Time to get down to the final division in our annual previews…Today, the best division in hockey? The Metropolitan Division.
#8 Carolina Hurricanes.
The Canes aren’t a bad team and last year really shocked many prognosticators who picked them this low by staying in the race until nearly the end. The Canes are doing things the right way for sure and I expect them to be a force in the coming years with a solid young core of Aho, Faulk, Hanifin, Teravainen and more...
#7 NJ Devils.
The Devils, like the Canes, are taking the long approach to proper rebuilding…but this summer got a huge boost in that timeline by grabbing Taylor Hall out of Edmonton. Shero is following the pattern he used in Pittsburgh and the one he participated in as an Assistant GM in Nashville. Smart trades and good drafting…The defense is still a few years away at this rate however. All that said, they may have the best goalie in the division in Schneider…They will not go down easily.
#6 Columbus.
The Jackets have quietly put together one of the best young defenses in hockey. Zach Werenski will be among the top rookies and will eventually captain this team…He is that good. If Bobrovsky can stay healthy and come close to his Vezina year they can find their way back into the playoffs…If not they will be battling to stay off the floor. This team lacks a superstar talent, a top line Center. DuBois has all the star potential in the world…the question is if he is ready yet…
#5. NY Rangers.
I feel as though everyone is dissing the NY Rangers and I am not sure they should be. When a division gets better you almost have to find some team that must be getting worse for those teams to become playoff teams right? That is what is happening with these Rangers. Everyone thinks the Caps, Penguins, Flyers and Islanders are teams on the rise, and the Rangers can’t be as well. That assumes a lot. I still see 5 teams coming out of this division and the Rangers will be one of them. Then they will have Lundqvist in the playoffs…and who knows?
#4 The NY Islanders.
The Islanders need Halak to be special again. I hate to make it that simple, but in a way it is. The Isles additions of Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera isn’t enough to make up for the losses of Okposo, Nielson, and Martin. The Isles are depending a lot on some unknown players and hoping to find the perfect fit for Tavares…again. The Isles biggest issue has been their transition game and their young defense can move the puck and will hopefully put that in their distant past.
#3. Philadelphia.
If you took away the first 4 weeks of the last year’s NHL season this was one of the top 3 teams in hockey. The transition to Hakstol took longer than many thought it would take and the concept of “not carrying the puck… but making more short efficient passes took a toll on Voracek and Giroux…both of who struggled to get going…Especially Voracek. The rise of the Flyers can best be described by one key player however: Ghostibehere. Ghost was spectacular and not only made the Flyers better on the ice, but lightened up a sometimes intense room. Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn also truly came into their own, with Simmonds coming one injury from being added to Team Canada at the World Cup. But they need to get Voracek going….so enter Travis Konecny, the 19 year old who led the Flyers in preseason points and got Voracek going. The Flyers also have added another young star on defense in Provorov, who will play a ton of minutes and make a huge difference in their own end…especially when they are holding leads at the ends of games. Something the Flyers have lacked badly over the past few years. I don’t know if any team has given up more late goals while their opponents have their goalie pulled. So as good as Provorov is offensively, it is his defensive ability which may pay the most dividends...In goal, the Flyers have a very healthy competition of two solid netminders in Mason and Neuvirth….both of whom are UFA’s after this season.
#2. Washington.
The Capitals could very well run away with this division again, and after the Crosby concussion I was leaning towards putting them back in that same spot…but I am going to say the Caps will put a little less focus on the regular season and be OK finishing second with a little more in the tank come playoff time… The Caps are a fantastic team and Barry Trotz has the abilty to get the most out of all kinds of players..Guys like Jay Beagle and Tom Wilson, and maybe even Lars Eller are going to only add more and more to an already ridiculous deep forwards core. Their defense needs to keep pace and they should…and of course Holtby was the best player for this team last year…
#1. Pittsburgh.
Remember when we used to debate between Crosby and Ovechkin? Nothing against AO, but Sid the (slightly older) Kid has proven out to be the best player of his generation. He has won all he can win, and assuming this concussion is really minor and they are just being VERY careful, he will win another MVP…Assuming Matthews doesn’t put up four spots every night.. The Penguins could falter of course…some question when a team is sooooo dominant one year if they can get back to that level and find the same magic.. I think they can, and it has NOTHING to do with Sid or Geno. Matt Murray is 100% the real deal. Matt Murray is a young Carey Price and when he gets healthy will make this team so much more consistent than they have been in the past. The Penguins are just awesome.
We will discuss all this and more on today’s BuzzCast live at Noon when the crew will put out their predictions…
Listen to the HockeyBuzzCast on #iTunes w/ @eklund @mikeinbuffalo @sportsology @DanDanNoodles78 @fisherjillian https://t.co/4Vc8NnpljX #NHL
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) April 26, 2016