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Metro Division Preview:

#8. NY Islanders
For those of you who have followed me for a while and read my stuff, you know I've always kind of had a secret little liking of the Islanders....and I have even gone on the record many times and said that they weren't finished in a season when they looked like they were. As the saying goes someone has to come in last and while I think the Islanders could come as high as sixth I think that this Islanders team feels like it may fall just short. If Sorokin gets healthy he still has a defense that will keep the score down. However it's upfront that I worry..the Isles just don't have the finishers, which is a common theme in this division when you look at the bottom 4 teams… Barzal has to be close to 100points for this team to be in the playoff hunt..

#7 Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hockey sometimes goes beyond logic. And one of the wonderful things about the sport is that it can go beyond logic. Vegas can go to the Stanley Cup final in the first year. Team USA can win the miracle on ice. The difference with hockey is when a team plays on the same emotional level that is very intense they are incredibly hard to defeat. Hard work and emotion can beat talent. But I'm not picking Columbus to make the playoffs here I'm just saying that they will compete.... especially early. I can see them as high as fourth or fifth by American Thanksgiving. And I believe that start will keep them out of the basement and in either the seventh or sixth spot.

#6 Pittsburgh Penguins
You gotta love Sidney Crosby taking another "small" contract to keep his team strong. He is the epitome of a leader. Plain and simple. Evgeni Malkin still has a lot of game in him and played a lot of games last year, but the intensity level wasn't there on enough nights. Guentzal was a big glue part of this team. The other problem area this team has is depth and their defense in general which is inconsistently inconsistent… if that makes any sense. Erik Karlsson has all the tools to be an incredible defenseman but he needs to be carrying the puck more…. Malkin and Crosby carry the puck alot. So it's pretty easy to understand why this is the most difficult team to pick in this division because they could easily be a playoff team, or they could fall out completely.

#5 Philadelphia Flyers
For most of last season the Flyers were in the playoffs, but it really was a result of the quick start they had and the solid goaltending they were getting until Carter Hart had to leave the team. The Flyers and goaltending. Yep. They definitely have potential NHL goalies, but do they have a bona fide starter? Enter Matvei Michkov. Insane vision, insane work ethic, prefers to pass a bit more than shoot at this point… but he is the best prospect seen in South Philly since Eric Lindros. The Flyers possess a lot of hard-working players, but again this is a team that scores mostly dirty goals....Konecny is a hell of player, but I wouldn't call him a sniper.… The Flyers will work hard as every Tortorella team does, and Michkov will inspire players around him.…as has already been seen in the preseason...the Flyers want to be more creative and play faster when Michkov is on the ice...Speaking of speed....18-year-old Jett Luchanko (and that is his actual name..not a nickname) has somewhat surprisingly made the opening roster. Surprising for his age..not his play...He has shown speed and maturity well beyond his years.... but you have to wonder is this rushing him just because he is basically your second best center?

#4 Carolina Hurricanes
The hurricanes cannot miss the playoffs. And this year I predict they will and this will bring up all these other issues, but the reality is I think the problem is clutch goaltending. Not when you look at the statistics but when you just look at the timing of the goals that some of the goalies on the team have given up. It's not just the playoffs. The Canes play teams and come away with one point or none way too often..They talk around camp is this is a “new group," but that's not really a good thing because this team has recently been very good in the regular season… and of course they were coached well… but they lost a lot of key players and I do believe they very much wanted to keep hold of Jake Guentzal.

#3 NY Rangers.
The New York Rangers are still the New York Rangers. I'm told tomorrow could be a big day in the Igor talks… Management of the Rangers kind of stood still this off-season for the most part The problem is sometimes, when you stand still you find you are kind of moving backwards. Especially when the teams around you do as much as they did in the off-season to improve. Sure, Panarin and Kreider will score their goals. Adam Fox and much of the defense are still very solid. I don't care what you say NHL Network top 50: Adam Fox is a top 20 player. This feels very much like an experienced team that understands you ONLY need to MAKE the playoffs. And I'm sure they will. And I'm sure they'll be a lot more dangerous in the postseason then they've been recently as well..

#2 Washington Capitals
I'm not sure if anyone else has put the Caps this high in the division, but I believe in this pick completely. First off, Alex Ovechkin. Most everyone is saying that he will not be able to top Wayne Gretzky's record this year for goals. Ovechkin has always been at his best when people praise him the least. So look for a fast start. But that's not the only reason I have the Caps here. Andrew Mangipane and Pierre-Luc Dubois have also moved in. The two could easily account for another 40 to 60 goals in this lineup. Grabbing a prize like Jacob Chychrun, felt like an afterthought almost...but a hell of an afterthought… meanwhile former Vegas goalie Logan Thompson is every bit an NHL starter in my opinion…and should've been starting for Vegas… add to these additions one of the best coaches in the league, Spencer Carbery, and suddenly the Capitals are a threat to be taken seriously..

#1. New Jersey Devils
OK yes...I am on the bandwagon. But with good reason. How many of you remember when the Colorado Avalanche a few years ago had a really terrible season when they were expected to be good? Well, that was last year's Devil season. So what happens when a good team plays bad? Better players get added to an already good team. And if the original team comes back at all from it's malaise, then the good team becomes a great team and that's what we have here. It's not just adding Markstrom in goal, but every Devil fan will tell you why they haven't gone far in the playoffs and why they struggled so much when they should be better....GOAL. And Markstrom wants to be there and Markstrom will matter. Alot will always depend on health... Mainly the Hughes brothers staying healthy, but if they do we could easily be looking at a Presiden's Trophy here.


Tomorrow morning we will have the Central.. Happy Hockeydaze…

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