Metropolitan Division capsules
Carolina Hurricanes
Head coach: Rod Brind’Amour (sixth season)
Last season: 52-21-9, first place in Metropolitan Division
This season: In the past three seasons, the Hurricanes won three regular-season division titles but were bounced twice in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs before reaching the Eastern Conference final last season. Those playoff disappointments have been bitter pills to swallow. Carolina is about as much of a lock for the playoffs as you’ll find, but the squad must approach its championship expectations or the season will be seen as a bust.
What’s new: Carolina has been a hard team to play against the past few seasons because of its talent and speed. A new wrinkle was added by signing some gritty newcomers, defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Tony DeAngelo — back after a dismal stint with the Philadelphia Flyers — and forwards Brendan Lemieux and Michael Bunting, who also has a scoring touch as shown by the 23 goals he netted in each of the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Those players are being counted on to put the Hurricanes over the hump.
Players to watch: While Carolina boasts a bevy of offensive talent such as forwards Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen, the Hurricanes’ real strength is team defense and a stellar blue-line brigade that also includes Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. They have been among the league’s best defensive squad for several years, and that’s with goaltenders Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta and up-and-comer Pyotr Kochetkov, who would not be deemed among the league’s elite.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Head coach: Pascal Vincent (first season)
Last season: 25-48-9, eighth place in Metropolitan Division
This season: Last season was an unmitigated disaster for the Blue Jackets. Even with moderate hopes, they fell well short in big part due to an insane number of injuries and terrible defensive play. While a bounce-back to the playoffs seems far-fetched, Columbus should take a step forward. Between adding gifted rookie Adam Fantilli, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, more experience among their young players and a deeper defense corps, some better days ahead can be envisioned.
What’s new: Columbus had expected Mike Babcock to be the head coach, but that fell apart on the eve of the season when he exited after essentially bullying players to hand over their cell phones during meetings and then scrolling through their photos. The Blue Jackets then turned to Vincent, an assistant in Columbus last season who spent five years as head of the AHL Manitoba Moose, to guide them out of the cellar and to the next step in their rebuild. He has a tough job ahead.
Players to watch: Columbus actually has decent offensive talent led by Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine as well as youngsters Kirill Marchenko and a pair of 2021 first-round draft picks, Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger. The focus was its sub-par defense, which should improve with additions of Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov as well as a return to health from Zach Werenski. A wild card is the goaltending. Starter Elvis Merzlikins needs a rebound season. An injury to goalie Daniil Tarasov forced the Blue Jackets to claim journeyman Spencer Martin off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks.
New Jersey Devils
Head coach: Lindy Ruff (fourth season)
Last season: 52-22-8, second place in Metropolitan Division
This season: That the Devils took a step forward last season was no surprise. The fact they finished third overall in the league was a sight to behold. Built around team speed and a relentless forecheck — a far cry from the old successful Devils teams — New Jersey is on a mission to not only prove last season was not a fluke but take the next step.
What’s new: New Jersey added forward Tyler Toffoli, a pure goal-scorer, to build a deeper top three lines, a core that is now about as good as any club in the league. A key to success will be how rookie defenseman Luke Hughes fares after a strong performance when his college season ended. A couple of holes were created with the loss of defensemen Damon Severson and Ryan Graves. Hughes adds a different dimension than those two, but this is a team that looks to win with offense being the best form of defense.
Players to watch: The Devils already had an outstanding group of forwards led by Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Dawson Mercer and Jesper Bratt before adding Timo Meier late last season, plus one of the league’s best two-way defensemen, Dougie Hamilton. The biggest question mark is in goal, with Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid both yet to truly prove they are capable of being a No. 1 netminder.
New York Islanders
Head coach: Lane Lambert (second season)
Last season: 42-31-9, fourth place in Metropolitan Division
This season: With top-level goaltender Ilya Sorokin, a veteran lineup and a solid defense corps, the Islanders are hoping a full season from Bo Horvat combined with Mathew Barzal and Oliver Wahlstrom not being sidelined for a huge chunk of the campaign results in another year in the playoffs. After that, maybe Lady Luck is on their side. A wild-card squad last season, New York will have a tough time keeping on the right side of the line against a group of clubs that have closed ground. Maybe the Islanders make the playoffs. Maybe they don’t.
What’s new: Well … um … not much. No, seriously, the Islanders are almost identical to the club that won eight of its final 13 games to squeak into the playoffs, then was swatted aside in six games by the Carolina Hurricanes, with two of the Islanders’ losses decided in overtime. About the only changes are the departures of veterans Josh Bailey and Zach Parise, as the Islanders hope a healthier lineup and development by the likes of Hudson Fasching makes a difference.
Players to watch: In theory, Barzal, Horvat and Wahlstrom will be the top line. It was a rough go for all three when the club needed them most. Wahlstrom was held to 35 games because of a season-ending knee injury he sustained in late December, Barzal missed the final 23 games of the regular season and returned for the playoffs not quite at 100 percent, and Horvat struggled after arriving in a trade with Vancouver. He netted 31 goals and 54 points in 49 games with the Canucks, but his shooting percentage fell off a cliff after the move, and he notched just seven goals and 16 points in 30 games for the Islanders.
New York Rangers
Head coach: Peter Laviolette (first season)
Last season: 47-22-13, third place in Metropolitan Division
This season: The Rangers loaded up for the playoffs last season and were eliminated in the first round by the Devils. It would surprise nobody if the Rangers, Devils and Hurricanes clearly separate themselves from the rest of the Metropolitan again and are all among the league’s top clubs. While last season ended in disappointment, the Rangers also are ready to reach a new level, with young players poised to take a bigger role among the proven stars.
What’s new: On top of a new head coach in Laviolette, who takes over from Gerard Gallant, the Rangers allowed big-ticket rentals Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko to leave via free agency. They also moved on from depth center Tyler Motte and backup goalie Jaroslav Halak. In turn, New York added veteran depth with forwards Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick, defenseman Erik Gustafsson and goalie Jonathan Quick. Salary-cap commitments were a factor in some of those decisions.
Players to watch: All-world goaltender Igor Shesterkin gives the Rangers a chance to win any game, and the team is loaded with the likes of Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider at forward plus the sublimely talented Adam Fox pacing the defense corps. The key will be how much players such as 2020 first overall draft pick Alexis Lafreniere, 2019 second overall pick Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil elevate their game. All three have been knocking on the door to being big factors. The time has come to reach their potential.
Philadelphia Flyers
Head coach: John Tortorella (second season)
Last season: 31-38-13, seventh place in Metropolitan Division
This season: The Flyers are in the midst of a rebuild, and they will be hard-pressed to pull any closer to a playoff berth than they were last season. That said, there is optimism from the return of a couple of veterans who missed all of last season, a new management team and dressing room turnover on a squad that did not mesh with Tortorella’s vision.
What’s new: The arrival of new team president Keith Jones also meant Danny Briere was handed the general manager reins on a full-time basis. In turn, veteran forwards Kevin Hayes and James van Riemsdyk as well as defensemen Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo moved out. Into the mix are depth forward Garnet Hathaway and depth defenseman Marc Staal. Back in the fold and hopefully healthy are Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson, who both missed all of last season.
Players to watch: Goaltender Carter Hart can be a backbone of any team, although questions will about whether the Flyers should consider trading him to add more ammunition in their rebuild. On offense, the leader is Travis Konecny, who notched 31 goals and 61 points in 60 games last season, Owen Tippett and little else. The club is counting on players such as Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee and possibly rookies Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Head coach: Mike Sullivan (ninth season)
Last season: 40-31-11, fifth place in Metropolitan Division
This season: After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the Penguins reloaded in a big way, hoping to cash in as long as they have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Despite all the other roster holes, Pittsburgh went big-game hunting and acquired 100-point defenseman Erik Karlsson. It may be enough to return the Penguins to the playoffs, but they will be in tough to make a lengthy run.
What’s new: After getting fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas headed to Pittsburgh as the new director of hockey operations, and he overhauled the a team that missed the playoffs by one point. Among the new faces, in addition to Karlsson, are forwards Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, Matt Nieto and Jansen Harkins as well as defenseman Ryan Graves. He also acquired Alex Nedeljkovic to add depth in goal behind oft-injured No. 1 netminder Tristan Jarry.
Players to watch: Let’s be honest, with Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson, the Penguins will be a must-watch club. Just imagine that power play, with Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust or Smith the likely fifth wheel, and how they will be able to zip around the puck. Beyond their stars, however, is a thin lineup with aging veterans and far too few young, blue-chip prospects ready to be part of the fun.
Washington Capitals
Head coach: Spencer Carbery (first season)
Last season: 35-37-10, sixth place in Metropolitan Division
This season: The Capitals can talk about Stanley Cup hopes, playoff races and retooling, but what matters most is whether Alex Ovechkin can break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record of 894. Ovechkin, 38, is at 822 goals in distinguished career and coming off a 42-goal campaign. Obviously it won’t happen this season, but the quest to surpass The Great One will supersede most anything else in Washington.
What’s new: Carbery, in his first shot as a NHL bench boss, has a tough task finding ways for one of the league’s oldest teams, and built around a half-dozen players past their prime, to compete beyond Ovechkin’s chase. The Capitals added defenseman Joel Edmundson and left winger Max Pacioretty, but his return from a second major Achilles injury is not expected to happen until November at the earliest.
Players to watch: The Capitals have plenty of talent. Beyond Ovechkin, forwards Nicklas Backstrom, Dylan Strome, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson and defensemen John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin are very good players. Same goes for starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper. However, this is a team that is only getting older and more injury-prone, and making the playoffs will not be any easier with clubs such as Buffalo, Detroit and Ottawa all ready to take a step forward.
–Field Level Media
