New York Rangers: Re-ranking the Metropolitan Division
The NHL season is just now hitting the midway point, and the Metropolitan Division is tightly packed. The New York Rangers are currently third in the division. Only 11 points separates first from eighth, but that spread doesn’t accurately represent where these teams are.
The New York Rangers currently sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division. Even though they are currently in a playoff spot, the other teams in their division are creeping up on them.
The Metropolitan is the toughest division in hockey. Only 11 points separates the top team from the bottom. The division is in flux and will continue to be for the rest of the season.
At the time of writing this, the Washington Capitals have overtaken the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets for the top spot in the division. The Rangers are fourth. Currently, the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins are battling to stay out of the bottom spot. Even though this division is hard to rank, we have to start somewhere:
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 42 GP 19-15-8, 44 points
The Flyers bring up the rear in the Metropolitan Division. What they lack in goaltending and defense, they don’t make up in forward depth or absolute skill. From top to bottom, the Flyers tout a flawed lineup, however; it’s a lineup that can easily be fixed.
The Flyers have a good group of forwards, there’s no denying that. Led by Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds, the Flyers’ forwards can keep up with best of them, but they simply haven’t been producing this season. The Flyers’ defense corps and goaltenders, on the other hand, leave much to be desired.
Breakout star Shayne Gostisbehere is in the middle of another great year, but he has no help on the blue line. The Flyers’ next best defenseman is a toss-up between lefties Andrew MacDonald and Ivan Provorov. The netminders in Philadelphia don’t give that group much room for error either. After letting Steve Mason go to Winnipeg, the Flyers’ brass put their trust in Brian Elliot and Michal Neuvirth. So far, the experiment has failed, as neither has performed at a high enough level.
New York Islanders
Record: 43 GP 21-18-4, 46 points
The New York Islanders come in just above the Flyers for two main reasons. One is the quality of defense, and the other is the level of play this season. Overall, the Islanders have played better than the Flyers insofar.
The Islanders have a strong, balanced group of forwards, headlined by John Tavares and Jordan Eberle. They’re rounded out by youngsters Matthew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier, along with veterans Andrew Ladd, Anders Lee, and Brock Nelson, to form a solid top nine. The Isles also have a solid defense, but are let down by their goaltending.
The Islanders’ defense is led by a strong top four, featuring Johnny Boychuk, Nick Leddy, Calvin de Haan, and Ryan Pulock. The Islanders’ defense is let down by its goaltending, though. They rely on a tandem of Thomas Greiss and Jaroslav Halak, a pairing which only seems to play well against their cross-town rivals.
New York Rangers
Record: 41 GP 22-14-5, 49 points
It may be a shock to see the Rangers this low on the list, seeing as this is a Rangers blog, but I’m just being honest. The Rangers are not all that good right now. The team is riding a flaming hot goalie, while dealing with a defense that can’t stop giving up shots and a coach who doesn’t seem to know what do when players aren’t performing.
The Rangers’ forwards recently lost some talent going into the second half of the season, as Chris Kreider needed surgery to repair blood clots in his arm. However, there is still plenty of talent in the lineup. The Rangers boast a balanced lineup with skill coming from Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich, and strong two-way play from Rick Nash and Jesper Fast.
The defense is the Rangers’ biggest issue. Captain Ryan McDonagh simply hasn’t been good enough this season; the excuse, be that injury or partner, doesn’t matter. He has to be better for this team to succeed. Now, that doesn’t absolve anyone else. Both Nick Holden and Brendan Smith have been dumpster fires at times. The only defenseman who has shown any semblance of progress is Brady Skjei, who has looked like a top pairing defenseman this year.
The second biggest issue has been the coaching staff. Head coach Alain Vigneault seems to have no idea what to do when his best players aren’t performing. He continues to bury skill players when they have an off game. He continues to give McDonagh a partner who shouldn’t even be in the starting lineup.
The goaltending has kept this team afloat. Both Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec got off to slow starts, but both have heated up. If you have an expectation of a Stanley Cup or even a long playoff run this season, don’t hold your breath.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Record: 44 GP 22-19-3, 47 points
The two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions have taken a massive step backward this season. The Penguins’ defense is in shambles, the goaltenders have struggled, but they have a saving grace. The Penguins’ group of forwards remains one of the best in the NHL.
Led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins forward group retained talent like Phil Kessel, Conor Sheary, and Jake Geuntzel. The talent doesn’t stop there though; the Penguins still have forwards that can check with the best of them.
However, the Penguins defense and goaltending is seriously lacking. The only standout defenseman on the Penguins roster is Kris Letang. Ian Cole is entering his 30’s and youngsters Olli Maata and Brian Dumoulin have regressed. Starting goalie Matt Murray has been in and out of the lineup and not all that great when he’s been in. The Penguins have a ton of experience winning, so don’t necessarily count them out yet.
Carolina Hurricanes
Record: 42 GP 19-15-8 46 points
The Carolina Hurricanes are well on their way to becoming one of the best teams in, not only, the Eastern Conference, but also, the NHL. However, they aren’t there just yet. The forward group is extremely skilled, but young; the defense is young and one of the best around; but the goaltending tandem is one that won’t hold up over time.
Over the past few years, the Hurricanes have been stockpiling young talent at almost every position. At forward, they have Jeff Skinner, Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm, Teuvo Teravainen, and the list goes on and on. On the blue line, co-captain Justin Faulk leads the pack, followed by Jaccob Slavin, Noah Hanifin, and Trevor van Riemsdyk.
The current starting netminder is Scott Darling, a career backup before this season. Darling is backed up by longtime Hurricane Cam Ward, who doesn’t seem to have much left in the tank. Look for this young team to continue improving, and eventually win the division.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 44 GP 25-16-3, 53 points
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a good spot right now for the present and future. The team is in win-now mode, but they are so with a good mix of veteran skaters and youth throughout the lineup. The Blue Jackets are one of the most balanced teams in the division and the conference.
The Jackets have a strong group of forwards. Led by captain Nick Foligno and newcomer Artemi Panarin, this forward group has the perfect mix of grit and skill to put a Stanley Cup run together. The defense needs to stay healthy, though.
The Blue Jackets have a great top four, starring Seth Jones and Jack Johnson, but the defense is still missing standout Ryan Murray. The goaltending is firmly held down by starter Sergei Bobrovsky, but lead backup Joonas Korpisalo was recently sent down to the AHL for a conditioning stint.
2. New Jersey Devils
Record: 41 GP 22-11-8, 52 points
The New Jersey Devils are one of the biggest surprises of the NHL season. After a poor season last year, the Devils were expected to be in the bottom of the league yet again. The Devils made some shrewd moves and are vastly improved.
After the Devils’ fast start, many expected the team to come back down to Earth, but they haven’t done that just yet. Their group of young forwards, featuring number one overall pick Nico Hischier, is bolstered by a solid set of veterans who know what it takes to win in this league. General manager Ray Shero added depth to the defense to finally get goaltender Corey Schneider help.
Before this year, the Devils’ biggest issue was their defensive depth. Shero made moves to add Mirco Mueller and Sami Vatanen to the fold. Goaltender Corey Schneider has consistently been a solid goalie, but he has been excellent this season. His team shows no sign of slowing down.
Washington Capitals
Record: 42 GP 26-13-3, 55 points
The Washington Capitals top this list just as they top the Metropolitan Division. The team yet again has a strong forward group, a solid defensive corps, and an elite goaltender.
Everyone knows about the Capitals’ top forwards, but they are now supported by a host of secondary scorers. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky are blooming into stars in their own right. The Capitals defense and goaltending continue to be some of the strongest in the Eastern Conference.
Next: New York Rangers: Four best trade destinations for Rick Nash
Dmitry Orlov has grown into his own, while the other Capitals’ defensemen still perform at a high level. Braden Holtby has performed at the highest level for years now, and has continued that trend this season. After a disappointing end to the playoffs last season, the Capitals are still primed for a deep run.