much talent to pass up in the ninth round. If Nico Hischier is the real deal, Hall could easily regain his point-per-game form. It may feel like he's been around forever, but he's still remarkably only 25 years old.

Round 10

With Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm sidelined to begin the year, Fowler should see lots of ice time both at five-on-five and on the power play, making this a very astute pick by Team Mcwilliam. Moreover, the Ducks have a very favorable schedule for fantasy owners.

Eberle and Tavares have shown great chemistry together in international play. If that translates into the regular season, Team Bradburn could have himself a steal.

Round 11

After Team Wegman made a risky selection with the oft-injured Letang in the fourth round, he bought some insurance with Schultz in Round 11. If Letang goes down, Schultz will assume his role as the team's No. 1 defenseman and power-play specialist.

Round 12

Multiple players taken in this round could turn out to be the steal of the draft, but most notably Ekblad, Smith, and Voracek. Ekblad was very unlucky a year ago, Smith will play behind one of the league's best defense corps, and Voracek is a potential point-per-game player.

Round 13

Taking a player with the talent of MacKinnon at this point in the draft is a smart move by Team Foster, even though he's stuck in a fantasy wasteland in Colorado. The upside that comes with drafting him far outweighs the risk.

Round 14

The Rangers are a good offensive team, but lack that one dynamic forward who would be taken early in fantasy drafts. Team Amato, Mcwiliam, Gold-Smith, and Hagerman get a slice of that Rangers pie here in Round 14.

Round 15

Team McLaren takes advantage of a talented player on a bad team late in the draft, choosing Barrie with the 142nd pick. He won the green jacket last year, sporting a league-worst minus-34, but if he can return to his 50-point form, fantasy owners can swallow the ugly plus/minus in exchange for the points.

Round 16

Team Vaswani's selection of Staal as the draft's Mr. Irrelevant provides further proof for how deep the position of center is in fantasy. Unless an elite one falls and the value is too good to pass up, you can really afford to wait on centers.

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On the ice, Roberto Luongo is known as one of the greatest goaltenders of this generation. Off the ice, he's known to be one of the NHL's funniest and most charismatic players, as he's seemingly perfected the art of self-deprecating humor.

So when Luongo discussed his offeason battle while recovering from a hip injury, it was almost strange to hear the 38-year-old talk in a more serious manner.

"For a good two- to three-month period it was a battle mentally to just figure out if I could be able to ever come back," Luongo told NHL.com's Kevin Woodley. "I didn't feel like I was getting better and it was constantly bothering me, so it was as much a mental grind as a physical from March until almost June if I could ever fully recover and feel good on the ice."

Luongo had surgery to repair a torn hip labrum in May 2016, but that same hip started giving him problems during the 2016-17 campaign, ending his season prematurely.

However, Luongo made his preseason debut a week ago against the Predators and felt no limitations, stopping all eight shots that came his way.

"If you have in the back of your mind 'If I do this is it going to hurt me?' that is going to affect your game," Luongo said. "The main thing is you don't want to be playing a game and worry about what you can or cannot do and I was able to do that."

This news is certainly music to the ears of all hockey fans, as the league would simply not be the same without him.

- With h/t to Pro Hockey Talk

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Throughout the month of September, James Bisson and a cast of editors from theScore will share their rankings of the greatest players, teams, and moments in the 100-year history of the National Hockey League. Our final list focuses on the greatest players (Note: "All-Star" refers to end-of-season All-Star team voting and not to appearances in the All-Star Game):

100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1

Voter List

• James Bisson, National Sports Editor
• Joe Ross, Vice-President, Content
• Josh Wegman, NHL News Editor
• Sean O'Leary, NHL News Editor
• Esten McLaren, NHL News Editor
• Craig Hagerman, NHL News Editor
• Lanny Foster, Senior Social Media Editor
• Michael Amato, Senior News Editor
• Lucas Casaletto, News Editor
• Arun Srinivasan, News Editor
• Adam Sarson, Operations Lead

80. Alex Delvecchio

Delvecchio joined forces with Gordie Howe to create one of the NHL's most devastating one-two punches for the better part of two decades. A three-time Lady Byng winner and two-time All-Star, Delvecchio was a picture of consistency, recording 50 or more points 17 times while appearing in every game from 1957-63.

79. Alec Connell

Connell doesn't get enough credit for his exploits given that so many goaltenders posted video-game numbers in the 1920s and '30s. But it's hard to undermine the significance of a player who recorded shutouts at a rate of one for every 5.2 games played; Connell led the league in that category three times, and played for a pair of Stanley Cup champions.

78. Jean Ratelle

Ratelle didn't really blossom until his late-20s, when he went from part-time contributor to consistent 30-goal scorer with the Rangers. He posted a career-best 109 points in 1971-72 - winning the Lester B. Pearson Award in the process - and recorded five more 90-point seasons in his 30s. He finished top 10 in assists six times.

77. Dino Ciccarelli

Ask anyone who played against Ciccarelli, and they'll surely tell you how much of pain he was. But of the 10 players in NHL history with at least 1,200 points and 1,300 penalty minutes, nine of them are in the Hall of Fame, while a 10th - Jeremy Roenick - has a decent shot at making it. And only four - Ciccarelli among them - finished with more than 600 goals.

76. Jacques Lemaire

Among younger hockey fans, Lemaire is largely known as a successful head coach and executive - but before that, he was a member of the Canadiens' dynasty in the 1970s, winning eight Stanley Cups over the course of his 12-year NHL career. He was a terrific two-way talent in his prime, and never finished with more than 35 penalty minutes in a season.

75. Pavel Datsyuk

In an era when star players routinely play at least 1,200 NHL games, North American fans have to be disappointed that Datsyuk gave them less than a thousand. But most of those contests featured at least some form of puck wizardry from the Russian, who was taken 171st overall in 1998 and proceeded to win four Lady Byngs, three Selke Trophies, and two Stanley Cups.

74. Henrik Lundqvist

It's hard to believe Lundqvist has just one Vezina Trophy on his resume, given how dominant he was for an 11-year stretch beginning with his 2005-06 rookie campaign. However, he's finished in the top three on four other occasions, and his 405 regular-season victories entering 2017-18 rank him 10th on the all-time list.

73. Dave Andreychuk

Some guys get into the Hall of Fame because they're among the best players in the league over a short stretch. And others, like Andreychuk, get in because they're very good for a very long time. Andreychuk didn't make an All-Star team or resonate with Hart Trophy voters, but his 1,639 games played - seventh most in history - helped him finish with an elite career goal total.

72. Frank Mahovlich

Mahovlich was the heart and soul of the Maple Leafs in the early 1960s, racking up six consecutive All-Star nods following his Calder Trophy season in 1958. After winning four Stanley Cup titles in the blue and white, Mahovlich made his way to Detroit before wrapping up his NHL career in Montreal, where he won two more championships.

71. Darryl Sittler

Sittler would probably have been considered for this list simply for setting the NHL record with 10 points in a game back on Feb. 7, 1976. But he earned a spot on the all-time ledger by virtue of a terrific career in which he finished in the top 10 in Hart Trophy voting five times, and made an All-Star team in 1978 on the strength of a career-best 117 points.

70. Eddie Shore

Points are sexy - which is the only explanation for why a four-time Hart Trophy winner and eight-time All-Star finds himself way back here. Shore was a menace to play against in his prime, leading the league in penalty minutes in his second NHL season and finishing in triple digits on five occasions. He also led the Bruins to a pair of Stanley Cup titles over his 14-year career.

69. Henri Richard

Imagine winning so many Stanley Cup rings that you actually run out of fingers and thumbs to put them on. While older brother Maurice was the superior player, Henri - nicknamed "The Pocket Rocket" - was one of the linchpins of two Canadiens dynasties. He won five straight Cups in the 1950s, and then earned six more titles over his final 10 seasons.

68. Yvan Cournoyer

He was never the face of the franchise, but most NHL players would love to have a career like Cournoyer's in Montreal. He was an NHL All-Star four times, finished top 10 in Hart voting on four occasions, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1973. Oh, and by virtue of spending his entire career with the Canadiens, he retired with eight shiny Stanley Cup rings.

67. Bernie Geoffrion

Most die-hard hockey fans know that Maurice Richard was the first NHL player to score 50 goals - but few outside Montreal are aware Geoffrion was next to reach the plateau. Geoffrion won the Hart Trophy for his 50-goal, 95-point effort in 1961, the highlight of a career that saw him earn a Calder Trophy, three All-Star nods, and six Stanley Cup championships.

66. Glenn Hall

The bar is a lot higher for goaltenders than it is for forwards or defensemen on this list, but Hall is more than worthy of inclusion. Between the three Vezina Trophies, the 10 All-Star honors, and the distinction of playing every game in seven straight seasons from 1955-62, we can easily overlook the fact that Hall won just one Stanley Cup title.

65. Chris Chelios

Only two players in history have appeared in an NHL game after turning 48: Gordie Howe and Chelios, who's one of the greatest two-way blue-liners the game has ever seen. His bruising style earned him three Norris Trophies and six All-Star nods, and he won his first two Stanley Cup titles 16 years apart, and then added a third in 2008 at age 46.

64. George Hainsworth

No goaltender in history has recorded a three-year stretch like the one Hainsworth enjoyed in the late 1920s. He opened his NHL career by winning the Vezina Trophy three straight seasons - a span that included a 76-32-24 record with a 1.15 goals-against average and 49 shutouts. He couldn't keep up that incredible pace throughout his career, but he did lead the league in wins four times.

63. Mark Recchi

Recchi is one of those players who was good for a very long time; he only earned one All-Star accolade - coming way back in 1992 - but with 1,533 career points, he'll be in the top 20 in that category for a while. One interesting note: Recchi played 1,652 regular-season games and was on the ice for the exact same number of even-strength goals for and against.

62. John Bucyk

Bucyk had a curious career, serving as a decent scoring option for the Bruins through his first 13 seasons before really taking off. His top six scoring seasons all came from age 35 onward, during which he won the Lady Byng twice and finished in the top 3 on three other occasions. He also won a pair of Stanley Cups, finishing with a playoff-best nine goals in 1972.

61. Evgeni Malkin

Malkin has played just over 700 regular-season NHL games, but has already established himself as one of the most gifted forwards of the past 50 years. The Russian star has a pair of scoring titles under his belt and was awarded the Hart Trophy in 2012 after recording a career-best 50 goals and a league-high 109 points. Those three Stanley Cup rings don't hurt his resume, either.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The dawn of the 2017-18 NHL season is upon us, and now is the time to venture our guesses on how things will play out. Today, we take a look at the Atlantic Division, which is poised to be tightly contested.

Here's how we reckon things will look at the end of the season:

Tampa Bay Lightning

Even after going completely off the rails midway through the 2016-17 season, the Lightning showed enough unified resolve to claw back into the race and miss the playoffs by a single point.

Nikita Kucherov is terrifying, and so is Victor Hedman. Captain Steven Stamkos will be back, and they acquired one of the top defensive prospects in the game in Mikhail Sergachev to complement the D-corps. The Lightning should be armed and ready to avenge their recent lost campaign, and put together another march toward a Stanley Cup.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Expectations are sky-high for the Maple Leafs entering year two of the Auston Matthews era, and more than a few eyes will be watching to see how it plays out.

Though Toronto faces the pressure of improving upon last season's wild-card berth as naysayers harp on the inevitable "sophomore slump," the Maple Leafs own one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL, a reliable starting goaltender, and a top-flight coach. That's a quality recipe for sustained success in a relatively open division.

Montreal Canadiens

The Habs' ceiling can get as high as Carey Price can push it (which is very, very high), but Montreal needs a little more than that to defend its division title from a season ago.

Playoffs are a realistic expectation for this team, but to ensure that comes to fruition, head coach Claude Julien needs to implement an improved attack plan for his forwards while finding a way to get the most out of a not-so-mobile defensive group.

The most intriguing aspect of this Canadiens season will be Jonathan Drouin's first season in his home province. If he's everything the organization believes he is, Montreal has increased potential to make some noise.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins will end up much closer to the top of the division than this prediction if Bruce Cassidy's first full season is as successful as his 27-game debut stint. After taking over for Julien on Feb. 7, Cassidy commanded the Bruins to an 18-8-1 record, essentially resuscitating the club's playoff hopes.

However, this Bruins roster has some question marks, mainly in goal. Since capturing the Vezina in 2013-14, Tuukka Rask's save percentage has dipped immensely. The 30-year-old registered a .915 clip in each of the past two seasons, and his backup, Anton Khudobin, offers little help - he produced a troublesome .904 save percentage in 16 starts in 2016-17.

Elsewhere, Boston lacks the offensive depth to properly complement its top trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak, which could leave the Bruins battling for a wild-card spot rather than a division title.

Ottawa Senators

Right out of the gate, the Senators will be faced with an uphill battle to repeat last season's success, as Erik Karlsson's injury timeline looms large.

Ottawa is also faced with injuries up front to Derick Brassard, Colin White, and Clarke MacArthur, so staying afloat through October will be priority No. 1 for Guy Boucher's group.

Speaking of Boucher, though he led Tampa Bay to the Conference Finals in his only other NHL coaching gig in 2011, his trap system failed after year one. Senators fans are surely hoping history doesn't repeat itself.

Buffalo Sabres

A full season of Jack Eichel essentially guarantees improvement for the up-and-coming Sabres, who did well this offseason.

Buffalo brought in a new head coach and general manager, and addressed its biggest weakness - defense - by acquiring Marco Scandella and Nathan Beaulieu. Playoffs might be a stretch, but the Sabres don't look like pushovers anymore.

Florida Panthers

Four of Florida's top seven scorers from a season ago are no longer with the team, making it hard to imagine the Panthers being seriously competitive.

Even with Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau healthy, the Panthers face numerous questions throughout the organization. Can Bob Boughner succeed in his first NHL head coaching gig? Will KHL star Evgeny Dadanov make enough of an impact? Can Dale Tallon get the team to play the way he wants them to?

Until the Panthers prove us wrong on any of these fronts, it's tough to consider them among the contenders in the Atlantic.

Detroit Red Wings

Detroit is best suited to begin selling its assets and commit to a full-scale rebuild - even if general manager Ken Holland doesn't want to.

The Red Wings' roster doesn't have enough talent to make any noise in the East, and Holland has dug himself into the depths of salary-cap hell by dishing out so many constricting contracts in years past.

On the bright side, Detroit should have a serious chance at winning the rights to draft stud defensive prospect Rasmus Dahlin.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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