Division Preview: Metropolitan

Welcome, hockey fans to the start of the 2018-19 hockey season. Yes, I know the season doesn't actually start till October 3rd, but consider this the unofficial start. The division preview blogs are gonna be coming in hot and heavy over the next couple weeks. Filled with all the hot takes and correct predictions your cold hockey-less hearts can take. With that said the NHL might be the hardest league to predict due to its unprecedented parody, and because of that all my predictions are largely gut picks. I certainly intend to give facts and numbers to support the picks, but what it really came down to was how I felt deep in my bowels. These four blogs are gonna cover how each team is gonna finish within their division. There will be another blog later on with Stanley Cup predictions, and all that jazz, but I gotta keep you people on your toes. Now, without further ado, let's get into the Metro division.

* Division previews will be structured from worst team to best team.

8. Carolina Hurricanes Previous Season: 36-35-11 (83 Points), 6th in Metro

Notable offseason moves: Trade: D Noah Hanafin, and C Elias Lindholm to Calgary for D Dougie Hamilton, F Michael Ferland, D Adam Fox Signed: G Petr Mrazek Lost: G Cam Ward

Review: The Hurricanes came into the season with a ton of buzz for the second season in a row, and failed to live up to that buzz for the second season in a row. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in Goals per Game, Goals Allowed, Power Play %, and Penalty Kill %. That's a real tough spot to be in, and going forward the future doesn't appear to be very bright either.

Preview: Carolinas moves this offseason had many people scratching their heads. Hanafin is one of the premier young defensemen in the league, and they gave him up for an underperforming D man in Hamilton, a mid 6 forward in Ferland, and a completely unproven D man in Fox. With that said if Fox turns into the player many believe he can be they will save some face, but that's still 2-3 years away from coming to fruition. The teams two best players are now F Sebastian Aho and D Justin Faulk. While they both have top-end talent they don't have nearly enough of a supporting cast to do much damage. Carolina's clear problem from last year was consistent goaltending, and they've attempted to solve that by adding Petr Mrazek, an incredibly inconsistent goaltender. Everyone has been waiting for the Mrazek that lit the league on fire for half a season with Detroit to return, and he has, but not for any long stretches of time. If Mrazek can find that form it will help, but it won't be able to make Carolina any more than a bottom third team. Don't be surprised to see a big drop off in points this season, possibly dropping down below 70 points.

7. New York Islanders Previous Season: 35-37-10 (80 Points), 7th in Metro

Notable offseason moves: Signed: G Robin Lehner Lost: F John Tavares (!!!)

Review: Last season was an absolute roller coaster from start to finish for the Isles. The team was able to score goals in bunches, ranking 7th in Goals per Game, and 6th in Power Play %. On the flip side, they ranked 31st in both Goals Allowed per Game and Penalty Kill %, that was worst in the league. All of that pales in comparison to the loss of John Tavares in Free-agency though.

Preview: John Tavares is a top ten player in the NHL, and the Isles will not be able to replace his production this season. The only thing keeping them above the Hurricanes for last in this division is the fact that they added a Stanley Cup-winning coach in Barry Trotz. Trotz should be able to get the best out the Isles young forwards, Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, and Anders Lee. However, their blue line and goaltending will continue to be a massive problem. Much like Carolina the Isles added a wildly inconsistent goalie in Lehner, who can stand on his head one night and give up a million the next. Don't be surprised to see the Isles continue to score goals at a decent rate, but also give up the most in the league for the second straight season. This Isles will score enough goals to pick up points in games they shouldn't, but they won't be much better than a 70-75 point team this season.

6. New York Rangers: Previous Season: 34-39-9 (77 Points), 8th in Metro

Notable offseason moves: Trade: Acquired D Adam McQuaid from Boston Signed: No notable free-agent signings, but re-signed a lot of young players Lost: N/A

Review: The Rangers are a team past their prime and last season showed that. The team saw a decline from much of their top-end talent, maybe most noticeably with Henrik Lundqvist. They didn't score or protect the net particularly well. They ranked 21st in Goals per Game, and 28th in Goals Allowed per Game. However their special teams were decent, the Power Play % ranked 14th, and Penalty Kill % ranked 12th. The season ahead is most definitely going to be a rebuild and the organization has recognized that.

Preview: The biggest change the Rangers made this offseason was bringing in new head coach David Quinn, but don't expect this season to be any different than the last, as noted before the Rangers didn't make any notable signings, and simply re-signed the talent they had. While they have a couple pieces they're far from completing the puzzle. They have aging players up and down the line-up and no way to dish the contracts elsewhere. That being said Hank still gives them a chance to win on a night to night bases. More consistent goaltending and the Isles and Hurricanes getting worse is what gets the Rangers into this spot. They might grab a few more points this year, but it would be surprising to see them very far over 80 points.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets Previous Season: 45-30-7 (97 Points), 4th in Metro Playoffs: Lost in 1st Round (Capitols)

Notable offseason moves: Signed: F Anthony Duclair Lost: F Matt Calvert

Review: Blue Jackets fans have become accustomed to seasons like that last one. The team had a solid regular season and then dropped out in the first round of the playoffs. This has become the norm for this club. Their scoring numbers are pretty surprising though, and not in a good way. they ranked 17th in Goals per Game, 10th in Goals Allowed per Game, 25th in Power Play %, and 27th in Penalty Kill %. That's wildly unimpressive for a team in that made the playoffs.

Preview: This is the first team I see taking a pretty noticeable step back from the year previous. This is team people talked about as a dark horse the last couple season, but that speculation could be fading this year. They lost arguably they're best penalty-killing forward in Calvert, and they weren't very successful doing that anyway. Duclair is a decent addition but doesn't add enough depth to keep this team in the playoffs. The biggest problem though is with two players currently on the team. Both Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky have yet to sign new contracts. While it many are unsure what Bobrovsky wants to do, it seems clear that Panarin wants a move. Whether that comes in the form of a trade during the season or walking for free after. Regardless it's never good when your best player wants to leave, just ask Ottowa or the Isles (low blow I know). The organization also just signed head coach John Tortorella to a two-year extension. It's usually around this time in Torts tenure that he begins to lose the locker room. As far as good news goes, the Jackets still have stud D-man Seth Jones, and up and comers D Zach Werenski, and F Pierre-Luc Dubois. With those players and Bob in net, the Jackets can still contend, but they'll just miss the playoffs recording roughly 90 Points.

4. Washington Capitals Previous Season: 49-26-7 (105 Points), 1st in Metro Playoffs: Stanley Cup Champions

Notable offseason moves: None

Review: The Caps had the best year you can possibly hope for as an organization, obviously. They lifted the Cup for the first time in their team's history. It was supposed to be a down season but Ovi and his crew made a genuinely incredible run and were the well-deserved champs. The Caps won with solid offensive production ranking 9th in Goals per Game, and 7th in Power Play %. Their defense was decent ranking in the middle of the pack in Goals Against and Penalty Kill %. Their offensive production jumped even more in the playoffs which led them to the championship. The only change that came in the offseason was the choice to no longer retain the services of head coach Barry Trotz.

Preview: With Trotz headed to much less green pastures in New York the Caps promoted from within when they name Todd Reirden the new head coach. Reirden was always the succession plan for the Caps, and it was only a matter of time until he took the job. While the time does seem strange it does mean that the team shouldn't have too much of an adjustment to make, which should make it a pretty smooth transition. While I don't have the team at the top of the division again it doesn't mean I think they're really gonna falter. It's incredibly difficult to come off winning the cup and be as productive as the season previous. The top of this division is stacked with talent and the Caps will be tired coming into this season. I still see them as a playoff team though, they should be able to get into the first wild-card spot in the east, and in the NHL any team that makes the playoffs can make noise.

3. New Jersey Devils Previous Season: 44-29-9 (97 Points), 5th in Metro

Playoffs: Lost in 1st Round (Lightning)

Notable offseason moves: None

Review: The Devils were one of the NHL's most surprising teams last season. Not many people had them picked to make the jump to the playoffs that quickly into building their team. They were a middle of the pack team when it came to 5 on 5 hockey ranking 15th in Goals per Game, and 17th in Goals Against per Game. They were able to do their damage on the special teams ranking 10th on the Power Play and 8th on the Penalty Kill, and they're bringing the same core team into the 2018-19 season.

Preview: This team comes into this season with a ton of momentum from last year. The young players that brought them to the playoffs like D Will Butcher and F Nico Hischier have a full year of experience and should feel more comfortable. They also know they can rely on the Hart trophy winner from last year, Taylor Hall to have another great season. They have a very solid mix of young and old talent, as their average age, last season was 26. That number should not drastically change going into this year. Look for this team to be slightly improved from last year and make the playoffs more comfortably. I see them putting up around the same amount of points, but maybe reaching 100. Their first-round series will still likely be a tough matchup, but they will be more prepared to compete this time around.

2. Philadelphia Flyers Previous Season: 42-26-14 (97 Points), 3rd in Metro Playoffs: Lost in 1st Round (Penguins)

Notable offseason moves: Signed: F James van Riemsdyk

Review: The Flyers had the most up and down season of any team that made the playoffs. Most people wrote them off early in the season when they lost ten straight games, but the team battled back to finish in 3rd in the Metro, which was an incredibly impressive feat. As far as where they stood statistically it was not very impressive. They ranked 12th in Goals per Game, 14th in Goals Against, 15th on the Power Play, and an abysmal 29th on the Penalty Kill.

Preview: This team is built around a strong core of players such as Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and newly acquired F James van Riemsdyk. On top of that, they should be getting their #2 overall pick from 2017, Nolan Patrick, back, healthy and ready to prove himself. The Flyers can also look for good years from their two young D-men, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Ivan Provorov. This team has almost all the pieces, almost. I'm still not convinced they have a true number one goaltender. Neither Brian Elliott nor Michael Neuvirth was very convincing last season. The Flyers need one of those two to step and cement himself as the number one if they want to improve on last year. In addition to that, the team needs to learn how to win close games. Having 14 overtime losses is an extremely hard pill to swallow, and can be the difference between missing and making the playoffs. While it is better than losing the game outright it does show that a team crumbles a bit under pressure, which in the playoffs means you will be making an early exit. If the Flyers can find a number one goalie and win a couple more tight games they should be in for 100+ point season.

*There is a large part of me that wants to dock points from this team solely due to the new mascot they just introduced. Its terrifying and the team deserves to be punished just for using it.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins (duh) Previous Season: 47-29-6 (100 Points), 2nd in Metro Playoffs: Lost in 2nd Round (Capitals)

Notable offseason moves: None

Review: The Penguins had another successful season, yet it felt like a failed season. This is due to the extremely high expectations that get set when you win back to back Stanley Cups. They might well have gone for three if they hadn't run into the buzz saw that was the Caps last postseason. They were still the offensive juggernaut of old in the regular season ranking 3rd in Goals per Game, and 1st in Power Play %. But they struggled slightly more than usual on the back end ranking just 12th in Goals Against and 17th in Penalty Kill %. With that said expectations will be sky high again this season.

Preview: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Phil Kessel. That is a murderers row of talent, and its a large part of the reason that year in and year out the Penguins are a solid bet to win the Stanley Cup. Crosby and Malkin are still top ten players in the league if not higher, and Kessel's wrist shot continues to strike fear in any goalie he skates towards. While there are still doubts about Letang's health, when he's out there he is one of the best in the league. They have other solid players like Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust who always seem to step up in the playoffs. The only real question mark surrounding this team is the health of starting goalie Matt Murray. When he's healthy and on his game, like he was in the finals the two cup winning years he seems almost unbeatable. Last year he was not that same goalie and struggled mightily with injuries all year. If he returns to his superstar form the Penguins are poised for another 105-110 point season and a deep playoff run.

Well, there ya have it. They 2018-19 Metro division in a nutshell. You can all start placing your futures bets now and simply thank me later. This division is gonna be seriously fun to watch at the top end of it, and seriously fun to laugh at on the bottom end. In the next blog I'm gonna cover the now very interesting Pacific division, so keep your eyes peeled for that goodness. Peace.

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