World's top poker player picks Leafs, Senators to top Eastern Conference standings in 2023-24 NHL season

The 2023-24 NHL season begins in three days, and one of the world's best poker players, Daniel Negreanu, predicted the team standings across all four divisions from two conferences for the upcoming season.

According to Negreanu's predictions, in the Atlantic Division of the East, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators are his two teams that'll finish in the top two in the Conference, followed by the Florida Panthers.

For him, the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are two playoff teams from last season in the Conference that will struggle this time due to injuries and the loss of key players.

Negreanu also predicted the New Jersey Devils to win the NHL's Metropolitan Division, with the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers finishing second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins will be among the teams vying for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference via a wild card.

For the Western Conference, he termed the Central Division to be the "hardest" to predict. According to Negreanu, the Dallas Stars are going to finish as the division champions, followed by Colorado and Minnesota.

The Edmonton Oilers are predicted to win the Pacific Division, followed by Vegas and Los Angeles. Notably, Negreanu also made a bold prediction regarding the Seattle Kraken, who made their way into the playoffs for the first time last season and are going to regress this time around.

Meanwhile, Calgary's direction in the upcoming NHL season under the new coach makes them an interesting team to watch out for in the division.

Ottawa Senators are trending to make the playoffs this NHL season

Ottawa Senators v Buffalo Sabres

The Ottawa Senators are highly predicted to make the playoffs from the East's Atlantic Division this time.

The Senators last qualified for the postseason in 2017. Last season, if there was any team from the Eastern Conference that came too close, it was Ottawa. They missed by one point to qualify for the playoffs from the Wild Card.

Injuries to the key players were one of the biggest reasons that hampered their season. This time, though, the players and fans are confident in breaking the six-year playoff drought.

The Sens currently have one of the best offensive firepowers in the league to compete against the big guns of the Atlantic Division. Barring any injuries or good goaltending while playing as a unit, the Sens are legitimate contenders this time.