A Glance Back
I don’t think anybody could have predicted the outcome of the brutally nicknamed metro-terrible division last season. Columbus impressed while the Capitals faltered. The Penguins took a dip in the playoffs while the Rangers surprised many after a rough start. Other teams sort of slotted right into their rightful position. The Flyers had an impressive regular season but lost to the Blueshirts in game 7 while the Devils barely missed the playoffs. In fact probably the only shocker was the Devils somehow losing every shootout they played in this year. Come to think of it they may have even lost a few for other teams as well (some people call that bad humor).
Columbus finally got their first playoff win but the Penguins still advanced to the second round. In the divisional crowning matchup the Rangers shocked the Pens with three straight wins and dismantled the Habs on their way to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 20 years.
They didn’t do much in the finals because let’s face it, the Kings are Kings. However it was still a successful year all around especially when you factor in the captain swap with Tampa Bay at the deadline.
Notable Additions: Patric Hornqvist (PIT), Steve Downie (PIT), Christian Ehrhoff (PIT), Dan Boyle (NYR), Kevin Hayes (NYR), RJ Umberger (PHI), Scott Hartnell (CBJ), Matt Niskanen (WSH), Brooks Orpik (WSH), Mike Cammalleri (NJD), Martin Havlat (NJD), Mikhail Grabovski (NYI), Nikolai Kulemin (NYI), Jaroslav Halak (NYI),
Notable Subtractions: James Neal (PIT), Jussi Jokinen (PIT), Matt Niskanen (PIT), Brooks Orpik (PIT), Anton Stralman (NYR), Brian Boyle (NYR), Benoit Pouliot (NYR), Brad Richards (NYR), Scott Hartnell (PHI), Steve Downie (PHI), RJ Umberger (CBJ), Nikita Nikitin (CBJ), Mikhail Grabovski (WSH), Jaroslav Halak (WSH), Anton Volchenkov (NJD), Mark Fayne (NJD), Evgeni Nabokov (NYI)
Doing It Best
Assuming they get the contract situation with Ryan Johansen figured out, the Blue jackets win the off-season in the Metropolitan division. Why you ask? Because in this particular case, less is more. The Rangers and Penguins both underwent a pretty major overhaul. The Rangers lost key pieces in Stralman, Pouliot, Boyle, and Richards to name a few while the Penguins lost Neal, Niskanen and Orpik.
For the Rangers’ case, their replacement options were limited due to cap complications. Their biggest additions come in the form of blueliner Dan Boyle and unrestricted free agent rookie Kevin Hayes.
The Penguins will have every position filled with a capable player, be it a newly acquired player, or an upcoming rookie. But in both cases, there are a lot of new faces in new places, which will be tough to get used to. Especially when you factor in the new coaching staff in Pittsburgh.
The Blue Jackets are a team on the rise. From their young ‘D’ core to their pesky forward group. They went out and added Scott Hartnell, a piece they very much needed. He can score, hit, lead, and even fall down for charity. Hartnell is built to be a Blue Jacket. The team has an identity and with Bobrovsky between the pipes, they have security all throughout their lineup. Watch out for those pesky Blue Jackets. They’re coming in strong this year.
Falling Behind
Coincidently enough, less was not more for the Carolina Hurricanes. They come into the season with a new GM and coach, but they didn’t change much up front. While yes, a lot of their players did underachieve; it still would have been nice to add a scoring punch to their lineup.
With Skinner, the Staal brothers, Tlusty, and Semin rounding out five of their top six forwards, Carolina is gonna need each and every one of them to play up to their potential in order to make the playoffs. Their season will heavily rely on the way their forward core performs along with how Bill Peters runs the show. In fact, Peters’ biggest challenge will be how he handles the goaltending situation.
Ward has been around forever and is the higher paid goalie, but Anton Khudobin played fantastic hockey last year. It’s tough to say if they can squeak into the playoffs, but they could have done a bit more with the cap space they have.
Who Comes Out?
Far too many questions hover over every one of the top teams. Washington revamped their defense in more ways than one. Niskanen and Orpik may not even be the biggest additions to their defensive play. Barry Trotz taking over the head coaching job will help more than one may think.
The Penguins still have a powerful core as well. Their top players will lead the Penguins to the playoffs as leaders of the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals won’t be far behind and Columbus will come in as the third place team this year. The Last spot will be a battle between New Jersey, Philadelphia, and the Rangers. The Flyers will take the last spot but not without the others putting up a fight. Even the Islanders could squeak in with their new depth and goalie pair. It’ll be an interesting battle indeed. But with the Flyers, Jackets, Penguins, and Capitals all in, that leaves the Stanley Cup finalist New York Rangers on the outside. They lost far too many depth pieces this year to make it. But I still could be wrong because of a certain goalie they hold in their organization.
In the playoffs, the team representing this group in the conference finals will be the Washington Capitals. Ready for the Trotz – Cooper mind games? It’s gonna be fun. Oh and don’t forget those two guys that can put the puck in the net. Can’t wait to see them go head-to-head for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.
One Guy You Simply Cannot Ignore
Corey Schneider. He is finally being given the green light to play 60+ games. Brodeur is long gone and Clemmenson is your prototypical serviceable backup goalie. Schneider boasts the best cumulative save percentage over the last five seasons combined in the entire NHL with a .928. Yes, more than Rask, Bobrovsky, Lundqvist, Price, Rinne, and Quick.
If he plays up to his standards, the Devils will not only squeak into a wildcard position, but they can win the entire division. Just please oh please figure out that shootout thing. Regardless, Corey Schneider is the player to watch here. He has Vezina Trophy-potential written all over him.
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