Red Wings' Atlantic Division rivals have raised the bar. Will Detroit be left behind?

For years, the four-team race in the bottom half of the NHL’s Atlantic Division has unfolded in slow motion.As the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers thrived as some of the top teams in the sport, the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres worked through their respective rebuilds, preparing to one day supplant those powers if, and when, they finally wobbled.Advertisement