Welcome to what might end up being the toughest division in hockey. On the plus side, Metropolitan Division clubs get a great travel schedule. On the downside, there are no gimmes among this bunch.
Previews courtesy of Sports Interaction. Division odds current as of Sept. 27.
Carolina Hurricanes +1500
The Hurricanes have a lot of good, young pieces on the roster and should be able to fill the net. Their big question mark is whether they can keep pucks out of their own goal. If Cam Ward returns to form after knee surgery and gets a little help from his defence for a change, Carolina will be much improved from last year. The dependable Joni Pitkanen is gone for the year, so newcomer Mike Komisarek will need to step up.
Columbus Blue Jackets +1400
Columbus’ rebuilding stage has been fast-tracked. This team can compete now with a deep group of young forwards and Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Former second-overall pick Ryan Murphy may be ready to contribute on the blue line and Nathan Horton should fit in well with what the team has up front. Columbus should be a good under play.
New Jersey Devils +1300
Thankfully, the Devils brought in Corey Schneider because Martin Brodeur’s running out of race track. Without Ilya Kovalchuk this team is going to struggle to keep up with the rest of the pack offensively. Jaromir Jagr, Michael Ryder, and Ryane Clowe are decent additions, but they can’t carry the load. It might be a long season for Devils supporters.
New York Islanders +800
With John Tavares up front, anything is possible. He’s going to have a monster year to carry the offence, but the Islanders have some strong secondary scoring options as well. It all comes down to the 38-year-old Evgeni Nabakov in goal. He shocked everybody with tremendous numbers last year, but you have to wonder how long he can keep it up.
New York Rangers +610
There’s a new life about the Rangers after swapping John Tortorella for Alain Vignault. This team will be basically what you saw last year as far as the roster goes, though AV should get better production out of the offence. If the Rangers can get through the first part of the season without captain Ryan Callahan and speedy winger Carl Haglin (both injured) they’ll be in great shape. A full season with Marc Staal on the blue line in front of Henrik Lundqvist means big things on Broadway.
Philadelphia Flyers +1000
After last season’s debacle, the Flyers shuffled the deck by bringing in Vincent Lecavalier, Ray Emery and Mark Streit. Offence won’t be a problem for the Flyers and Emery should get this club back in the mix for the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Penguins -129
A full season of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, and Chris Kunitz could be absolutely terrifying for opposing goaltenders. Speaking of which, Pittsburgh’s goaltending might be just as scary. Marc Andre-Fleury is running out of chances and Tomas Vokoun is better served as a backup. Still, if Pittsburgh stays healthy, this club’s offence should be enough for another trip to the playoffs.
Washington Capitals +696
The Capitals went on a great run at the end of last season, pushing the Rangers to the brink in the playoffs before bowing out in seven games. Would the Caps even have been in that situation if they didn’t play in the farm league division of the NHL last year? Maybe not. This year they’ll have to prove it in Adam Oates’ second season behind the bench. With Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Brandon Holtby, they have the horses. Now it’s just a matter of how long they can run at top speed.