by Scott Rickenbach
Monday, Oct 09, 2023Metropolitan Division 2023-24 Quick Hitter Season Preview
Carolina Hurricanes – Strong defense and maybe not the most exciting team around on offense but this team gets the job done also cycles the puck so well so they are very dangerous. Well-coached hard-nosed and solid goaltending further supports the defensive style. Bunting and Orlov are solid additions and remember that Carolina lost Svechnikov in March last season but he is back and healthy for the new season. Hurricanes challenge for the cup if the goaltending of Andersen and Raanta can hold up and if they stay healthy enough overall come post-season time! The Svechnikov injury really hurt last spring.
Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets blue line is much better with off-season additions of Provorov and Severson plus the fact Werenski is healthy again and back for the season as well. However, the whole coaching distraction from Mike Babcock to now Pascal Vincent right before a new season is starting is not ideal. I think this team is destined to again stumble some even though they also have some highly skilled players on offense too. Just too many continued problems for this organization and they must stay healthier too.
New Jersey Devils – This is a very talented team that improved greatly last season as expected. This could be a good team for overs this season, at least early on, because they lost some blue line key talent. With a susceptible defense, there is likely to be too much pressure on the goalies. But again, at the other end of the ice the Devils do a great job of pressuring the opposing goaltender. New Jersey tends to get beat in transition too so an inability to trust the goals-conceded aspect of this Devils club has me expecting a bit of a step back for this club this season. Unlike much of last season, they will not be sneaking up on teams this time around. New Jersey now commands respect and will get their opponents best effort on most nights as a result.
New York Islanders – If Barzal can stay healthy and he and Horvat really get a chance to click together, this Isles team will be more dangerous on offense which is what they need. I actually like the fact they mostly stayed pat in the off-season. The key here is solid goalie work from Sorokin and for the D to hold up. The Isles can still be a tough team to play and if the Islanders really buy into coach Lambert’s systems, this Islanders team can make a push for another post-season berth though I do not think they are a top team. But the Isles can make the post-season and be dangerous if guys like Barzal and Horvart are healthy plus if Sorokin is playing very well in the crease.
New York Rangers – I look for a big positive push from the Rangers this season. Head coach Laviolette brings extra energy for the club with the coaching change. Also, they have Shesterkin in goal and he is one of the best in the league even if last season was a bit of a step back. He still dominated with frequency between the pipes. That was a strong Devils team that eliminated the Rangers from post-season last spring and the season before New York went deep into the post-season. New York has been on the cusp and they have the talent and depth and hunger and positive momentum of a new coach to go very far this season. I will be looking to bet on this team quite often this season if Shesterkin is clicking in goal!
Philadelphia Flyers – Getting Sean Courterier back is key for this hockey club. He is healthy again and is a great player that Philly really missed. I like the front office changes this team made with Daniel Briere and Keith Jones as well. Danny and Jonesy can do some good things in conjunction with John Tortorella in terms of a continued growth process in this rebuild. The Flyers are not playoff-ready yet but they are getting close and I expect this club to surprise some folks, especially if Carter Hart can return to top form in goal. Cam York and Travis Konecny make this team dangerous in terms of goal-scoring capabilities too. This team is heading the right direction but it’s just that they had a long way to go when this process first started under Torts.
Pittsburgh Penguins – The addition of Erik Karlsson is huge for the Penguins. There is renewed enthusiasm in Pittsburgh with some solid off-season additions that added depth plus the addition of a key difference-maker like Karlsson. Pittsburgh has many veterans including guys like Crosby and Malkin and if they can dig deep for one more run and if Jarry plays well between the pipes with consistency, the addition of Karlsson could give this club the edge they need to push back up to higher levels after missing the playoffs last season. The Penguins appear to absolutely be a threat again but could have some early season growing pains with new faces on the team plus the Guentzel injury as the Pens begin the season without him.
Washington Capitals – This is a veteran group trying to make a push but health is such an important factor and the odds are against you in the health department when you are talking about older players and guys more prone to injury. That is what the Caps have and also what they added. Edmundson is hurt already and Pacioretty has torn his achilles twice already and those just Capitals additions. Again, their existing roster has a lot of veteran players and they battled the injury bug last season. Also, how quickly can new manager Carbery be on the same page with this team and have them flowing? This is still a solid team but a lot has to break the right way for this team to make a run this season.
Carolina Hurricanes – Strong defense and maybe not the most exciting team around on offense but this team gets the job done also cycles the puck so well so they are very dangerous. Well-coached hard-nosed and solid goaltending further supports the defensive style. Bunting and Orlov are solid additions and remember that Carolina lost Svechnikov in March last season but he is back and healthy for the new season. Hurricanes challenge for the cup if the goaltending of Andersen and Raanta can hold up and if they stay healthy enough overall come post-season time! The Svechnikov injury really hurt last spring.
Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets blue line is much better with off-season additions of Provorov and Severson plus the fact Werenski is healthy again and back for the season as well. However, the whole coaching distraction from Mike Babcock to now Pascal Vincent right before a new season is starting is not ideal. I think this team is destined to again stumble some even though they also have some highly skilled players on offense too. Just too many continued problems for this organization and they must stay healthier too.
New Jersey Devils – This is a very talented team that improved greatly last season as expected. This could be a good team for overs this season, at least early on, because they lost some blue line key talent. With a susceptible defense, there is likely to be too much pressure on the goalies. But again, at the other end of the ice the Devils do a great job of pressuring the opposing goaltender. New Jersey tends to get beat in transition too so an inability to trust the goals-conceded aspect of this Devils club has me expecting a bit of a step back for this club this season. Unlike much of last season, they will not be sneaking up on teams this time around. New Jersey now commands respect and will get their opponents best effort on most nights as a result.
New York Islanders – If Barzal can stay healthy and he and Horvat really get a chance to click together, this Isles team will be more dangerous on offense which is what they need. I actually like the fact they mostly stayed pat in the off-season. The key here is solid goalie work from Sorokin and for the D to hold up. The Isles can still be a tough team to play and if the Islanders really buy into coach Lambert’s systems, this Islanders team can make a push for another post-season berth though I do not think they are a top team. But the Isles can make the post-season and be dangerous if guys like Barzal and Horvart are healthy plus if Sorokin is playing very well in the crease.
New York Rangers – I look for a big positive push from the Rangers this season. Head coach Laviolette brings extra energy for the club with the coaching change. Also, they have Shesterkin in goal and he is one of the best in the league even if last season was a bit of a step back. He still dominated with frequency between the pipes. That was a strong Devils team that eliminated the Rangers from post-season last spring and the season before New York went deep into the post-season. New York has been on the cusp and they have the talent and depth and hunger and positive momentum of a new coach to go very far this season. I will be looking to bet on this team quite often this season if Shesterkin is clicking in goal!
Philadelphia Flyers – Getting Sean Courterier back is key for this hockey club. He is healthy again and is a great player that Philly really missed. I like the front office changes this team made with Daniel Briere and Keith Jones as well. Danny and Jonesy can do some good things in conjunction with John Tortorella in terms of a continued growth process in this rebuild. The Flyers are not playoff-ready yet but they are getting close and I expect this club to surprise some folks, especially if Carter Hart can return to top form in goal. Cam York and Travis Konecny make this team dangerous in terms of goal-scoring capabilities too. This team is heading the right direction but it’s just that they had a long way to go when this process first started under Torts.
Pittsburgh Penguins – The addition of Erik Karlsson is huge for the Penguins. There is renewed enthusiasm in Pittsburgh with some solid off-season additions that added depth plus the addition of a key difference-maker like Karlsson. Pittsburgh has many veterans including guys like Crosby and Malkin and if they can dig deep for one more run and if Jarry plays well between the pipes with consistency, the addition of Karlsson could give this club the edge they need to push back up to higher levels after missing the playoffs last season. The Penguins appear to absolutely be a threat again but could have some early season growing pains with new faces on the team plus the Guentzel injury as the Pens begin the season without him.
Washington Capitals – This is a veteran group trying to make a push but health is such an important factor and the odds are against you in the health department when you are talking about older players and guys more prone to injury. That is what the Caps have and also what they added. Edmundson is hurt already and Pacioretty has torn his achilles twice already and those just Capitals additions. Again, their existing roster has a lot of veteran players and they battled the injury bug last season. Also, how quickly can new manager Carbery be on the same page with this team and have them flowing? This is still a solid team but a lot has to break the right way for this team to make a run this season.
