New Jersey Devils: Metropolitan Division Opponents Preview
It is very hard to argue that the Metropolitan Division is the best division in the National Hockey League. It is very close between them and the Central Division. What the New Jersey Devils will have to deal with this season is nothing short of a huge challenge. Five of the eight teams in the Metro have won the Eastern Conference Final and played in the Stanley Cup Final since 2010. The last three Stanley Cups were taken home by a team in the Metropolitan Division.
First up is the Washington Capitals. Last season, the Caps won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. They defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Alexander Ovechkin cemented his legacy by not only winning the Stanley Cup, but he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. Head coach Barry Trotz is gone, so it will be interesting to see how they fare this season.
Their three leading scorers were Alex Ovechkin with 87 points, Evgeny Kuznetsov with 83 points, and Nicklas Backstrom with 71 points.
Last season the Devils struggled versus Washington in the regular season, going 1-3 against them. The win, however, was a game in which Taylor Hall scored in overtime, starting the MVP conversations for him. The Capitals should once again make the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup this season.
Next is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season, the Penguins landed in second place in the Metro with 100 points. They were eliminated in the second round by the Capitals. They played last season as the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions.
Their three leading scorers were Evgeni Malkin with 98 points, Phil Kessel with 92 points, and Sidney Crosby with 89 points. It is hard to argue with the fire power of this squad, as it might be the best offensive group in the league. They will receive the help of defenseman Jack Johnson and forward Matt Cullen this season, after saying goodbye to forwards Conor Sherry and Tom Kuhnhacl and d-man Matt Hunwick.
Last season, the Devils went 3-0-1 against the Penguins, which is very impressive for the talent that Pittsburgh puts on the ice every night. With all of that firepower and good goaltending from Matt Murray, the Penguins will once again return to the post season.
The Philadelphia Flyers had a very weird season in 2017-18. They had a 10 game losing streak (0-5-5) in the early part of the season and all hope was lost pretty early. They staged an impressive turnaround and make the playoffs with 98 points.
Their three leading scorers were Claude Giroux with 102 points, Jakub Voracek with 85 points, and Sean Couturier with 76 points. The Flyers landed one of the big free agents in the offseason, signing forward James van Riemsdyk. They also added d-man Christian Folin, while losing Valtteri Filppula, Matt Reid, defenseman Brandon Manning and goaltender Petr Mrazek. Last season, the Devils went 2-2-0 against Philly.
One of Nico Hischier’s signature moments of his rookie year came against the Flyers last season, when he scored what would be the game winning goal with 1:27 left in the game. The emergence of Sean Couturier, another year of experience for Nolan Patrick, and good years from their vets, the Flyers should make it to the playoffs once again.
The Columbus Blue Jackets might be the most intriguing team in the division. Last year, they had the same amount of points as the Devils with 97. They lost in the first round to the Washington Capitals after having a 2-0 series lead.
Their three leading scorers were Artemi Panarin with 82 points, Seth Jones with 57 points, and Thomas Vanek with 56 points. The big story for the Blue Jackets this season is what is going to happen with superstar Artemi Panarin. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2019 and apparently made it known he doesn’t want to play in Columbus anymore. Anything can happen, but one would assume that if there is no deal in place between now and the trade deadline, they would trade him if they weren’t a true Stanley Cup threat. Every team in the league could use Panarin, he is a game breaking offensive threat.
There are also questions on if superstar goalie Sergei Bobrovski will stay in Columbus, or if he will also move on. Lots of important things are uncertain for the Blue Jackets this season. Last season, the Devils struggled going 1-3 against Columbus, which seems to be the case every season lately. How Columbus does this season could impact if the Devils make a return to the postseason. If Columbus is a power house again they Devils could be on the outside looking in, or there is a chance that all of these issues impact the play on the ice and the Jackets are just average.
The Carolina Hurricanes had 83 points in the standings last season, and they were the best team in the division to not qualify for the playoffs. Their three leading scorers were Sebastian Aho with 65 points, Tuevo Teravainen with 64 points, and Justin Williams with 51 points.
The acquisition of goaltender Scott Darling was supposed to be the answer for Carolina to put it all together, but he struggled and it did not work in year one. Carolina was part of a few big trades this summer, bringing in defenseman Dougie Hamilton, Michael Ferland, and signing Calvin De Haan and goalie Petr Mrazek. They drafted Andrew Scechnikov with the second overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. They said goodbye to Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Jeff Skinner, Cam Ward and Derek Ryan this offseason. A lot of turnover for Carolina means uncertainty to how it will come together on the ice. If everyone gels together and they get good goaltending, they could make the playoffs. The Devils played very well against the Hurricanes last season, posting a 3-1 record.
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Next is the New York Islanders. Their 80 points were not good enough to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their three leading scorers were Mathew Barzal with 85 points, John Tavares with 84 points, and Josh Bailey with 71 points. Everyone knows the big thing going on with the Islanders right now. John Tavares signed a lucrative 7-year, $77 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The question isn’t if he will be missed, but how much he will be missed.
Tavares is an absolute superstar, and he makes players around him better. How will the power play be in his absence, how will the goal/point totals end up for some of the guys he played with like Bailey, Lee, etc. Can the additions of Leo Komorov, Matt Martin and goaltender Robin Lehner make them a better team even without John Tavares? They added Stanley Cup winning coach Barry Trotz, but that that’s still steep ask, making it hard to see the New York Islanders in the 2019 postseason. The Devils went 3-0-1 against the New York Islanders last season, and one hopes that they take advantage of what could be a tough season for the Isles this season.
The New York Rangers were the Metropolitan Division’s last place team in 2017-18 with 77 points. Those 77 points were the most among all of the last place teams, so there’s a silver lining. The team was only a few points out of a playoff spot when the team released a statement to the public, generalizing a plan that may see some familiar faces be traded. The went through with it (sort of), trading captain Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and forward Michael Grabner to the New Jersey Devils in the first trade between the two teams ever.
Their three leading scorers were Mats Zuccarello with 53 points, Vladislav Nomestnikov with 48 points, and Mika Zibanejad with 47 points. The Devils went 3-1 against the biggest rivals last season, and hope to take advantage of what could be a very young Ranger team this season. They fired their coach Alain Vigneault after the season, and hired former Boston University head David Quinn, who should be a great option to help all of the young talent that the Rangers try to bring up. The next few years might show Ranger teams developing a retool or rebuild, but they have a plan and could see very good results from executing it right. If not this season it could be in the near future.