Overtime Sports Metropolitan Division Preview

[Macker88]

For all you Penguins Fans, Here is our Metropolitan Division Preview,

http://overtimesportsnation.com/nhl-metropolitan-division-predictions/

Click to read more...

 

[Empoleon8771]

The Islanders are not the best team in the metro. They have a worse top-6, D group and starting goalie than Washington. At best they'll be 3rd imo.

 

[BigEezyE22]

How can a team be perennial favorite to win the Austin Matthews sweepstakes? Can't he only be drafted once?

 

[Shockmaster]

Does anyone else feel the Metro teams are being overrated? It feels like a lot of people think WSH, NYR, NYI, and CBJ have no weaknesses and are all far ahead of the Penguins.

 

[PensPlz]

It's going to be an interesting year.

 

[hiptanaka]

Does anyone else feel the Metro teams are being overrated? It feels like a lot of people think WSH, NYR, NYI, and CBJ have no weaknesses and are all far ahead of the Penguins.

I'd much rather be underrated than overrated. We all knew what high expectations did for this team the past several years.

 

[#1GuinFan]

Does anyone else feel the Metro teams are being overrated? It feels like a lot of people think WSH, NYR, NYI, and CBJ have no weaknesses and are all far ahead of the Penguins.

Given our D, I can see all 4 of those teams being ahead of us, or behind us if our offence clicks all season.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

These are the teams I think are better overall than we are, in no particular order: Caps, Blue Jackets, Rangers and Isles.

Our defense is going to hold us back, tremendously. If we even had a mediocre defense, we'd win the division easily.

 

[plaidchuck]

Isles D is garbage too.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Yes, the Isles blueline isn't fantastic, but the Isles blueline is miles ahead of ours. Miles.

 

[Shockmaster]

These are the teams I think are better overall than we are, in no particular order: Caps, Blue Jackets, Rangers and Isles.

Our defense is going to hold us back, tremendously. If we even had a mediocre defense, we'd win the division easily.

And I think the defenses of the Caps, Isles, and Blue Jackets are all being overrated.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I guess people will have to see our defense throughout the season just to actually believe how terrible it's gonna be.

Lovejoy's a borderline NHLer, on a good day, and he's getting worse. Scuderi doesn't even belong in the ECHL. Nobody knows what we have in Cole, Clendening, or Dumoulin over the course of a full season, with big minutes/responsibility on their plate.

I mean, I hope I'm wrong, but our defense is gonna be horrible. If Maatta and Letang don't play at an unreal level, we're in a ton of trouble.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

Eh, if they get their heads out of their collective ass the defense is more of a massive question mark than outright bad. It could be awful or it could be okay, maybe it even manages to be quite good. Loyalty to and delusions about Scuderi and Lovejoy are a bigger threat to the defense than the young guys.

Cole (?)-Letang
Maatta- Clendening (?)
Dumoulin (?)-X

Ideally they add someone to push Clendening down to the bottom pairing. I still say Kunitz + 2nd could net a decent return, not a guarantee, but it could. But it's the Pens so they'll make the problem worse than it really is.

 

[mpp9]

I think Tampa's the only real complete team on paper at the moment in the East. Personally, I hope they keep Stamkos and wreck their cap.

Good thing for us though. Malkin wrecks that team.

 

[#66]

I think the Caps and Bolts are the best teams in the east.

Its good to see the Pens finally building around Crosby and Malkin but this team is soft and they still don't adjust well. Anyone see the Rangers tonight? That's the offensive structure and support the Pens need.

 

[JTG]

Washington, Pittsburgh, NYI, Tampa, NYR are the cream of the East, I think. All teams have some decently sized question marks aside from Tampa, really.

 

[steveg]

Our defense is going to hold us back, tremendously. If we even had a mediocre defense, we'd win the division easily.

Sounds to me like you and I see it pretty much the same; clearing some cap space *cough Kunitz Scuderi cough cough* and a shrewd middle pairing D-man pickup, and just a little progress from a couple of our young guys, and we could be in the thick of things come next Spring...

 

[Shockmaster]

I could see 5 teams from the Metro making the playoffs. Not because the Metro will be some big powerhouse division, but because the Atlantic division besides Tampa and Montreal could suck.

 

[Gurglesons]

Washington, Pittsburgh, NYI, Tampa, NYR are the cream of the East, I think. All teams have some decently sized question marks aside from Tampa, really.

Not to say that we are physically dominate, but who did Tampa really face outside of Chicago that played physically last year?

If Anaheim would've made it through, I feel like they would've swept the Lightning. I'd also say that Chicago won based on their physicality. Even though I wouldn't even label them as a physical team.

 

[The Greatest 101]

I think the Caps and Bolts are the best teams in the east.

Its good to see the Pens finally building around Crosby and Malkin but this team is soft and they still don't adjust well. Anyone see the Rangers tonight? That's the offensive structure and support the Pens need.

AV>>>>>>MJ.The rangers have no real game-breaker tho.

 

[JTG]

Sounds to me like you and I see it pretty much the same; clearing some cap space *cough Kunitz Scuderi cough cough* and a shrewd middle pairing D-man pickup, and just a little progress from a couple of our young guys, and we should be in the thick of things come next Spring...

Clearing Kunitz, Scuderi, and Lovejoy would give us somewhere around 8.5 million to spend on defense, and we'd really lose nothing giving up those 3 players.

 

[Shockmaster]

AV>>>>>>MJ.The rangers have no real game-breaker tho.

IMO, that's why the Rangers come close but never really get it done. The only guy they have that can be seen as an offensive game-breaker disappears in the playoffs.

 

[plaidchuck]

Yep, Nash just can't get it done and lundqvist isn't getting any younger.

 

[Shockmaster]

Yep, Nash just can't get it done and lundqvist isn't getting any younger.

The Rangers just have the feel of a team that will come so close but won't win a championship.

 

[Gurglesons]

Clearing Kunitz, Scuderi, and Lovejoy would give us somewhere around 8.5 million to spend on defense, and we'd really lose nothing giving up those 3 players.

I hate Lovejoy, but I think he is our best # 6 defenseman. The problem is the coaching staff will have him playing 18 minutes a night.

Same thing with Kunitz. I think he'd perform great in the bottom six. Just, he's on our top power play above Hornqvist.