2016-17 NHL season preview: Metropolitan Division

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The class of the East this season is once again a toss-up between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The latter won the Stanley Cup but starts the season with some serious injuries that could haunt them. As good as some of the clubs in the Atlantic Division are, the Metropolitan Division is an all-out war on a nightly basis and only a few points will separate those that make the playoffs and those that won't.

Here are our picks for how the Metropolitan Division shapes up, in order of final standing:
 
Washington Capitals
Given how the Caps tore up the division last season, they seemed destined to win the Stanley Cup and it didn’t happen. To their credit, this is no longer just the Alex Ovechkin show. There’s talent all around and no one seems to get more out of players than often overlooked coach Barry Trotz. A franchise-record 56 victories means zilch come June if you’re not playing for silver. GM Brian MacLellan traded for Lars Eller at the NHL draft, added Brett Connolly via free agency and re-signed rugged Tom Wilson. This is a club that is always slotted for greatness and quite often falls short of the mark. The Caps haven’t advanced three playoff rounds since before the current decade began. That said, you’d be hard-pressed to find two players in the 20s better than Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky.

Pittsburgh Penguins
GM Jim Rutherford defied the odds with a series of trades and offseason signings the summer before and a half-dozen rookies, including goalie Matt Murray, en route to winning an improbable Stanley Cup, the franchise’s fourth. And unlike Chicago, which has had to rip up its roster each time it won a Cup this decade, the Penguins lost just one player. All the key components for success, including Conn Smythe winner Sidney Crosby, return in front of Murray, who played like a veteran instead of a rookie during the Cup Final. Crosby has a concussion and Murray a broken hand, which are huge X-factors at the season’s start. As tough as it is to repeat, there’s nothing to suggest the Penguins can’t do it again. A healthy Evgeni Malkin is welcomed this time.
 
New York Rangers
You might say the Rangers were the biggest free-agent winners post-July when they signed 23-year-old college forward Jimmy Vesey, who had a dozen teams wooing him but only seven of which he was serious about. The Rangers' other big move came earlier in the summer when they sent center Derick Brassard to Ottawa for Mika Zibanejad and a second-round pick. The significance there is GM Jeff Gorton's trading away his second-leading overall scorer and top goal getter. The club also signed free-agent forwards Michael Grabner and Nathan Gerbe, plus defenseman Nick Holden with the intent of improving a bottom-third penalty-kill unit. Henrik Lundqvist is still looking for a Cup in goal. The thing is, this club no longer scares the Flyers.
 
Flyers
Three summers and counting as the Flyers were again severely limited with what they could do pinned against the salary cap wall. GM Ron Hextall paid for a minor tune-up for this club. The Flyers had to scratch and claw to make the playoffs last season with superb second-half performances, but if you’re going to bank on that happening again, good luck. Dale Weise and Boyd Gordon aren’t going to make enough of an offensive difference, but Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny just might. The Flyers still have miles to go, but we saw what a difference rookie Shayne Gostisbehere made last season. The addition of these two 19-year-olds should move the Flyers off the “bubble” list and into the playoff picture. Jakub Voracek will have a rebound season, while Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth slug it out for their next big contract. A wild-card team.
 
New York Islanders
The most notable move the Islanders made this offseason came at the highest levels of the organization, where Jon Ledeckey and Scott Malkin assumed majority control from Charles Wang, who remains with the club in a smaller capacity. This is Ledeckey’s franchise now and he made it clear in a passionate and poignant appearance before the public that he intends to rekindle the glorious past this franchise once had in the 1980s. GM Garth Snow added rugged Jason Chimera in free agency, but his bigger prize was much-sought-after right wing Andrew Ladd (seven years, $38.5 million). Say hello to forward first-round picks (2015) Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier.
 
New Jersey Devils
These aren’t your Devils of old where they simply bore you to death with checking and a slow-down game. The club has evolved over the last several years and improved over the summer with the addition of a half-dozen new players. The club’s biggest move under GM Ray Shero was the stunning trade of defenseman Adam Larsson to Edmonton for former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall, who was the Oilers' leading scorer three of the previous four seasons. They also added centerman Vernon Fiddler and defenseman Ben Lovejoy, the only Penguin who left the Cup roster. Look for Mike Cammalleri to have a bounce-back season (hand injury), and Kyle Palmieri has a new five-year, $23.25 million contract. The Devils will need more goals to make the playoffs after finishing last in 2015-16. P.A. Parenteau was a late addition off waivers this week.
 
Columbus Blue Jackets
No team in the NHL comes close to being as injury-riddled as the Blue Jackets, who had 293 man games lost because of injury last year after having 508 the year before. You can’t win if your team is unhealthy. Since 2009-10, the Jackets are third in the league with 2,149 games lost, according to mangameslost.com. This is John Tortorella’s first full season with the club. After winning the Vezina Trophy in 2013, Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t resembled himself in net. His numbers have gotten worse (2.75 GAA, .908 save percentage). He, too, has been injured. There were several players bidding for a roster spot and Torts is one coach who is not afraid to push the button on young players as motivation to others. Sam Gagner was largely ineffective as a Flyer and figures to be the same in Columbus. Six players were on IR or LTIR to start this season.
 
Carolina Hurricanes
GM Ron Francis brought in Lee Stempniak and Viktor Stalberg, plus traded for Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen as he seeks to get the Hurricanes back into the playoff picture and add some goals to the roster. Only the Devils (184 goals) scored fewer than the 'Canes (198) last season. That is two years in succession the 'Canes were next to last in scoring. Much like Minnesota, the Hurricanes have one of the youngest defensive corps around. What they lack, however, is a big-time, veteran No. 1 to school them. Look for Victor Rask (21 goals) and Jeff Skinner to both push toward 30 this season. Watch Finnish prospect Sebastian Aho, who scored 20 goals overseas and figures to be their best new face.

Editor's Note: Capsules may not include latest injury or roster updates.

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