2023 NHL Draft: Atlantic Division needs

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at needs for teams in the Atlantic Division. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here

The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft provides an opportunity for teams to strengthen positions of need with young talent.

Here is what Atlantic Division teams could be looking to do at the draft (listed in alphabetical order):

BOSTON BRUINS

Top priority:Best player available

First pick:No. 92

The situation:Boston, which lost 4-3 in overtime to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round, has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs seven straight seasons but hasn't advanced past the second round since losing to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Boston (65-12-5) won the Presidents' Trophy and set an NHL record for wins and points (135). Forwards Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Nick Foligno and Tyler Bertuzzi are each a pending unrestricted free agent, and forward Trent Frederic and goalie Jeremy Swayman could be restricted free agents July 1. The top prospects in the pipeline might be forwards John Beecher (2019 NHL Draft, No. 30), Fabian Lysell (2021, No. 21), Matthew Poitras (2022, No. 54) and Riley Duran (2020, No. 182) and defenseman Mason Lohrei (2020, No. 58). Boston's first of its five draft picks will come in the third round.

Possible fits: Lenni Hameenaho, RW, Assat (FIN); Andrew Strathmann, D, Youngstown (USHL); Cole Knuble, C, Fargo (USHL)

BUFFALO SABRES

Top priority:Best available

First pick:No. 13

The situation:The Sabres missed the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season but had a 16-point improvement over 2021-22 and showed plenty of promise behind rookie defenseman Owen Power and first-year forwards Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka. Buffalo was third with 3.57 goals per game, the first time in 11 seasons it didn't finish in the bottom third of the NHL. The Sabres have eight draft picks, three in the first two rounds. They've built an impressive prospect group led by forwards Jiri Kulich (2022, No. 28), Matt Savoie (2022, No. 9), Noah Ostlund (2022, No. 16) and Isak Rosen (2021, No. 14), defenseman Ryan Johnson (2019, No. 31) and goalie Devon Levi (2021, trade, Florida Panthers). They'll need to continue to gain assets for a possible move and push to qualify for the postseason in 2023-24.

Possible fits: Axel Sandin Pellikka, D, Skelleftea Jr. (SWE); Matthew Wood, RW, University of Connecticut (NCAA); Eduard Sale, LW, Brno (CZE)

DETROIT RED WINGS

Top priority:Forward and defenseman depth

First pick:No. 9

The situation:Detroit's rebuilding effort is showing promise: Defenseman Simon Edvinsson (2021, No. 6) had 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 52 games as a rookie with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, forward Marco Kasper (2022, No. 8) had 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 52 games for Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League and goalie Sebastian Cossa (2021, No. 15) was 26-16-4 with a 2.56 GAA and .913 save percentage in 46 games with Toledo of the ECHL. Forward Jonatan Berggren (2018, No. 33) had 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) in 67 games as an NHL rookie this season and was one of the biggest surprises on the roster. Detroit has 10 draft picks, two in the first round (No. 9, No. 17) and three in the second round.

Possible fits:Oliver Moore, C, USA U-18 (NTDP); Nate Danielson, C, Brandon (WHL): David Reinbacher, D, Kloten (SUI)

FLORIDA PANTHERS

Top priority: Defenseman depth

First pick:No. 63

The situation:The Panthers surprised everyone by reaching the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Their first selection will come in the second round after trading their first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Ben Chiarot on March 16, 2022. The Panthers earned the second wild card into the playoffs from the East on the final day of the regular season. Adding to their prospect depth at defenseman could be a priority; Evan Nause (2021, No. 56) and Mike Benning (2020, No. 95) might be the top two in the pipeline.

Possible fits:Andrew Gibson, D, Soo (OHL); Tristan Bertucci, D, Flint (OHL); Dmitriy Simashev, D, Yaroslavl Jr. (RUS)

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Top priority:Goalie

First pick:No. 5

The situation:After reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, the Canadiens have not made the playoffs the past two seasons. They reached the playoffs in nine of 11 seasons between 2004 and 2015 but have qualified three of the past eight. Montreal has 11 picks in the draft for the second straight year, including two in the first round (No. 5, No. 31) and seven in the first four rounds. The organization has a stable of good defenseman prospects -- Lane Hutson (2022, No. 62), Justin Barron (trade, Colorado Avalanche, March 21, 2022), Mattias Norlinder (2019, No. 64) and Logan Mailloux (2021, No. 31) -- but future help is needed at goalie. Expect the Canadiens to choose the best available player with the No. 5 pick, likely a forward. They could reach for a goalie with their second pick in the first round or the second round (No. 37).

Possible fits:Matvei Michkov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg (KHL); William Smith, C, USA U-18 (NTDP); Michael Hrabal, G, Omaha (USHL)

OTTAWA SENATORS

Top priority:Best available

First pick:No. 108

The situation:The Senators failed to qualify for the playoffs for the sixth straight season, the longest drought in their history. They last qualified in 2016-17, when they lost the Eastern Conference Final in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. After selecting in the top 10 of the draft four times in the past five years, the Senators won't be on the clock until the fourth round this year. Four rookies played significant roles this season, defenseman Jake Sanderson (2020, No. 5) and forwards Shane Pinto (2019, No. 32), Mark Kastelic (2019, No. 125) and Ridly Greig (2020, No. 28). Ottawa has five picks and will likely look to create depth at every position.

Possible fits:Thomas Milic, G, Seattle (WHL); Matteo Mann, D, Chicoutimi (QMJHL); Matt Copponi, C, Merrimack (H-EAST)

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Top priority:Best available

First pick:No. 179

The situation:Tampa Bay lost the first round in six games to the Toronto Maple Leafs after reaching the Stanley Cup Final the previous three seasons and winning the Cup in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning have just three picks in the draft, none in the first five rounds, after trading their first-round pick (No. 19) to the Chicago Blackhawks in the deal for forward Brandon Hagel on March 18, 2022. Tampa Bay will probably add to its prospect pool with players at every position with 32-year-old defensemen Victor Hedman and Zach Bogosian, and 33-year-old forward Steven Stamkos, potentially nearing the end of their prime seasons. History has shown it doesn't matter how many or where the Lightning pick in the draft. Assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting Al Murray has a knack for uncovering diamonds in the rough.

Possible fits:Luke Mittelstadt, D, Minnesota (NCAA); William Vote, RW, USA U-18 (NTDP); Chase Cheslock, D, Rogers (HIGH-MIN)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Top priority:Forward and defenseman depth

First pick:No. 28

The situation: The Maple Leafs were eliminated from the second round in five games by the Panthers, who were 19 points behind them in Atlantic Division. Brad Treliving replaced Kyle Dubas as GM on May 31. Though Toronto has qualified for the playoffs seven consecutive seasons, Treliving said he will evaluate all facets of the roster and change won't be made for the sake of it, especially to the core of forwards Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitchell Marner and John Tavares. The Maple Leafs have a few good prospects in the pipeline, among them defenseman Topi Niemela (2020, No. 64) and forwards Matthew Knies (2021, No. 57), Nicholas Robertson (2019, No. 53) and Nick Abruzzese (2019, No. 124). Knies had 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games as a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, and four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games for Toronto in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the third straight year the Maple Leafs have just three picks in the draft. They have no selections in the second, third, fourth and seventh round.

Possible fits: Riley Heidt, C, Prince George (WHL); Charlie Stramel, C, Wisconsin (NCAA); Oliver Bonk, D, London (OHL)

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