The NHL Season is across the nook on the North American facet of the water. New Jersey and Buffalo kicked the season off in Prague with the International Sequence. Coaching camps and the preseason are virtually accomplished. This summer time, there have been modifications all through the divisions as some prime stars discovered new properties.
NHL Rumors: Who Will Make The Greatest Splash within the Metro Division?
There’s all the time hope initially of a brand new season. The highest groups concentrate on profitable the Stanley Cup. These within the rebuilding part look to be aggressive so long as they’ll and present progress. Even when each workforce desires to win the Stanley Cup, there can solely be one winner.
As NHLRumors.com has accomplished over the previous couple of seasons, we are going to preview the Jap and Western Conferences, rating groups in every of the 4 divisions. Let’s welcome the brand new season by trying on the Metro Division first.
NHL Metro Division Rankings
1. New York Rangers (Final yr completed First)Â
The New York Rangers gained the NHL Metro Division final yr with a record-setting pacing season. In addition they gained the President’s Trophy however misplaced to the Florida Panthers within the Jap Convention Ultimate.
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Rangers GM Chris Drury didn’t do a lot within the offseason because the Jacob Trouba contract handcuffed the workforce. He traded for Reilly Smith to probably fill in on the highest line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. They hope Kaapo Kakko, who signed a one-year deal, can try this. Alexis Lafreniere stays with Artemi Panarin and Vicent Trocheck. Nonetheless, the Ranger’s success rides on Panarin and his well being.
Ryan Lindgren, who signed a one-year deal, can be out injured, however apart from that, the Rangers signed guys which can be depth gamers. The large contract discuss is whether or not the Rangers will signal Igor Shesterkin to a long-term deal. To not point out have the cap area for the next season to pay a few of their core gamers.
Nonetheless, the Rangers and Devils will battle for the highest spot within the NHL Metro Division. We’re to not positive the Rangers have as many factors as they did final season.
2. New Jersey Devils (Final yr completed Seventh)Â
The New Jersey Devils have gotten their season underway in Prague towards the Buffalo Sabres. Devils President and GM Tom Fitzgerald knew his workforce needed to be higher than a yr in the past. As he mentioned, possibly he received too complacent. Nonetheless, after a disappointing season end result, Fitzgerald went to work.
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After firing Lindy Ruff and changing him with Travis Inexperienced, he determined to go and get Sheldon Keefe, who was let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs. After that, he acquired his quantity on goalie Jacob Markstrom, who seemed good in recreation one of many season.
From there, he revamped the Devils to be more durable to play towards, including dimension in Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic, Brenden Dillon, Stefan Noesen, and Tomas Tatar. He additionally traded for Paul Cotter. Plus, the Devils have a wholesome Dougie Hamilton to go together with Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, and Seamus Casey.
Fitzgerald turned again the clock to 2 seasons in the past when the Devils had been a tricky workforce to play towards. The Devils weren’t going to be pushed round this season, and everybody expects them to be within the playoffs, with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier main the way in which, even with studying a brand new system.
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Final yr completed Second)Â
The Carolina Hurricanes will take a small step again within the NHL Metro Division this season. They misplaced key items on protection together with Pesce and Brady Skjei. They introduced in Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere to exchange those that departed on the blue line.
Count on the Hurricanes to play with that very same edge with Rod Brind’Amour behind the bench. If there’s a workforce that performs to their coach’s id, it’s the Hurricanes. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see how they deploy Martin Necas now that he signed that new deal. Jack Drury is predicted to step up, and it looks like that is Seth Jarvis‘s workforce, regardless that Sebastian Aho remains to be there.
They added Jack Roslovic to exchange Jake Guentzel, who was traded to Tampa Bay earlier than free company. The Canes is not going to be as explosive as they had been, however Andrei Svechnikov and others can nonetheless put pucks within the web. The query is, will Pyotr Kochetkov lastly take extra video games away from Frederik Andersen?
4. Washington Capitals (Final yr completed Fourth)Â
Some individuals scratch their heads after they see this, which is okay. Nonetheless, the Washington Capitals may very well be a sleeper within the NHL Metro Division this season. Many individuals don’t anticipate them to hold round like they did final yr. Nonetheless, the strikes they made this offseason say in another way.
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Washington added Logan Thompson to go together with Charlie Lindgren. They traded Jakob Chychrun and misplaced Nick Jensen. Washington additionally added Andrew Mangiapane, Matt Roy, and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
And PLD may very well be the X-factor right here. If he lives as much as the potential of that contract he signed with the Los Angeles Kings earlier than being traded to Washington, the Capitals discovered their alternative for Nicklas Backstrom.
Washington nonetheless has Sonny Milano, Dylan Strome, and Connor McMichael, as they began their retooling on the fly sooner than their rival. They may have LTIR cap area with T.J. Oshie, who is predicted to overlook the complete yr. The Capitals may very well be loads higher than most suppose.
5. New York Islanders (Final yr completed Third)Â
The New York Islanders. What can we are saying concerning the Islanders? Look, this workforce is all the time so onerous to foretell. They’re in a category of their very own. And yearly after we discuss concerning the Islanders, the one factor that all the time comes up is purpose scoring.
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Can this workforce rating sufficient objectives to win? And yearly, the reply isn’t any. This yr isn’t any completely different, even with the addition of Anthony Duclair. We all know what Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal can do. Brock Nelson all the time persistently scores 30 objectives. Nonetheless, the Islanders are an older workforce, and Kyle Palmieri is streaky.
Now, the gamers can have a full low season below Patrick Roy, and you’ll by no means underestimate Roy’s skill to teach. Noah Dobson helps on the backend, together with two elite goalies, Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.
However this division is hard and they should overcome the Capitals, who appear to have their quantity.
6. Pittsburgh Penguins (Final yr completed Fifth)Â
It’ll be a tricky yr for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They appear prone to miss the playoffs for a 3rd straight season. We all know Sidney Crosby is coming again for at the very least two extra seasons. Nonetheless, the Penguins are the oldest workforce within the NHL.
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Their rebuild ought to have began years in the past after they may have chosen Kris Letang or Evgeni Malkin, not each. Nonetheless, possession desires administration to construct round Letang, Crosby, and Malkin for yet one more crack on the Stanley Cup. Sadly, that’s not taking place. Not with the additions they made
Kevin Hayes is an effective participant however previous his prime. Rutger McGroarty has the potential to be Jake Guentzel 2.0. Anthony Beauvillier is a serviceable participant. Matt Grzelcyk is what he’s. There’s simply nothing that stands out. And if Tristan Jarry can’t cease the puck, the Penguins are going nowhere.
7. Philadelphia Flyers (Final yr completed Sixth)Â
The Philadelphia Flyers had been a shock workforce within the NHL Metro Division final season. They had been within the playoff combine proper up till the top. Nonetheless, everybody knew they weren’t making it.
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There’s quite a lot of hype surrounding the Flyers this season with Matvei Michkov on the roster. He received out of the KHL deal and instantly got here to the Flyers. He suits in with Owen Tippett, Bobby Brink, and Morgan Frost. The Flyers have some good younger items, together with two in between the pipes in Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov, to go together with Samuel Ersson.
Travis Konecny signed a brand new eight-year extension with Philadelphia this low season. Let’s see what head coach John Tortorella can get out of his group this season. With so many groups enhancing just like the Devils, it will likely be attention-grabbing to see the place groups land within the standings this season.
8. Columbus Blues Jackets (Final yr completed Eighth)Â
This will probably be onerous to put in writing, and let’s be sincere: The Columbus Blue Jackets can have a tough season this yr. Johnny Gaudreau‘s tragic passing has despatched this workforce right into a tailspin that’s so onerous to recuperate from. We are going to by no means know what may have been with Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. There was quite a lot of hope and potential. Sadly, one in every of them was taken means too quickly.
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The workforce on the ice remains to be younger. Dean Evason is the brand new bench boss in Columbus. He expects his workforce to carry out at a excessive stage. Look, there are good items: Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, Monahan, Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko, David Jiricek, Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, and Damon Severson.
The query is, can they get a cease from Elvis Merzlikins? There’s some veteran assistance on the roster, too. However it will likely be an uphill climb. The one good factor is the outside door recreation on the Shoe on Ohio State’s Campus towards Detroit. This will probably be a tricky yr in Columbus.
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