The times are changing in the mighty Metropolitan Division

With the Met Division in transition, things are looking up for the New York Rangers

Beginning next season the New York Rangers will be playing in a very different Metropolitan Division.   The Washington Capitals fired Head Coach Todd Reirdon after his team lost to the Islanders in five games in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  With the Pittsburgh Penguins ousted in the Qualifier, there is a changing of the guard in the Metropolitan Division.

The loss was even more bitter for the Capitals as it came at the hands of their former coach, Barry Trotz, who departed the team after being unable to come to a contract agreement following their Stanley Cup win in 2018.   The team announced the change on Twitter.

If there has been one constant in the Metropolitan Division since it was created in 2013-14, it’s been the fact that the Capitals and Penguins have hovered near the top of the standings every year.  Washington has finished first or second in six of the seven seasons, winning the Cup in 2018.  Pittsburgh has finished first or second in four of the seven seasons, winning the Cup in 2016 and 2017.

Now, it is time for them to step aside and let some new teams fight for the Division title.   This year it was the Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers.  To be honest, it looks like it will be their time next season as well, the Rangers won’t be a true contender for at least one more year.

But here’s the good news about the Islanders and Flyers starting with the Fishsticks.   The Isles are the eighth oldest team in the NHL with an average age of 28.8. They are in cap hell and have nine players under contract long term who are over 30 years old.

Besides Mathew Barzal, they don’t a true superstar and they are getting by on a stingy defense and great coaching. There’s no help in the draft as they have only one first round pick in the first two rounds over the next two years.

I will be the first to say that three years ago, I believed that Barry Trotz was the most overrated coach in the NHL.  Not anymore.  Besides winning an overdue Cup with a loaded Capitals team, his work in transforming the Islanders from a defensively porous mess to the shutdown team that they are today is truly amazing.   But a great defense will only get you so far and it remains to be seen how far they can get in the playoffs with a team that scored 14 non-empty net goals in five games against Washington.

When it comes to the Islanders, when the Rangers will be ready to make their move, the Isles will be in decline.

As for the Flyers, they are slightly younger, averaging 27.2 years of age,  Some of their brightest stars like Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek are north of 30 years old, but the team does have a solid younger core.    The Flyers are in good shape and should be in contention for years to come, but a lot depends on cap management and how younger players like Nolan Patrick can develop.

There’s also the Alain Vigneault factor.  As Ranger fans know all too well, he wears out his welcome after early success, something the Blueshirts can only hope for.

As seen in the Qualifier, you cannot count out the Carolina Hurricanes.  In fact, the Ranger-Hurricanes rivalry looks to be one that will entertain us for years to come.  Throw in the trade factors with Brady Skjei, Julien Gauthier, Joey Keane and this year’s first round pick and there will a lot to look forward to.

Regarding the Columbus Blue Jackets, they are annual overachievers and as long as John Tortorella is behind the bench, they will contend.  Still, the impact of losing players like Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene will continue to hurt them and  projected over the next few years,  the Blueshirts compare favorably to them.

Oh, did I forget the Devils?  After a season that saw a complete overhaul of their management team, in 2021-22 the Devils will still be in rebuilding mode and years away from contention.

Back to the Capitals and Penguins

Let’s not forget that the Capitals finished first in the Metropolitan Division this season.  Any team with an ageless Alex Ovechkin and players like Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstom, T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and John Carlson cannot be overlooked.  However, look at the ages of some of these key players.  Next season Ovechkin will be 35, Oshie will be 34, Backstrom 33 and Carlson 31.   All except Ovechkin are signed to big contracts for the next five years.  The team average age is 29, seventh oldest in the NHL.

This is two years in a row that the Capitals crashed and burned in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Now they will be handing the goaltending to Ilya Samsonov and the leaderships reins to a new coach.

As for the Penguins, though the team as a whole skews younger than Washington with an average age of 27.7 their stars are aging.  Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are 33.  Evgeni Malkin is 34.  Patric Hornqvist will be 34.

Just like Washington, the Penguins are in cap trouble and have committed long-term to a number of older players.  Of the12 players on the active roster signed through 2021-22, nine will hit the age of 30 during that time.

Again, any team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin cannot be counted out, but their ability to raise the playing level of their surrounding cast is diminishing, witness their dispirited loss to to Montreal in the Qualifier.

The way the Rangers are going, on opening night of the 2021-22 season, the team will have two players on the active roster over the age of 30, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider.  Their young corps of players will have at least one to three full NHL seasons under their belts.

While we can hope for a contending team as early as next season, if you look at the Metropolitan Division, there is no doubt that 2021-22 will be the season when the Rangers will be ready to challenge Carolina and Philadelphia for the Division title while the Penguins, Capitals and even the Islanders battle for a playoff spot.

It’s a lot to look forward to and Ranger fans should be very encourage and excited.