2016 Metropolitan Division predictions
A division to be reckoned with
When looking at the National Hockey League, many will say that the league's best division is the Central Division.
But, in the Eastern Conference, there appears to be a division that is ready to take that "title" away. That division is -- the Metropolitan Division.
Last season, five of the eight teams from that division made the postseason, and one of the teams that did not make it finished as the league's hottest club.
Put that together -- that this is a brand new season and all teams are relatively healthy, plus the league has a division that is ready to go up against the league's best teams.
With that in mind, here is how we think the division will look come April:
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
8.) New Jersey Devils
Long gone are the days of Martin Brodeur and Lou Lamoriello. Those were days when the New Jersey Devils were one of the league's most consistent clubs and a team that was constantly a playoff contender.
Shero May Snub Greene, Again
With Ray Shero taking over as the general manager and new head coach John Hynes set to begin his first head coaching gig in the NHL, there will more than likely be some growing pains for the Devils.
While they do have one of the game's best goaltenders in Cory Schneider, the team in front of him is one that will not score many goals, and one that will give up a lot of shots. Simply put, this franchise is in the beginning of a rebuild to put itself into a playoff hockey club. And, for this season at least, the postseason will be a reach for New Jersey.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
7.) Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have not made the playoffs since the 2008-09 season when they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. On paper, this franchise appears to be headed towards another early golf season.
For starters, no one knows who will be in goal whether it is former Conn-Smythe winner and franchise masked man Cam Ward or newcomer Eddie Lack.
There are also questions on whether or not this is team captain Eric Staal's last season in Carolina. Couple that with the fact that the team's defense is very young and the offensive is still inconsistent, and you have a non-playoff team this season.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
6.) Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the league's most perplexing teams last season. Even with much-improved Steve Mason in goal and a group of forwards that include Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn -- the Flyers managed to miss the postseason and finished sixth in the division.
With a new head coach behind the bench in Dave Hakstol, much of the same forwards and a somewhat improved goaltending tandem of Mason and Michal Neuvirth; one has to wonder if they will snap out of it and become a playoff team again There is no doubt that this team can score goals, but do they have what it takes to keep it out of their net on a consistent basis?
It is that question and their new head coach's first gig in the NHL that could keep them from making the playoffs this year.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
5.) New York Islanders
The New York Islanders were one of the league's most surprising clubs last season. They got an MVP-like season from their captain John Tavares, excellent goaltending from Jaroslav Halak and earned a trip to the postseason in closing out their former arena, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
In A Brooklyn State Of Mind
This season, the team will embark on a new journey in Brooklyn with much of the same roster from last season.
One has to wonder who will step up this season to assist Tavares in trying to get the club into the playoffs for the second straight year. Will it be Kyle Okposo, who might not be an Islander after this season? Will it be Anders Lee? The team also got younger by trading forward Michael Grabner to the Toronto Maple Leafs for five prospects.
The Isle's will not be bad this season, but they will have to do a lot in order to keep up with the teams in front of them in their division.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
4.) Columbus Blue Jackets
Had the Columbus Blue Jackets been healthy last season, the club would have made the playoffs. The team closed out the season going 9-0-1 and showed that when fully healthy, they are a dangerous team to play against.
With the likes of team captain Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen, Cam Atkinson, Scott Hartnell, and Brandon Dubinsky, the Blue Jackets should have no problems putting the puck in the net. In goal, the team will be more than set with former Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky -- as long as healthy.
For the Blue Jackets, it's all about staying off the IR (injured reserve list) because if they can do that, they should be a playoff team this season.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
3.) Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are coming off a heart-breaking second round loss to the New York Rangers. It appeared that the Capitals had everything going for them with a 3-1 series lead -- but much like they have done in the past, the Rangers stormed back and won it in seven games.
Going forward, however, the Capitals appear to be set to make another run. The team has a boatload of offensive talent in Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansen, Evgeny Kuznetzov and now T.J.
Oshie, the Capitals should score goals in bunches. The team also brings back a solid defensive group and one of the league's best goaltenders from last season in Braden Holtby. Much like last year, the Capitals will be a contender in their division and conference.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
Health will be one of the big factors for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. If players like Kris Letang and Olli Maata stay healthy, it will be a big boost not only to the team's blue line, but also to it's offensive group.
Penguins Look To Get Over The Hump In 2016
With Phil Kessel joining the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist, David Perron and a healthy Pascal Dupuis, goals should be plentiful in Pittsburgh this season.
If Marc-Andre Fleury plays like he did in the regular season last year, the Penguins will be a tough team to beat and a Cup contender this season.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
Coming off a season in which the Rangers finished first in their division and first in the entire league, expectations will be high for the New York to have a repeat performance. Based on how the Blueshirts look on paper, that might not be out of the question.
The team has the most offensive depth they ever had and with newcomer Emerson Etem joining the fold in place of traded Carl Hagelin, the Rangers' offensive might be even better this season.
The club's defense is still one of the best in the league and with a healthy Henrik Lundqvist back between the pipes -- the Rangers are in prime position to make another run at a hockey's Holy Grail, the Stanley Cup.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
When looking at the National Hockey League, many will say that the league's best division is the Central Division.
But, in the Eastern Conference, there appears to be a division that is ready to take that "title" away. That division is -- the Metropolitan Division.
Last season, five of the eight teams from that division made the postseason, and one of the teams that did not make it finished as the league's hottest club.
Put that together -- that this is a brand new season and all teams are relatively healthy, plus the league has a division that is ready to go up against the league's best teams.
With that in mind, here is how we think the division will look come April:
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
8.) New Jersey Devils
Long gone are the days of Martin Brodeur and Lou Lamoriello. Those were days when the New Jersey Devils were one of the league's most consistent clubs and a team that was constantly a playoff contender.
Shero May Snub Greene, Again
With Ray Shero taking over as the general manager and new head coach John Hynes set to begin his first head coaching gig in the NHL, there will more than likely be some growing pains for the Devils.
While they do have one of the game's best goaltenders in Cory Schneider, the team in front of him is one that will not score many goals, and one that will give up a lot of shots. Simply put, this franchise is in the beginning of a rebuild to put itself into a playoff hockey club. And, for this season at least, the postseason will be a reach for New Jersey.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
7.) Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have not made the playoffs since the 2008-09 season when they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. On paper, this franchise appears to be headed towards another early golf season.
For starters, no one knows who will be in goal whether it is former Conn-Smythe winner and franchise masked man Cam Ward or newcomer Eddie Lack.
There are also questions on whether or not this is team captain Eric Staal's last season in Carolina. Couple that with the fact that the team's defense is very young and the offensive is still inconsistent, and you have a non-playoff team this season.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
6.) Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers were one of the league's most perplexing teams last season. Even with much-improved Steve Mason in goal and a group of forwards that include Jakub Voracek, Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn -- the Flyers managed to miss the postseason and finished sixth in the division.
With a new head coach behind the bench in Dave Hakstol, much of the same forwards and a somewhat improved goaltending tandem of Mason and Michal Neuvirth; one has to wonder if they will snap out of it and become a playoff team again There is no doubt that this team can score goals, but do they have what it takes to keep it out of their net on a consistent basis?
It is that question and their new head coach's first gig in the NHL that could keep them from making the playoffs this year.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
5.) New York Islanders
The New York Islanders were one of the league's most surprising clubs last season. They got an MVP-like season from their captain John Tavares, excellent goaltending from Jaroslav Halak and earned a trip to the postseason in closing out their former arena, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
In A Brooklyn State Of Mind
This season, the team will embark on a new journey in Brooklyn with much of the same roster from last season.
One has to wonder who will step up this season to assist Tavares in trying to get the club into the playoffs for the second straight year. Will it be Kyle Okposo, who might not be an Islander after this season? Will it be Anders Lee? The team also got younger by trading forward Michael Grabner to the Toronto Maple Leafs for five prospects.
The Isle's will not be bad this season, but they will have to do a lot in order to keep up with the teams in front of them in their division.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
4.) Columbus Blue Jackets
Had the Columbus Blue Jackets been healthy last season, the club would have made the playoffs. The team closed out the season going 9-0-1 and showed that when fully healthy, they are a dangerous team to play against.
With the likes of team captain Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen, Cam Atkinson, Scott Hartnell, and Brandon Dubinsky, the Blue Jackets should have no problems putting the puck in the net. In goal, the team will be more than set with former Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky -- as long as healthy.
For the Blue Jackets, it's all about staying off the IR (injured reserve list) because if they can do that, they should be a playoff team this season.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
3.) Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are coming off a heart-breaking second round loss to the New York Rangers. It appeared that the Capitals had everything going for them with a 3-1 series lead -- but much like they have done in the past, the Rangers stormed back and won it in seven games.
Going forward, however, the Capitals appear to be set to make another run. The team has a boatload of offensive talent in Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansen, Evgeny Kuznetzov and now T.J.
Oshie, the Capitals should score goals in bunches. The team also brings back a solid defensive group and one of the league's best goaltenders from last season in Braden Holtby. Much like last year, the Capitals will be a contender in their division and conference.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
Health will be one of the big factors for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. If players like Kris Letang and Olli Maata stay healthy, it will be a big boost not only to the team's blue line, but also to it's offensive group.
Penguins Look To Get Over The Hump In 2016
With Phil Kessel joining the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist, David Perron and a healthy Pascal Dupuis, goals should be plentiful in Pittsburgh this season.
If Marc-Andre Fleury plays like he did in the regular season last year, the Penguins will be a tough team to beat and a Cup contender this season.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
Coming off a season in which the Rangers finished first in their division and first in the entire league, expectations will be high for the New York to have a repeat performance. Based on how the Blueshirts look on paper, that might not be out of the question.
The team has the most offensive depth they ever had and with newcomer Emerson Etem joining the fold in place of traded Carl Hagelin, the Rangers' offensive might be even better this season.
The club's defense is still one of the best in the league and with a healthy Henrik Lundqvist back between the pipes -- the Rangers are in prime position to make another run at a hockey's Holy Grail, the Stanley Cup.
Patrick Hoffman is an NHL contributor to About.com Sports. He can be reached on Twitter (@pathoffman35) or via email (patrickhoffman3530@gmail.com)
