This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
We are now less than a month away from the beginning of another NHL season. Today, I continue which the Boom or Bust series. I will go through each division and attempt to point out those players who will better their point totals and those who will regress. As well, I will give a brief team capsule and a predicted order of finish in the regular season. Today, we will focus on the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are on the verge of a complete rebuild and are facing the dilemma of their signature player, Eric Staal, in the final year of a long-term contract and a two-goalie set up where the mantle will be passed from Cam Ward to Eddie Lack, who figure to split the net-minding duties until Ward might be moved. Beyond these names, this is a team that's thin on front line talent.
Elias Lindholm: One of their top young prospects, Lindholm has shown a nice upward trajectory in his first two years as a pro. He should continue that trend with a great chance to play first-line minutes this year, and he could have his first 20-goal, 50-point season. BOOM
Justin Faulk: He had a career-year with 15 goals and 42 points, while playing all 82 games last year, which almost equaled his career totals for his first 180 NHL games. However, his role may be reduced in terms of high-end minutes on the power play with the arrival of
We are now less than a month away from the beginning of another NHL season. Today, I continue which the Boom or Bust series. I will go through each division and attempt to point out those players who will better their point totals and those who will regress. As well, I will give a brief team capsule and a predicted order of finish in the regular season. Today, we will focus on the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are on the verge of a complete rebuild and are facing the dilemma of their signature player, Eric Staal, in the final year of a long-term contract and a two-goalie set up where the mantle will be passed from Cam Ward to Eddie Lack, who figure to split the net-minding duties until Ward might be moved. Beyond these names, this is a team that's thin on front line talent.
Elias Lindholm: One of their top young prospects, Lindholm has shown a nice upward trajectory in his first two years as a pro. He should continue that trend with a great chance to play first-line minutes this year, and he could have his first 20-goal, 50-point season. BOOM
Justin Faulk: He had a career-year with 15 goals and 42 points, while playing all 82 games last year, which almost equaled his career totals for his first 180 NHL games. However, his role may be reduced in terms of high-end minutes on the power play with the arrival of James Wisniewski. BUST
Eric Staal: Throughout much of his time in Carolina, we could easily project 30 goals and 70 points as the minimum that could be expected of the captain. Last season, he slumped to 23 goals and 54 points and this might well be the new reality if he remains with the Hurricanes all year long. BUST
Columbus Blue Jackets
People who use last season as the barometer for measuring this team are going to be mistaken because they were besieged by an unbelievable (unrepeatable?) injury list. They are big and strong throughout a roster that includes the likes of Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno and Scott Hartnell – all physical players who are not much fun to play against with an offensive upside. Sergei Bobrovsky is also underrated and should be included in the Vezina Trophy discussion.
Sergei Bobrovsky: His numbers reflected the challenge of a depleted roster for much of last season. Expect his win total and goals-against average to return to levels that will be among the league leaders. He should also be able to resume a larger workload than 51 appearances after an injury plagued campaign. BOOM
Brandon Dubinsky: He lost almost half a season to injury, but he is healthy and ready to resume his role as a scoring line center, who is most noted as an excellent distributor. In a second line role he will not see top opposing checking lines and will also work on what should be a very good power play. BOOM
Kevin Connauton: People who focus on the nine goals he scored last year are going to expect a repeat, along with a bigger point total, but the reality is that there are at least two (Jack Johnson and David Savard) blueliners who will get the bigger opportunities in scoring situation. I see his role as a second pairing defender, at best, in this deep lineup. BUST
New Jersey Devils
The club is staring at the fact that a number its best players are on the wrong side of 30 and in decline in terms of productivity. On paper, I wonder where their goals will come from, as I can't find even six consistent scorers on this roster to form two average offensive units. That will make for a large challenge even if they do find a way to play the traditional Devils' shutdown, defensive style of game.
Sergey Kalinin: This 24-year old forward cut his teeth in the KHL and is an under-the-radar addition who could surprise as an unexpected source of offense should he land a top-six role. He could well be part of the solution here. BOOM
Patrik Elias: The 39-year old has fought off father time for the last few years, but he gave up ground last season as he tallied only 13 goals in 69 games. It is a far cry from what we have come to expect from a long-time top scoring forward who has always led the way. Someone else has to carry that baton now. BUST
Cory Schneider: With the offensive outlook so poor here, it is highly unlikely that Schneider can repeat his stellar stats line (2.26 GAA and .922 save percentage) from last year. Adding to those concerns is a less-than intimidating defensive corps that won't remind people of the shutdown groups that have been a part of Devils lore for decades. BUST
New York Islanders
The Isles took a big step back toward respectability and made the playoffs, aided by some clever deals that stabilized their blueliner, which was a long-time weakness. Now with the likes of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk it is a team-wide strength. Add quality veteran Jaroslav Halak, who settled in as a dependable goalie who could shoulder a heavy workload, and John Tavares, with a deeper supporting cast of forwards and you having the making of a good-looking club.
Anders Lee: He had an impact as a rookie, tallying 25 goals, and should do better than the 41 points he collected last year, if he plays the whole season on the top line with Tavares and Kyle Okposo. BOOM
Brock Nelson: This big center burst out of the gate and got a large portion of his 42 points very early last year, and we watched his productivity decline in the latter stages of the campaign. At the moment, he remains an unsigned RFA and may not start the season in the best state of mind if the contract squabble continues much longer. BUST
Kyle Okposo: If you gloss over the fact that the big power winger scored only 18 goals, you may not recall that he only played in 60 games. He also collected 51 points in that limited sample. If he can stay healthy, that could translate into 30 goals and 70 points this year. BOOM
New York Rangers
This perennial contender has amassed a number of big bodies who can play the game any way you like and score in bunches. That tendency has been paired with long-time staples of defensive strength and the almost unmatched quality of Henrik Lundqvist in goal. Their overall depth is a virtual guarantee that they will be a top contender once again this year.
Ryan McDonagh: He is no longer the club's only offensively gifted blueliner and should benefit from the fact that this team is a lot more capable of scoring, while not sacrificing defensive acumen. He should surpass the 40-point mark and be among league leaders in this scenario. BOOM
Chris Kreider: This guy has all the tools: size, speed and good hands around the net, and he has probably learned a lot from teammate Rick Nash, who is similarly blessed. He should threaten the 30-goal mark. BOOM
Derek Stepan: This strong two-way pivot is again earmarked for a scoring line role, likely on the second line, yet still expecting to play with talented wingers who can score. As he a very good passer who has a high hockey IQ, this should lead to a career season. BOOM
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers do have some high-end talent up front, featuring the potent pairing of Claude Giroux and Josef Voracek, but they are no longer surrounded by a lot of offensive depth. That will not allow them to insulate a defensive corps that is neither overwhelming offensively nor is it an intimidating group.
Michael Raffl: This native of Austria emerged as the winner in the search for a winger who would play regular minutes with the club's dynamic duo of Giroux and Voracek. Assuming he can hold onto that assignment from the start of the season, he should easily top last year's 28-point total. BOOM
Sam Gagner: After playing top six minutes and scoring 41 points in Arizona, he will have to shift to the wing on a full-time basis this season in order to retain a shot at a scoring line role. He has to pay attention to defensive responsibilities better than he did last year (minus-28 rating), and should he fall short of that assignment, he will not approach last year's point total in a lesser role. BUST
Mark Streit: Although he is coming off another impressive offensive season, he is now 37 years old and the Flyers nurtured the restoration of Michael Del Zotto as a new younger (25) elite offensive talent who rediscovered his skills to produce 10 goals and 32 points last year. I see a reduction in Streit's minutes and productivity in this scenario. BUST
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pens went all-in on a bet that they will simply outscore opponents with the addition of premier sniper Phil Kessel. There's enough talent up front to ice three good scoring lines, a luxury that will obscure the lack of depth on defense and a goalie situation that may be trending downward.
Phil Kessel: Arguably the biggest addition of the offseason, Kessel should be highly motivated to erase the memory of a frustrating last season. He will land on the right wing of Sidney Crosby and should be a lock to score at least 40 goals. BOOM
Kris Letang: His health is going to be a determining factor regarding whether he can remain among the top scoring defensemen in the league. He's been through a lot in the last couple of seasons. The development of Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot, two more capable blueliners with offensive upside, are ready to be plugged into high reward minutes if Letang falters at all. BUST
Pascal Dupuis: After recovering from blood clots in his lungs last season, this experienced winger enters training camp with a clean bill of health. He has always had very good chemistry with Crosby and could easily regain his role as the defensive conscience on the top forward line. BOOM
Washington Capitals
The Capitals were very handsomely rewarded for pairing their firepower with a willingness to learn Barry Trotz's attention to defensive detail. They did not sacrifice their scoring depth and saw the emergence of Braden Holtby into an elite goalie. They made a couple of moves to slightly change their look, but they will lean on the same formula in the upcoming season.
T.J. Oshie: This gifted winger comes over from St. Louis where there was a wealth of similarly skilled players and now finds himself ticketed as the missing ingredient to play on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. They should easily be one of the top scoring trios in the league. BOOM
Evgeny Kuznetsov: This ultra-skilled forward showed signs of maturity in his overall game as last season wound down. I expect him to build on that and take a firm grip on the second line center role and to be a solid contributor to a potent power play. BOOM
Andre Burakovsky: This is another talented young forward who figured things out in the latter stages of last year and is now poised to start the season as a second line winger on what should be a productive unit, which will avoid top opposing checking lines. BOOM
Predicted Finish:
1. NY Rangers
2. Washington
3. NY Islanders
4. Pittsburgh
5. Columbus
6. Philadelphia
7. New Jersey
8. Carolina
