Offseason Review and Season and Roster preview for New York R, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington plus my complete Metro standings predictions.
New York R
Last years record: 52-24-6 110 points
Significant UFA losses: Ryan Strome, Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte, Kevin Rooney, Greg McKegg, Justin Braun, Keith Kinkaid
Significant UFA additions: Vincent Trocheck, Ryan Carpenter, Jaroslav Halak, Louis Domingue
Significant trades:
To NYR: 2022 3RD (COL), 2022 5RD (COL), 2023 3RD (COL).
To COL: Alex Georgiev
To NYR: Ty Emberson
To ARI: Patrik Nemeth, 2024 3RD (NYR), 2025 2RD (NYR)
To NYR: 2023 1RD (DAL), 2025 4RD (DAL)
To DAL: Nils Lundkvist
New York R 2022 Draft:
2RD #63 LW,RW Adam Sykora
3RD #97 C Bryce McConnell
4RD #111 C Noah Laba
5RD #159 RD Vittorio Mancini
5RD #161 LW Maxim Barbashev
6RD #191 C Zakary Karpa
Season and Roster preview: the Rangers weren’t able to keep most of their free agent acquisitions this offseason and on paper are worst then the eastern conference finalist but if you take their pre deadline lineup and match it up to this lineup right now it looks pretty darn similar and I think the Rangers can be one hell of a team this year and I have a hard time seeing them miss the playoffs this year.
In Net they have arguably one of the best goalies in the world right now but have a bit of a weaker backup situation then they did last year. So they have Igor Shesterkin who I think is the best goalie in the world and is coming off a phenomenal season last year as he lead the Rangers team to the playoffs playing outstanding in 53 games putting up a lethal .935 SV% and not only helped the Rangers get to the playoffs but led the Rangers to there amazing playoff run to the east final and helped them go toe to toe with the Lightning in that east final and he should start between 50 and 60 games this season and should be a great goalie once again. Now for the backup role Georgiev who was a okay backup and had some moments where he looked like he could be a good tandem goalie wasn’t getting enough playing time and was too expensive to resign so they moved him to Colorado and brought in via free agency Jaroslav Halak. Now Halak put up some pretty good numbers in very limited action last year with Vancouver and had a .902 SV% in 17 games as the Canucks backup and while he isn’t better then Georgiev he will fill in as backup quite well as he can play 20-25 games for New York and give them a chance to win every game and with this duo I think that both goalies will be great and I think the goalie position is much the same as it was last year with maybe a bit of a downgrade on the backup position.
With the defensive group you have the Rangers keeping last years top 4 on defence and I would bet that they keep the exact same 1st and 2nd pairs that they did last year as that top 4 was lethal for most of the season. Now on the top pairing I would have Fox who has become a top 10 defensemen in the NHL and is coming off a absolutely brilliant playoff performance last year should remain with Ryan Lindgren who has become a almost perfect compliment to Fox’s game as a good defensive defensemen and the two have great chemistry, then on the 2nd pair have newly appointed captain Trouba who is a very physical defensemen and has played very well the past few years partnered with K’Andre Miller who has been a good compliment to Trouba and seems to be on the verge of a breakout year so it makes sense to keep those two together and after a great showing last year young defensemen Schneider should have the 3rd pair spot on the right side stapled down as the big defensemen looks like he could be a lethal piece on the blue line for years to come, now I would’ve thought they brought in a veteran like Nemeth to play on the 3rd pair but with who they have right now I think they give Zac Jones who is a good prospect a chance on the 3rd pair playing with Schneider and if that doesn’t work out too well then have Hajek who has been looking to get into some NHL action after being a scratch for most of last year on that 3rd pair and see if he can prove he is still a useful NHL defender but not a bad D-Corp and although they have a Jones or Hajek on the 3rd pair instead of Nemeth which makes them a little weaker I think they are pretty close to what they had last year and this is still a defence no one will want to face.
As for their forward group they weren’t able to bring back guys like Copp or Strome but they were able to add some talent and with all of there young players looking poised to take even more strides I think this Rangers offence looks real good. So on the top line I would have Zibanejad and Kreider again as these two have good chemistry and play outstanding together and Zibanejad is coming off one of his best years and Kreider off a 50 goals season so those two should remain productive and I would put Lafreniere on that top line and I know he would have to play his off side to do that but after the year he had last year and especially in the playoffs on the kid line I think he would do great playing consistent minutes with that duo, then on line two I would have Panarin remain there as he continues to be a force on the second line and I don’t think that will change and I would expect new acquisition Trocheck to Center that line as Strome and Copp weren’t brought back and I think he could help do what Strome did with Panarin the last few years and have them play with Kravtsov as I think having him in a top six spot will convince him to remain with NYR and playing with fellow countryman in Panarin will just help his game, on the 3rd line I would keep 2/3 of the kid line together as I think that Chytil is a good Center but with him not being ready to be a top six Center having him Center the 3rd line would be better and although I think Kakko could play on the second line if Kravtsov beats him out then putting him with Chytil who he is familiar with would be a smart move to keep their chemistry going and then have Barclay Goodrow on the other Wing as I think if Goodrow played with the kids he could produce closer to what he was having in Tampa so that makes the most sense, and on the 4th line I would have newly brought in Carpenter who is a really good penalty killer and 4th line Center play with Ryan Reaves who is a really good checking forward and would be good on the 4th line but may have to play his off side and Bais who I think could get into the top 9 if all those kids weren’t there and would be the first guy to go into the top 9 when a injury pops up and then have a guy like Gauthier be the spare so while it isn’t as deep as their playoff run team it looks real similar to their pre deadline forward group from last year so I think this team will once again have a lethal offense and with the young guys more mature should be better then last year.
Rating C+: the Rangers have done well as if you take their pre deadline roster they have replaced Strome, Rooney, Nemeth and Georgiev with Trocheck, Carpenter and Halak so it might be a tad worse but I think that having Kravtsov and maybe Jones on defence will help this team and while Strome and Panarin had good chemistry Trocheck is more of a offensive powerhouse so I think that the Rangers took this offseason well and improved quite nicely and I have a hard time seeing them not only bumped out of the playoffs but also being bumped out of top 3 in the Metro so while I still think they won’t get the division crown I have no doubt they will be a top 3 team in the Metro.
New York R
Projected lineup
C.Kreider-M.Zibanejad-A.Lafreniere
A.Panarin-V.Trocheck-V.Kravtsov
B.Goodrow-F.Chytil-K.Kakko
R.Reaves-R.Carpenter-S.Blais
R.Lindgren-A.Fox
K.Miller-J.Trouba
Z.Jones-B.Schneider
I.Shesterkin
J.Halak
J.Gauthier-D.Hunt-L.Hajek
My Projected point total and record for the Rangers
48-26-8 for 104 points
Philadelphia
Last years record: 25-46-11 61 points
Significant UFA losses: Nate Thompson, Keith Yandle Martin Jones
Significant UFA additions: Adam Brooks, Nicolas Deslauriers, Justin Braun
Significant trades:
To PHI: Anthony DeAngelo, 2022 7RD (CAR)
To CAR: 2022 4RD (PHI), 2023 3RD (PHI), 2024 2RD (PHI)
Philadelphia 2022 Draft:
1RD #5 LW,C Cutter Gauthier
3RD #69 RW Devin Kaplan
5RD #133 LW Alex Bump
6RD #165 LD Hunter McDonald
7RD #197 LW Santeri Sulku
7RD #220 RW Alexis Gendron
Season and Roster preview: the Philadelphia Flyers went into this offseason looking for a agressive retool and in my opinion we’re not able to do that at all as they added a bit of talent but missed out on a golden opportunity to get a top end talent in free agency and with a lot of significant long term injuries that they will have to go through this year I think it is safe to say that we could be looking at a completely different team come next year.
So starting in goal they have a up and down young goalie who needs to solidify himself as a legit NHL starter and their backup situation right now is murky to say the least. So Hart is once again going to be the starter this year and after a atrocious 20-21 season he was able to improve last year but not to where he was in his rookie year as he had a respectable .905 SV% in 45 games last year and while it wasn’t great it was a improvement and with the Flyers current backup situation they will need him to play like a regular NHL starter and not look out of place this year, as for their backup position they wanted Ivan Fedotov to playas their backup in what would’ve been his first year in pro but do to issues in Russia he won’t play in North America this year so the Flyers best option for backup right now besides going out and acquiring someone would have to be Felix Sandstrom who had limited NHL action last year due to injuries by Hart and Jones who was last years backup they lost in free agency and while he did lose all the games he started he did have a .910 SV% which is something he can build off in this year and if he really will be the backup then I think the Flyers could play him in 20-25 games and he should play respectfully but going from a 1A-1B tandem last year to this is really worrisome to me and I think that the Flyers could have some games where their goaltending is t the best this year and they definitely downgraded in Net this offseason.
With the D-Corp they had news that Ryan Ellis who will miss at least the first few months if not the entire season due to a injury he suffered last year so they went out to replace him in the offseason and try and get their D-Corp back on track. So after a horrid defensive season last year I think that Provorov will remain on the top line even though his play has declined the past few years without a solid defensive partner and if things get much worse for him he could be on the trade block but for this year I think that his partner will be the newly acquired DeAngelo as I think DeAngelo could be a great Ryan Ellis replacement for Provorov for at least this year and coming off a season where he had over 50 points as a defensemen I think that he will help the Flyers D become more offensive this year, on the 2nd pair I would keep the duo who played reasonably well and that is Sanheim and Ristolainen as Sanheim is entering the final year of his contract but is a really good defensemen and has showed that the past few years and has had some great chemistry with Ristolainen since he came here last year as Ristolainen didn’t have the first season he wanted but did have a good enough year to earn a contract and if these two can play better together then they did last year I think this team could be alright, then on the third pair they will probably keep York on the 3rd pair as the young left side defensemen had a good rookie season last year and I would expect him to take at least a few more strides this year and then they will probably swap veterans as Yandle who was on the 3rd pair for most of last year isn’t in Philly anymore but they did bring back Braun and I think that they he will play well with York as York is more on the offensive side while Braun is more of a defensive defensemen so putting those two together wouldn’t be too bad and I think York could have a breakout season this year if he can drive the offense and then I would have someone like Seeler or Connauton be the 7th defensemen so I think that their defence is okay and much improved from last year but it isn’t as good as it would be with Ellis right now and because we don’t know how long he will be injured for I think this Flyers defence is probably not the best and those have some problems.
As for their forward group they have injures everywhere here to as Sean Couturier will miss at least the first few weeks and could be out the season while Farabee and Brink could miss just a few games to over a month with their injuries so not having 3 good top 9 forwards will hurt but they will have to have a good enough lineup to play through that. So on the top line right now I would have Kevin Hayes be the top line Center instead of Couturier as Hayes is a good Center and while he isn’t as productive as Couturier I think he could fill the number one Center spot well and then have Konecny who I think is one of the more offensive forwards on this team after scoring over 50 last year and should be trying to raise his stock if he does get traded and Atkinson who had a pretty good season in his first year with the team getting 50 points but I think he could get more then that if he plays continuously in the top six and is able to put up points, on the second line I would have two former first round picks in 2017 play as Morgan Frost who has done a okay job the last few years as a bottom six forward should get a increased role with Couturier out centering the 2nd line where I think he can have a breakout year and Owen Tippett who will try to prove in Philadelphia that he is still a top six forward and can play high in the lineup and have those two play with veteran Van Reimsdyk who the Flyers tried to move in the offseason but couldn’t and will hope he can improve his value to be a trade candidate later in the year, then I would have a few young players on the third line as I would put Allison on one wing as he seems like a top 9 forward but injuries have hurt him over the past few seasons and I think that Noah Cates could possibly make the roster as well as I think he could beat out guys like Hodgson and Jackson Cates for a roster spot and have Laughton Center the line as I think the very productive middle six forward would help the two young players grow into a NHL role, and on the fourth line I would have a very good checking line of Deslauriers who they brought in in the offseason to play a physical style of game as well as MacEwen who plays the same sort of game as Deslauriers and Brown who I think could center that line and help them play better, but I have major concerns for this team as Gaudreau wanted to go to Philly but the Flyers weren’t able to make the cap work so losing out on a player like Gaudreau is bad enough but when they lose Couturier for maybe the entire season as well it is just a really bad for the Flyers and with a majority of young players and not too many offensive talent on this team I think Philly could be in for a world of pain come the start of the year.
Rating D: the Flyers on a strictly player in player out bases didn’t do to badly in the off season by getting DeAngelo and Braun to replace Yandle and Deslauriers and Brooks to replaced Thompson but when you factor in that they missed on a golden opportunity to sign Johnny Hockey and the fact that Couturier and Ellis could easily miss the rest of the year due to injuries those additions don’t look to hot right now and their cap issues are a major reason as to why that is and I don’t think they made nearly enough moves to be competitive this year and I wouldn’t be shocked if they were a bottom 3 team in the East and a bottom 5 team in the league this year and instead of a agressive retool it would make more sense in my opinion to start a full blown rebuild after this year.
Philadelphia
Projected lineup
T.Konecny-K.Hayes-C.Atkinson
J.V Reimsdyk-M.Frost-O.Tippett
N.Cates-S.Laughton-W.Allison
N.Deslauriers-P.Brown-Z.MacEwen
I.Provorov-A.DeAngelo
T.Sanheim-R.Ristolainen
C.York-J.Braun
C.Hart
F.Sandstrom
A.Brooks-J.Cates-N.Seeler
(IR S.Couturier, B.Brink, J.Farabee, R.Ellis)
My Projected point total and record for the Flyers
29-41-12 for 70 points
Pittsburgh
Last years record: 46-25-11 103 points
Significant UFA losses: Evan Rodrigues, Brian Boyle, Michael Chaput, Anthony Angello, Nathan Beaulieu, Louis Domingue
Significant UFA additions: Josh Archibald, Drake Caggiula, Jan Rutta, Dustin Tokarski
Significant trades:
To PIT: Ty Smith, 2023 3RD (NJ)
To NJ: John Marino
To PIT: Ryan Poehling, Jeff Petry
To MON: Mike Matheson, 2023 4RD (PIT)
Pittsburgh 2022 Draft:
1RD #21 LD Owen Pickering
4RD #118 G Sergei Murashov
5RD #150 C Zam Plante
6RD #167 RD Nolan Collins
6RD #182 C Luke Devlin
My season and Roster preview: the Penguins went into the offseason needing to keep their core intact to remain a playoff team and keep competitive and were surprisingly able to do that as they were able to keep Malkin, Rakell, Rust and Letang while in my opinion improving their team so I don’t think they will regress much this year and still see them being in the heat of the playoff race late in the year.
In Net they are running back the same duo from last year of Jarry and DeSmith. Now Jarry is in a contract year and is probably going to play like a starter again after he really showed last year in the regular season that he can be a starter in the NHL instead of just a tandem player as he had a astounding .919 SV% in 58 games last year and although he is in a contract year and will probably play quite well I think he is ready to show the NHL he is a starter and if he plays like last year not only should Pittsburgh have a legit chance to make the playoffs but he should get quite a raise on next year’s contract whether it is in Pittsburgh or elsewhere and they also have DeSmith back as backup and I thought this move was a bit iffy as there were better backups then DeSmith available but they apparently have confidence in DeSmith and after a pretty respectable .914 SV% they will be looking to put up the same sort of numbers but maybe a bit more wins and if he doesn’t do too well then they have Tokarski who they signed to be the 3rd string goalie and was okay as Buffalo’s backup last year and could reprise that role in Pittsburgh if there is a injury but I think that the Penguins goaltending is basically the same as last year but could be a bit better and should continue helping the Penguins get wins.
As for their D-Corp it seems a ton better then last year and even though it is crowded and someone could still be moved before I think this is a way better Defence then last year and should help out the goalies even more. Now I would have the top pair at least for now remain as I can’t see Letang be anything but the top defensemen on the top pair for the Penguins especially after his career year of 68 points and with him still on the team I would keep Dumoulin as Letang’s partner as Dumoulin is the defensive defensemen that allows Letang too produce his offense and if he stays I would keep that pair together, as for pair two I would keep Pettersson on there as he has played the last few years in the 2nd pair for PIT but having a offensive partner like Petry who I would put with him might help Pettersson as I think Petry is coming in to prove that he can still be a force offensively and last year in Montreal was just a anomaly and that could help both players, while on the third pair I would have Ty Smith who they acquired from New Jersey in the Marino deal and should be able to showcase his offensive potential playing full time on the third pair spot and I would have Rutta who has been a great defensive defensemen through the Bolts runs to the cup final by Smith partner as he can mentor Smith and be the partner he needs to allow Smith to have his offensive game and then I would have at this point one of Ruhwedel, Friedman or Joseph be the 7th defensemen but in my opinion Friedman is the best fit for being 7th and this defence is much improved from last year in my opinion and could be the missing piece for the team to get back to winning playoff rounds again.
And with the forward group they were able to keep most of their major components from last year and really the only significant loss was Evan Rodrigues and with a few other additions they should be a great scoring team again. So first i would put Crosby on the top line again as he is still very offensive and shows no signs of slowing down with Guentzel on one of his wings as he seems like he could once again hit 40 goals this season and on the other side have Rust who I thought wouldn’t be back but whenever these three have played together over the past few years they were able to bring out the best in each other so I see no reason to not keep them together, I would continue to have Malkin as 2nd line Center as he does great behind Crosby and if he can stay healthy this year I would expect a big year from him and I would have Rakell who was able to fit in amazingly with the Penguins following the deadline acquisition last year play with Malkin to help his goal scoring abilities and although he didn’t do to well last year and sort of bounced around the lineup I would have Kapanen on the other wing as I think he deserves one last opportunity to prove he belongs in the top six and is a very quick player who could help Rakell and Malkin, now I would have two natural Centers on the 3rd line playing together as I think Blueger has done enough in the past few years to earn himself a spot on the third line centering it and if he is Center then I think Carter who has been a great 3rd line Center since coming over from LA might be okay playing on Blueger’s wing to Maximize talent and then have McGinn who is coming off a pretty good first season with Pittsburgh play on the other wing for Blueger and these three should make a lethal 3rd line, and on the 4th line even though they don’t have Rodrigues anymore I think they still have some pretty good depth as I would put Zucker who is a overpaid bottom six forward who can still play well be on a line with Heinen who showed last year he can be a very productive bottom six forward especially for his contract and newly acquired Poehling who is still establishing himself as a every day player I would have Center that fourth line and if any get injured then they have Archibald who they acquired in the offseason and is a really good bottom six forward and Drew O’Connor who showed last year at times how good of a bottom six winger he could be so I think that the Penguins will be a good offensive team once gain this year and with their core back again it should help to push their team back into the playoffs again.
Rating B-: I think the Penguins did a great job and they didn’t even have to make too many huge moves or groundbreaking signings as keeping basically all of their forward group who were pending free agents was amazing and tweaking that blueline so they now have Rutta, Petry and Smith should help this team and with a once again healthy starter in Jarry this team looks like they are going to do well again and while I don’t see them regressing this year and missing the playoffs I do think it would be a uphill battle to make the top 3 again but I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it via a wildcard spot as they have done enough in my opinion to keep competitive and remain in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh
Projected lineup
J.Guentzel-S.Crosby-B.Rust
R.Rakell-E.Malkin-K.Kapanen
B.McGinn-T.Blueger-J.Carter
J.Zucker-R.Poehling-D.Heinen
B.Dumoulin-K.Letang
M.Pettersson-J.Petry
T.Smith-J.Ruuta
T.Jarry
C.DeSmith
D.O’Connor-J.Archibald-M.Friedman
My Projected point total and record for the Penguins.
44-31-7 for 95 points
Washington
Last years record: 44-26-12 100 points
Significant UFA losses: Justin Schultz, Michael Kempny, Ilya Samsonov, Phoenix Copley.
Significant UFA additions: Dylan Strome, Henrik Borgstrom, Erik Gustafsson, Gabriel Carlsson, Darcy Kuemper, Charlie Lindgren
Significant trades:
To WAS: 2022 2RD (NJ), 2022 3RD (NJ)
To NJ: Vitek Vanecek, 2022 2RD (WIN)
To WAS: Connor Brown
To OTT: 2024 2RD (WAS)
Washington 2022 Draft
1RD #20 LW Ivan Miroshnichenko
2RD #37 RD Ryan Chesley
3RD #70 LW Alexander Suzdalev
3RD #85 LW,C Ludwig Persson
5RD #149 C Jake Karabela
6RD #181 C Ryan Hofer
7RD #213 LD David Gucciardi
Season and Roster preview: the Capitals have had a lot of bad injury news in the offseason and have replaced those players as best as they could but with a ton of pending UFA’s and a ageing core I am really worried about them getting back to the playoffs next year and while I have said that they will probably miss the playoffs for a while due to the injuries and the division they are in I wouldn’t be shocked if this is the year they finally regressed.
In the net the Capitals did a complete overhaul after they moved out Vanecek and let Samsonov go via free agency. Now the Capitals were able to zero in free agency and get Stanley cup winning goalie Darcy Kuemper to be there new starter and he had a pretty good year in Colorado getting a .921 SV% in 57 games but his problems over the years has been staying healthy as even last year in the playoffs he missed time due to injuries and if he were to be injured for any substantial portion of the year this season then it would hurt the Caps big time as their backup for this year is Charlie Lindgren who surprised most as he has been a AHL goalie over the past few seasons and although he does have 29 NHL games in his career he hasn’t played more then 14 in a season so if he can do good in about 20-25 games for Washington then I think he will be fine but if he is a little shaky to start and isn’t doing so well as backup then Washington might be in trouble so while I think the starting position is better then last year as Kuemper is better then the other two goalies they had I think a Vanecek and Samsonov tandem would’ve been better then this duo so I think that the goaltending position might have got slightly worse this year.
In the D-Corp they brought back basically everyone that was there last year except for Schultz but they should still have a decent enough defence for this year. Now on the top pair I would continue to have offensive star John Carlson play top minutes as he has shown how well of a offensive player he is in recent years and I think he should remain with Martin Fehrvary for next year as that duo actually worked really well last year and I think that with a full season now under his belt that Fehrvary should continue to grow and prove that he is top 4 talent, meanwhile all the other 5 players I have for this Caps roster are all pending UFA’s as I would keep longtime Capital Orlov who has been a good top 4 defender in Washington over the past few years on that second pair and coming off a career year have him be paired with Nick Jensen who is a good defensive defensemen and while he isn’t the best top 4 defensemen who should be the partner that Orlov needs, and on the 3rd pair I would have two players on cheap deals as I would have Van Reimsdyk who has played the 3rd pair role quiet well in his few years with Washington partnered with newly brought in Erik Gustafsson who is a pretty good 3rd pair defensemen and should help the Caps solidify their D-Corp and then have Matt Irwin who was a good 7th defensemen last year probably be the 7th defensemen again and if there is injuries for Washington he should be able to step in but I think that this Capitals defence is around as good as it was last year but if a good offensive defensemen were to be injured like Carlson or Orlov then this defence could go off the rails in a hurry so while it is a okay defence there is really only a small margin of error.
And on the forward side is where their injuries lay as top 6 players Wilson and Backstrom are both going to miss time this year and while Wilson is probably going to be back in late November it sounds line Backstrom will miss the entire year due to his hip injury and these two injuries are really big blows to the Capitals. Now on the top line I would continue to have Ovechkin as he should still be a goal scoring havoc and I wouldn’t be surprised if he surpassed 45 goals this year and I would play him with Kuznetsov on one side as Kuznetsov has been Center number 1 a few times in Backstrom’s absence and done quite well and Mantha who I think could take on the role of Wilson for a few months as a physical forwards who can help out with the scoring, on the second line I would have two newly acquired players as Dylan Strome who they signed earlier and is coming off a decently productive season putting up over 40 points playing with Kane last year and Connor Brown who is a pretty good middle six versatile winger and should be able to play in many situations but I think he gets a top 6 role in the absence of Wilson and have those two play with McMicheal who I think could play on the wing with all of their Centers and I think that after a full year last year he is ready to take on a top 6 role this year, on the third line I would have Oshie who is starting to regress a little play on one of the wings and help the younger players out and I would have young Center Lapierre who should play in his first full NHL year this year after having a pretty productive stint last year and on the other side have Sheary who is a good veteran and seems to play well on the third line coming off a 43 point year and should help Lapierre grow, and on the 4th line have a few veterans who can play in a shutdown role but still produce of needed as Johansson who was back in Washington after the deadline and re-signed play on one of the wings with Hathaway on the other as the penalty killing forward has worked really well on the Caps 4th line the past few years as well as Dowd who I would say Center’s the 4th line and should help against the tough opponents and have Eller who I think will have to work his way back into a roster spot and Fjallby who showed last year he can be a regular NHL player so the Caps are hurting in the forward group this year and I think that even though they added guys like Brown and Strome they don’t have the fire power they would with a full lineup and I wouldn’t be surprised if the team ended up regressing this year.
Rating C: the Capitals got a bit worse on the goaltending side and due to the injuries also got a bit worse on the offensive side and while we will have to wait to see how the season plays out I think this will be the start of the Caps rebuild as most of their core players are in their 30’s and the amount of players in the final contract of their deals is absolutely astounding so I think that with the amount of teams who have improved this year that the Caps will finish out of a playoff spot and toward the bottom of the division and while I don’t think they would miss the playoffs by too much I do think this is the year where the Caps finally regress.
Washington
Projected lineup
A.Ovechkin-E.Kuznetsov-A.Mantha
C.McMicheal-D.Strome-C.Brown
C.Sheary-H.Lapierre-T.J Oshie
M.Johansson-N.Dowd-G.Hathaway
M.Fehrvary-J.Carlsson
D.Orlov-N.Jensen
T.V Reimsdyk-E.Gustafsson
D.Kuemper
C.Lindgren
A.Jonsson-Fjallby-L.Eller-M.Irwin
(IR C.Hagelin,T.Wilson,N.Backstrom)
My Projected point total and record for the Capitals
36-37-9 for 81 points
All Star logo 2022
My projected Standings for the Metro division
Carolina 52-24-6 for 110 points
New York R 48-26-8 for 104 points
Columbus 44-29-9 for 97 points
Pittsburgh 44-31-7 for 95 points
New York I 39-30-13 for 91 points
New Jersey 40-34-8 for 88 points
Washington 36-37-9 for 81 points
Philadelphia 29-41-12 for 70 points
I think that the Canes have done enough to keep the top spot in the Metro this year with the Rangers keeping the 2nd spot still being one heck of a lethal team, I see the Islanders, Penguins and Blue Jackets all fighting for 3rd in the Metro this year and with the way they have done this offseason I think that the Blue Jackets would have the guaranteed 3rd Metro spot to make it to the playoffs while the Penguins and Islanders would be set up real nicely to maybe make the playoffs as a Wildcard team, then I think that the Devils will be in the conversation and be close and play some meaningful games down the stretch but all in all will need another year until they make the playoffs and the Caps regress a lot missing the playoffs by quite a lot and it probably starts a rebuild and then I think the Flyers are a forgone conclusion to finish last in this division with all of there problems and that starts another rebuilding team in the Metro but all in all I think there will be at least be 6 Metro teams who will be competitive this year and I think that this will probably be the toughest division to come out of and I think the games they play against each other are going to be a significant indicator as to who wins this division.
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