The NHL season officially starts next Wednesday, October 2nd. The Lightning season starts the next night on Thursday against the Florida Panthers in what will be the fourth game of a five-game series, including the final three preseason games and the first two regular-season games.
And as we do every year, we’re asking you to participate in ranking the teams heading into the season. The ranking tool is here. If you’ve joined in rankings in the past, it will be familiar. If not, it’s quick and easy to use.
Heading into this season, the Atlantic Division again projects to have some of the best teams in the NHL and some of the worst.