Buckeye State Hockey Metro Predictions

The time is upon us. Preseason is complete and the Blue Jackets’ first game is a mere four days away. With the 2015-16 NHL season so close we can taste it, the Buckeye State Hockey team has put together our prediction on how we think the Metro Division will shake out this season. Enjoy:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

Defense is question mark after Kris Letang. There is no question about the wild forward powers. Crosby-Kessel will be insane, Malkin is still one of the best centers in the NHL, and the Pens will add Fehr later in the year. Their depth and talent is unmatched in division. – Matt 

Crosby is going have Kessel contending for the Rocket Richard. Having Letang and Maata back healthy will elevate this team to the top. – Paul

The Penguins came right back to counter the Blue Jackets’ acquisition of Brandon Saad by picking up The Phil. The Phil’s first year in Pittsburgh will probably not be as shaky as me and 28 other fan-bases want it to be. Along with Crosby, Malkin, and Bennett, Kessel is another part of a ridiculous group of forwards that’s backed by spare parts and shiny teeth. – Bert

2. New York Islanders

The team that was likely to go this distance rallies after a strong run to the post season (again!) and goes deep.  – Alison

They also had very little turnover on their roster. However, they are also a young team with a few guys who could take a step forward. – Coach

Defense is made up of a bunch of glass figurines who love blocking shots, but are good when not broken relying on Brian Strait playing 20 minutes a night. Very strong, deep forward group, especially top nine. Jaro Halak is wicked, with a superb back-up in Thomas Greiss, just in case. – Jeremy

3. Washington Capitals

Got better with the addition of Oshie to go along with Ovi, Backstrom, and guys like Kuznetsov, Burakovsky, and Johannson who should all see an improvement. Oh, Holtby is pretty good too. – Avery

There’s no question Ovechkin is a force. The additions of Justin Williams and TJ Oshie should do well to reform the Caps’ forward depth. Braden Holtby has been excellent. Any of these could be reasons to see the Caps at the top. But can they keep up with the Isles and Pens? – Matt

Made big upgrades to the team with Oshie and Williams. Holtby emerges even further and puts himself into the Vezina conversation. – Paul

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

I’m biased. The Jackets are not a wild card team in any other division, of course, but the Metro is so close that 5 teams could feasibly contend for the top spot. Without jinxing it, the Jackets do well. Who knows, if the other bruisers in the Metro falter like the Jackets did last year they could take the division. – Bert

If they can find confidence early and stock up on wins versus chasing them late in the season, they go farther than most pundits think. The Saad-Johansen-Foligno line bodes well, and Murray has looked strong and ready. – Alison

A great portion of this projection rests on the shoulders of Sergei Bobrovsky and Ryan Murray. It’s easy to imagine Johansen, Saad, Dubinsky and friends tearing it up when they’re in the offensive zone. If Murray and Bobrovsky can stabilize the blueline and keep the pucks out? The team will prosper. – Matt

5. New York Rangers

If Lundqvist can stave off the aging curve for one more year, they’ll be good enough to sneak into the play-offs, even though the defense is rather dire beyond Yandle and McDonagh, and the forward group features Tanner Glass. – Jeremy

I see the Rangers taking a step back from last year but still not enough to drop them from the playoffs. They have a great d core and of course Lundquist. Their bottom six doesn’t look as good this year. – Paul

I’ve been banking on the Rangers regressing for a while now. They aren’t great possession wise, always carry around a high PDO that has to pop at some point, right? In reality, Hank has to come down at some point, the Rangers are gonna miss Hagelin a bit more than they hope, and losing St. Louis isn’t going to help. – Avery

6. Carolina Hurricanes

7. Philadelphia Flyers

Possibly underrating Philly, but their defense is weird, old, faceless, and underwhelming (besides the apparently super-impressive Evgeny Medvedev) and their forward group features two dynamic studs and then a whole bunch of whatever, and even though Steve Mason has had a career resurgence, he’s still Steve Mason so putting faith in him is very questionable. – Jeremy

Mason seemed to find his stride but this team will stay pretty consistent in terms of performance compared to last year. – Alison

Giroux and Voracek are ridiculous, but outside of Couturier and Simmonds they have no depth. The defence is a mess too, although Mason has been solid for them. – Paul

8. New Jersey Devils

Pass – Coach