Where Do the New Jersey Devils Stack Up in Metropolitan Division?
It is still the long hot days of summer with hockey feeling far off, but August is drawing to a close and next month we will be starting training camp. Then, we’re just a few short weeks away from the pre-season. Free agency is done for most teams, and other than Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, who might be waiting to sign depending on health, Tomas Tatar is really the only big name left. So with that all said, let’s take a look at the Metropolitan Division, where teams stack up, and the early prediction of where they will finish.
1. Carolina Hurricanes
They won the Metro last season and took down the Islanders and Devils in the playoffs. They are going to be the team to beat again next season. They have such a strong system, defensive core, and high-end offense with a core of players who are in their prime. The team also improved in the offseason by adding Dmitri Orlov to an already stacked blueline. Tony DeAngelo returned and can absolutely thrive in a depth role. Take a look at their defense from 1-6.
Orlov-Burns
Slavin-Pesce
Skjei-DeAngelo
This is a scary core and probably the best in the league which is how teams win the Stanley Cup. In the regular season, they have the depth to roll 3 pairs comfortably, making sure the top guys are not overworked. Come playoff time, they can’t get feasted on by bad matchups as easily as most teams. We all have seen a hot goalie take teams far, so if any of their guys get moderately hot they will be nearly impossible to score on. It is also worth remembering that they were able to hold the top spot and come out of the division without a high-end forward in Andrei Svechnikov.
2. New Jersey Devils
The Devils will finish in the same spot as last season for a few reasons. The loss of Ryan Graves and Damon Severson is a hit and the defense will be worse this season, at least in the defensive end. The addition of Colin Miller is a depth move. He will be in competition for that final spot with Brendan Smith and Simon Nemec which could go any way.
The real addition is Luke Hughes, who should be a big hit offensively. He will have some defensive hiccups like all young defenders but with some second powerplay time should have some decent numbers. In net, this team will also be rocking a very solid and underrated tandem with Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid so we can reasonably expect to have two guys with above .910 save percentages and not be forced to watch a pile of losses thanks to the .885 numbers this team put out in previous seasons.
On the offensive side of things, the team added a big shot in Tyler Toffoli. They also added some serious depth, which will be a matchup nightmare for other teams. They also should expect bigger years from some of the young and improving players such as Dawson Mercer and Jack Hughes, which is the most exciting thing to think about moving closer to the season.
3. New York Rangers
The Rangers are a lock for the playoffs just like the Devils. The top three in this division are all legit contenders for the Stanley Cup. Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba are legit high-end defensemen. Igor Shesterkin is a top-five goalie in the league, if not the outright best. Like the previous two teams, they have high-end talent in the top six. A lot of the veterans are in the win-now age range, but they also have some good young players who could still figure it out and push this team over the top.
4: Pittsburgh Penguins
This team is very old but experienced, talented, and should be able to compete. It is a bit of a wildcard, mostly due to injury history. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are still elite centers, but if either misses significant time, their depth down the middle is an old Lars Eller and an older Jeff Carter which is a big weakness versus the teams above them in this division. On the wings, they have some good veterans, but the only star who you probably know what you will get out of them is Jake Guentzel. Any of the other mid-30-year-olds could fall off a cliff at any moment. All that being said, their powerplay is going to be frightening. If they can be an average team at 5v5, this could push them over the top.
On the back end, they took a massive step forward adding a solid defender in Graves and superstar offensive defensemen and reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. They will be way better on the back end this season, but both deals will probably hurt them in a few years. In net, Tristan Jarry could be decent enough. He has shown he can play at a high level before. If they get that version of him they could surprise us.
5. New York Islanders
The Islanders are what they are. That is a middle-of-the-pack team that won’t threaten a deep playoff run or go for the Stanley Cup and won’t draft high enough ever to get to that plateau. They could make the playoffs, but being the definition of mediocre in sports doesn’t get much done. The defense is solid, the goaltending is great, and the forwards are mediocre after Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, while good, aren’t on that superstar level.
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets made some good moves and some awful ones after a dreadful season. They probably should be better than the Islanders and compete for the playoffs but won’t in the end. Johnny Hockey and Patrik Laine could have superstar seasons, Adam Fantilli was a great pick who could make the league right out of the gate, and their defense is going to be solid.
One thing will keep them down more than anything else. Mike Babcock was a baffling choice for coach after the Toronto disaster. He has what is now a deserved reputation around the league. If they played a strong defensive system with Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, Adam Boqvist, Erik Gudbranson, and Damon Severson, they would be a threat even with the lack of forward depth and mediocre goalie. However, when guys stop playing their hardest after the coach does what he is going to do or when he starts sitting skilled players for some replacement-level AHL players, this team will fail.
7. Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals still have many players that made them good for such a long time, but other than Alex Ovechkin they have fallen too far. Niklas Backstrom is injury-prone, Evgeny Kuznetsov had a rough season, and it is hard to tell if it was a bump in the road or if he is not the same player. The rest of the forward group is a lot of middle-of-the-road guys. On the back end, it is John Carlson and not a lot, while in the net, Darcy Kuemper is good but usually doesn’t play that many games. They can’t score like they used to, the back end is bad, and it is their time to fall down the standings for a while.
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8. Philadelphia Flyers
This team has dead last in the division written all over them and will be competing for the coveted first-overall pick at the end of the season. Coach John Tortorella will be great to watch with his lack of filter, but it will probably be rough on some of his players who might check out mid-season when the Flyers are already out of contention. Outside of Travis Konekny, we have no idea who will score on this team. They have two fine defensemen in Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen, who will be the most overworked pairing in the league. In net, they have Cal Petersen, a sub .900 goalie two years straight, and Carter Hart, who is probably better than his numbers say but good luck to him behind this team again.