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Todd Cordell
1. Washington – They have a lot of firepower, improved forward depth (I liked the Carl Hagelin trade last deadline and the Richard Panik signing this summer), and a solid defense core led by John Carlson. If Braden Holtby plays up to the level he’s capable of, the Caps should win the division.
2. Carolina – Love the defense core, love the forward depth, love some of the young players (Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas, etc.). My only concern is goaltending. A Petr Mrazek/James Reimer tandem is very meh. I think that’ll hold them back a bit and prevent them from winning the Metro.
3. Pittsburgh – I don’t like the defense. At all. But if you have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, you’re going to win a lot of games.
4. New Jersey – I think they might be the most improved team in the league. With Jack Hughes, Nikita Gusev, Wayne Simmonds and Jesper Boqvist joining the fray, there is wayyyyy more talent up front than a season ago. Getting Taylor Hall back is massive, too, as is the addition of P.K. Subban. If Cory Schneider and/or Mackenzie Blackwood can provide competent goaltending, they’re making the playoffs.
5. Philadelphia - I’m not sure they’ll get into the playoffs but they’ll be in the running until the very end. Really like their forward group and Carter Hart. I just have some reservations about the defense.
6. New York Islanders - They were rock solid defensively last season and there is every reason to believe that will be the case again this year. I don’t think there’s enough firepower to get back to the dance, though. Some guys are due for regression and the Isles didn’t add any offense to offset that.
7. New York Rangers - Kaapo Kakko is going to be a star sooner than later. I’m sky high on Vitali Kravtsov, too. There’s no doubting the young talent on the roster or the excitement they – along with marquee additions Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba – will bring to the table. That said, the defense is still very shallow and that’s going to cause problems. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Rangers will be OK. I just don’t see them seriously contending for the playoffs in what looks to be a pretty talented, balanced division.
8. Columbus - They lost a lot of firepower in the off-season and are probably trotting out the league’s worst goaltending tandem. As much as I love the defense, I think the Blue Jackets are heading for a tough season.
James Tanner
The Metro is a tough division to predict because you've got a whole bunch of average teams, and so there will be a lot of guessing.
1. Carolina - obvious best team in the division, by a significant amount. Deep blue line with high end talent, and deep forwards with high end talent.
Svechnikov becoming elite will make them a powerhouse.
2. Pittsburgh - they still have Crosby and Malkin, but their GM is so far past his best before date it's getting embarrassing.
They've poorly spent their cap, and they have some very bad players on this team, but if their three aging superstars can put off any serious regression for another year, they'll still be good.
3. Flyers - Just guessing here really.
4. Caps - Pretty interchangeable with Philly and PGH.
5. Devils - If they get goaltending, they'll compete with Carolina. I love their roster, I love their ability to use ELCs to go all-in, and it's possible they're the league's surprise team. But Corey Schneider and Mackenzie Blackwood do not inspire confidence.
6. Blue Jackets - you can't replace Panarin, but Dubois and Anderson will just get more minutes. Their D is really, really solid because Murray and Savard are criminally underrated. Who is in net? Elvis, or Seventies Elvis?
7. New York Rangers - Some fun pieces but pretty garbage roster overall. Better to finish low and add one more piece than try and rush it.
8. New York Islanders - No team has over achieved like last year's Islanders since ....just kidding....it's the NHL - every single year there's a garbage team that gets incredible goaltending and then gets incredibly overrated.
Lamoriello stiffing the guy who saved him from massive embarrassment was classic Lou. He would give a four year deal to Leo Komarov, but gets in a contract fight with the guy who single handedly saved him from himself.
This core of Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, and Jordan Eberle is as misguided as it is hilarious. Probably the worst blue line in the league.
Yikes!
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