By Peter Valentino
The NHL All-Star break has passed and teams are preparing for the second half of the season accordingly. Probably the most competitive division this year is the Metropolitan, with all teams within 10 points of each other. What makes this division so interesting is that while all eight teams are competitive, they all have glaring flaws that probably should be addressed by the deadline at the end of the month. Here’s how the teams look right now.
Washington: The Capitals are maintaining their ascendance at the top of the division due to the great play of their top liners. However, the insufficient depth on this team could lead them to another early exit in the playoffs. I would expect them to pick up a few pieces before the deadline, yet this team is so top heavy that the depth they pick up is going to have to greatly overachieve. (Two eight year contracts in one offseason to slightly above average players? Really?) I’m skeptical of their abilities to hold their own in the playoffs. Expect an upset from the first wild card team.
Pittsburgh: The defending Stanley Cup champions are playing well in January; however, there is still a glaring need for defense. When the team loses, they get their doors blown off. This team plays poorly five on five and have quite a few depth problems. I expect them to continue trading around with the rest of the league in order to create a more complete team, and if they can do so, they have a chance to come out as winners in the East come May. The Penguins definitely have the experience, but they have a lot of kinks to work out before I can say that they are the best team in this division.
New Jersey: The surprise team out of the Metro is, by far, the Devils. This team has both depth and star talent with Taylor Hall and Cory Schneider. What they don’t have, however, is experience. This young team has a few players with experience, but still needs to grow in order for me to believe them. Regardless, the team will experience a lot of success in the near future.
Columbus: I personally believe that this is the best team in the division. They are being held back by injuries and a bad power play, but they have exceptional defenders and an elite goaltender. If they can pick up one more scoring threat at the deadline, this team will be scary come playoff time.
Philadelphia: This might be the weirdest team in the league this year. They went on a 10-game losing streak in November, but are still in a wild card spot. At this point, with the talent on the roster, the team should just sell off its draft picks and go for it, but never seems to want to do so. Maybe this year will be different, but with how lucky they got in the draft last year, this team has too much talent to be meddling around mediocrity.
Carolina: Another team I cannot read are the Hurricanes. I think they are good, but underachieving. The team is still young enough to not yet have its identity, and seems to be on the right track, but they have to be good by now, correct? I think this is the team that ends up in the last wild card spot, but barely.
New York Rangers: If this team had any semblance of an idea for what it’s doing, it would have fired head coach Vigneault sometime mid-January and given Lindy Ruff a chance to revive a listless team. However, the Rangers fell off after a bad road trip and continue to spiral out of control after a bad showing against Toronto. The team says its in sell mode, but I don’t know how committed they are to it. One thing is for certain; this team is going nowhere fast with AV as their head coach.
New York Islanders: One of the best offensive attacks in the league is being spoiled by a dumpster fire of both defense and goaltending. The team probably has to go after the playoffs considering Tavares may leave if he doesn’t think the team is primed for success. The amount of offensive talent is enticing and I’d expect there to be some kind of push. However, I don’t think they are good enough to make it in.
