The Lightning also were forced to trade veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators in order to shed salary. Palat has been one of the more steady secondary offensive producers for the Lightning throughout their dynamic three-year Cup runs.
Eastern conference free#
One of which was let winger Ondrej Palat walk in free agency and cash in on a big pay day with the New Jersey Devils. Over the summer, the Lightning were up against the salary cap, so the team was forced to make some extremely tough decisions. This is a franchise that has relied on its veterans time and time again, but could age finally catch up with them? It's entirely within the realm of possiblities. But it's quite possible that Tampa Bay takes a step back during the 2022-23 season.įirst of all, the Lightning will enter the upcoming season as the third-oldest team in all of the NHL. The Lightning have been the standard bearer in the Eastern Conference for the past three seasons. Atlantic Division Lightning's path to Final is harder Here's a breakdown of the eastern divisions as we enter the 2022-23 campaign. The Lightning certainly are still one of the top teams that the East has to offer, but the conference may be deeper than it's been in quite some time with several teams making key improvements. The Eastern Conference juggernauts were dethroned by the Colorado Avalanche this past June. If it can accomplish that goal, there is little doubt that the Heat would see their odds take a substantial bump.The 2022-23 NHL season will get underway in a few days, and it comes a ton of intrigue.įor the first time in three seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren't the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Clearly, the organization is looking to make a big move to add another elite talent before the upcoming regular season begins. After all, the Heat have been connected to stars like Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell in trade rumors this summer. The team’s front office seems to think that as well. While the Heat may be a bit low, even fans of the franchise would likely admit that the team is not quite where it needs to be to win a title. They won the Eastern Conference in the 2019-20 season and came up just short of that same achievement last season. They actually haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since the 2000-01 season.Īs for the Heat, they’ve enjoyed far more success in just the past few years. After all, the 76ers have failed to advance deeply in the playoffs for many years. Perhaps the only real surprise on the list is that the 76ers were given better odds than the Heat. Boston Celtics: 67 points (42.1% of first-place votes) “Not in the picture? The Nets, who despite still having Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the roster could be due for a massive shake-up by the time the 2023 playoffs roll around. “Tucker’s former team, the Miami Heat, check in fourth despite retaining the bulk of the roster that went to Game 7 of the East finals last season.
Eastern conference full#
“Sitting at third on our panel’s list are the Philadelphia 76ers, who will have a full season of the James Harden-Joel Embiid partnership and welcome defensive stalwart P.J. Boston keeps its core while adding former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, and Milwaukee returns to full strength after losing All-Star Khris Middleton in the opening round of the 2022 playoffs.
“The reigning conference champion Celtics and the 2021 NBA champion Bucks emerge as the clear front-runners, according to ESPN’s Summer Forecast panel.
Eastern conference series#
“Two teams that battled through last season’s epic seven-game conference semifinals series check in as the East’s favorites to reach the 2023 NBA Finals,” the site’s NBA insiders wrote. In fact, ESPN panelists recently gave better odds to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers when it comes to who they think will win the conference championship next season. They got that far despite a number of injuries to key players in the playoffs.ĭespite that level of success, the Heat have not been pegged as a top favorite to win the Eastern Conference in the upcoming campaign. The Miami Heat were just one game away from advancing to the 2022 NBA Finals last season.
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