NFL
By: Greg Rector
This division has more parity than any other in my opinion. So as I rank from these teams from bottom to top, I know full well that it could end up being a total miss on my part. The reason is so many of these teams are good, not great. If a team gets hot at the right time they could easily go from fifth to second in a heartbeat. That’s how tight I see the Metropolitan division. This will apply from 7th to first. Look for standing changes galore.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Here’s the exception to the rest of the teams. The Blue Jackets are not going to be a playoff team. Yes, they acquired Patrick Laine last year, however, they lost defenseman Seth Jones in the off-season. They need a center to play with Laine and simply don’t have one that will compliment him. Brad Larsen the new head coach will be a breath of fresh air compared to the departed John “Toxic Tortorella,” Simply put there isn’t enough scoring ability on this roster.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils made a 7-year commitment to solid defenseman Dougie Hamilton, He should certainly shore up the blueline. The issue I have with New Jersey is they were god awful on the penalty kill 31st overall and the power play 28th overall last year. The special teams are such a key to success and when you are near the bottom in both categories that’s never a good thing. Add to that with a 3.38 goals-against average they were 27th overall. Adding veterans Tomas Tatar along with Jonathan Bernier in goal ay help improve a couple of those overall statistics. I just believe they will struggle within their division and that will kill any chance they have to be a playoff threat.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers do have some scoring punch with Claude Giroux, Van Riemsdyk, and Couturier, leading the way. The trouble is they didn’t do anywhere near enough scoring last year. Like the Devils, they were terrible on the penalty kill at 30th overall. when you average 2.9 goals but give up 3.46 against on average you’re in trouble. Ryan Ellis was acquired to help with defense and hopefully aid the offense as well. The goaltenders simply don’t scare anyone. That’s what holds back Philadelphia from being contenders.
New York Rangers
King Henrik Lundqvist had to retire and that was a sad day for Rangers fans. His many years of standing on his head to keep fairly mediocre Rangers teams in games should be appreciated by all fans. In his place will be two Russian goalies, Igor Shesterkin and Alexander Georgiev. Therein lies the largest doubt about this team. They have good talent up the middle with Zibanejad, Strome, plus two snipers to go along with each center in Artemi Panarin, and Alexis Lafreniere. The defense is solid but unspectacular. For me, they could be a playoff team or struggle depending upon the goaltending.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Both Sidney Crosby (Wrist) and Evgeni Malkin (knee) will not start the season for the Penguins. They must tread water until the duo returns. The roster is a mix of veterans and youngsters, although after the big two there’s not much that will scare anyone. They will be solid and upon the return of their dynamic duo become a force. Everything comes down to being able to stay close early on. Jeff Carter and Kris Letang provide just enough for the Penguins to stay competitive.
Washington Capitals
The cast of regulars returns led by my favorite player in this century Alex Ovechkin, Nikolas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Like most teams in this division so far it’s the goaltending that has to be better than last year. Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek will need to keep more pucks out of their net. The Capitals were excellent on the road last year. You can see why with their veterans who have been there and done that. Improvements in the little things and the Capitals will still be a threat.
Carolina Hurricanes
Remember the emphasis on special teams’ futility from the earlier teams? Well here’s why the Hurricanes are a scary bunch. The power play was 2nd overall, the penalty kill was 3rd overall, and with the 4th best goals-against average you see why the Hurricanes are a definite threat to win this division. With Sebastien Aho, 57 points, Svechniekov42 points, Vincent Trochek 43 points, Martin Necas 41 points, Jordan Staal 38 points, and Nino Niederreiter (20 goals), the Hurricanes have a nice group who can score goals and also play some defense. It’s their combination of being solid at both ends where this time is excellent.
New York Islanders
The Islanders have a new home at Belmont Park the UBS arena will also have a team that fans will be liking a lot to win this division. The trouble is they will have to wait until November 20th to see the Islanders. They will have their first 13 games on the road. Matthew Barzal is a huge talent and the supporting cast simply seems to get the key goals at the right time. Their defense is solid and Semyon Varlamov is one of the best goaltenders in the league. They did give up too many power-play goals and that ended up costing them in the playoffs as they lost to the eventual champion Lightning in 7 games. Overall they might not lead the world in superstars but are hard-working tough teams to play against.
Overall Prediction
With the division previews now over. Here’s what I see happening this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be a disappointment and their fanbase will be off the charts angry, even more than after blowing a 3-1 series lead last year to Montreal. Darryl Sutter will be the first coach to be fired. The Colorado Avalanche will likely win the President’s Trophy again. Conor McDavid will win the Rocket Richard Trophy (Most Goals) Hart Trophy (MVP) and when the league breaks for the Winter Olympics leads Team Canada to a gold medal in February 2020. As for the big one, I have the Edmonton Oilers playing the Florida Panthers or the (Washington Capitals my darkhorse) for the Stanley Cup. After 32 long, long years for Canadian hockey fans, the Cup will be won by a team based in the home of hockey.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
