Heading into last season, the Metropolitan Division was widely considered the
most dangerous in hockey.

With the Washington Capitals bringing home the Stanley Cup, the Metro now
boasts the last three Stanley Cup champions. As a whole, however, the division
 took a dip compared to 2016-17.

During that season, seven teams challenged for the playoff picture, with the
New Jersey Devils holding up the rear. Many predicted that those seven teams
would once again challenge, but there was a distinct drop between the five
teams that made the playoffs, and the three that missed.Related: Burning
Questions for the Atlantic Division

Two of those teams that missed, the New York Rangers and New York Islanders,
are on the outside looking in. For the other six teams in the division, all of
them have aspirations of making the playoffs and going on a run.Carolina
Hurricanes

Will these perennial analytic darlings finally make the playoffs?

For the past couple of seasons, there has been a quiet minority out there that
are bullish on the Carolina Hurricanes. It you squint and look, you can
understand why this is the case. With a good cast of young forwards and an
underrated defence, the Hurricanes have some nice pieces on their roster.

However, they still have the NHL';s longest non-playoff streak. They have not
made the postseason since 2008-09 when they bowed out against the Pittsburgh
Penguins in the Conference Final.Newly named captain Justin Williams was part
of that 2006 Carolina Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup. Can he lead
them back to the playoffs this season? (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

During the offseason, Carolina made some major upgrades in hopes of ending the
postseason drought before it reaches double digits. The biggest upgrades came
on defence, where they added Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan while giving up
 Noah Hanifin. Rookies Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas could also both have
an impact on the forward core.

Like every season in Carolina, it comes back to the goaltending. They have the
pieces to make the playoffs, but either one of Scott Darling or Petr Mrazek
will have to step up and play at a league-average level, at the very
least.Columbus Blue Jackets

Will the looming UFA';s become a distraction?

Columbus is widely regarded to be one of the most promising young teams in the
NHL. They already have two of the best young defencemen in the game playing
together. Pierre Luc-Dubois also started to show why he should become a number
one centre in the NHL sooner rather than later.

The problem with the Blue Jackets the way their currently constructed, is they
could be on the brink of losing two of their best players.Will the contract
statuses of these two star Russians become a distraction in Columbus? (Sergei
Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

Rumours were making the rounds all summer regarding the status of 2016 Calder
Trophy winner Artemi Panarin. Reports suggest that it';s unlikely he returns to
 the Blue Jackets after this season. Their other Russian superstar, Sergei
Bobrovsky, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Losing one or both of these players would leave a major hole in the Blue
Jackets'; lineup. That rings especially true for Panarin, who';s been a great
fit in Columbus since arriving prior to the 2016-17 season. Bobrovsky has been
a rock in net for Columbus for years, although his lack of playoff success is
starting to overshadow is stellar regular season play.New Jersey Devils

Can they prove that last season wasn';t a mirage?

Along with the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, the New Jersey
Devils surprised everybody with a postseason birth. While that quiet minority
was heaping praise on Carolina, it was the Devils who managed to qualify for
the playoffs on the back of Taylor Hall.

Seriously, where would this team have finished last year without their
superstar winger? The Hart Trophy winner finished the season with 93 points,
with Nico Hischier being the only other Devil to crack 50 points.

There has to be some concern about the secondary scoring this season, although
the Devils hope that comes internally. Marcus Johansson missed the majority of
last season with injuries but produced when in the lineup. The Devils will also
 look to Miles Wood, Jesper Bratt, Kyle Palmieri and Pavel Zacha to improve
upon their production.Cory Schneider will have to be better if the Devils are
going to make the playoffs. (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

Last season, the Devils were in the bottom half of the league for both
producing and preventing scoring chances. Strong special teams play was a big
factor in them making the postseason, but their five-on-five production must be
 better.

They also need a bounce-back season from Cory Schnerder, who lost the starting
job to Keith Kinkaid last season, Schneider lost 12 straight games, but
returned to form with a .950 save percentage in the playoffs. If the Devils are
 going to be better next season, Schneider has to be better as well.New York
Islanders

Will they rank 31st in goals against once again?

The New York Islanders were, by far, the most porous defensive team last
season. Part of that could be chalked up to injury and poor goaltending, but
are there really signs of improvement heading into this season?

Whether it was injuries or structure, the Islanders ranked last in goals
against, third-last in shorthanded against, and second-last in power play goals
 against. Of 20 NHL players who had the most scoring chances against per 60
minutes at even-strength, ten of them were New York Islanders.Nick Leddy puts
up points, but hie defensive play was porous last season. (Amy Irvin / The
Hockey Writers)

One of those was their number one defenceman Nick Leddy. Say what you will
about plus/minus, but Leddy';s -42 was the worst total in the post-lockout era.
 Leddy was on the ice for 81 goals against at even-strength, trailing only Erik
 Karlsson. Good players are always on the ice for the most goals against, but
Leddy';s defensive game needs to improve if the Islanders don';t want to rank
last in goals against.

Robin Lehner is looking to rejuvenate his career with the Islanders, and many
will be rooting for him after he shared his story of perseverance over mental
illness. He might be a better option to start than Thomas Greiss. The German
netminder makes more money than Lehner, but had a paltry .892 save percentage
last season.New York Rangers

Who will shine through during rebuilding season?

It;s abundantly clear that the New York Rangers are entering a rebuilding
season. Unless Henrik Lundqvist turns in a historically productive campaign,
the Rangers will miss the postseason for their second straight year.

Looking up and down the lineup the way it';s currently constructed, there
isn';t anyone who can 'wow'; fans with offence. Mats Zuccarrello was the only
Ranger to surpass 50 points last season. Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Pavel
Buchnevich are the returning forwards who surpassed 40 points last season, and
Chris Kreider was on that pace if it wasn';t for injury.How much better can
Pavel Buchnevich be for the Rangers? (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Buchnevich is really the only forward there who might break through in a bigger
 role, especially under new head coach Dan Quinn. Ryan Spooner is another name
to watch, after he posted 16 points in 20 games after arriving in New York. The
 rest of the Rangers 'young'; forwards have consistently averaged 40-50 points
a season during the last four years.

It';s clear that the Rangers lack clear first-line talent, although youngsters
Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil might have something to say about that. The two
 2017 first round picks got a cup of coffee in the NHL last season, and could
make the big club full-time in 2018-19.Philadelphia Flyers

How much will the goaltending improve?

Up front, the Flyers aim to be a dangerous offensive team. Jakub Vorachek,
Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier are always dangerous players. Wayne Simmonds
is always good for 20 goals. Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick will look to
build off of strong finishes in 2017-18, and the roster only got more dangerous
 with James van Riemsdyk returning to Philly.

This team should have no problem scoring goals, but will they be able to keep
the puck out of their net?

The uninspiring tandem of Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth returns for another
 season. Both goaltenders were putrid in the playoffs last season, but did show
 signs of being solid netminders during the regular season.Brian Elliott will
once again be the starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers. (Amy Irvin /
 The Hockey Writers)

At even-strength, both goaltenders were some of the league';s best. Elliott';s
even strength save percentage (.926) was 21st of 68 goaltenders to play over
500 five-on-five minutes, while Neuvirth';s (.934) was ninth. However on the
penalty kill, all three Flyers goaltenders (including Petr Mrazek) were
bottom-ten in save percentage out of 69 goaltenders. Elliott';s .816
shorthanded save percentage ranked 65th, while Neuvirth';s .805 ranked 66th.

This could be the last season before the Flyers feed their phenom goaltending
prospect, Carter Hart, NHL games next season. It';s also likely that they keep
a veteran around to insulate him, so this goaltending battle won';t just be
about improvement, but about who keeps a job in Philly during the 2019-20
season.Pittsburgh Penguins

Can Matt Murray return to his Stanley Cup winning form?

Expectations for Matt Murray in Pittsburgh are almost unfair. That comes with
the territory for his unique situation, where he brought two Stanley Cups to
Pittsburgh.

After the departure of Marc-Andre Fleury, Murray was handed the keys to the
Maserati but wasn';t unable to park it without some scrapes. His .907 save
percentage during the regular season wasn';t what Pens fans expected from the
two-time Cup champion. In the playoffs, Murray teased with a shutout in his
first game. After that, he rotated from good start to bad start before the Pens
 were knocked out of the playoffs by Washington.Matt Murray played a major role
 in leading the Penguins to two Stanley Cups. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

The bottom line in Pittsburgh is that this team has all the pieces in place to
make another run in the playoffs. The defence is average, even though they
added some pieces during the offseason. Still, any team that can throw Evgeni
Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel at you has a chance to win it
all.Washington Capitals

Can they mimic their division rivals and pull off a repeat?

It';s no secret that trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions is no easy task.
 However, we have seen it happen recently enough.

The Pittsburgh Penguins repeated as champions for the first time in nearly 20
years, before the Washington Capitals knocked them off of their perch. If
anyone knows how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup, it';s Alex Ovechkin, who
won his first during his 13th NHL season.Washington Capitals Center Nicklas
Backstrom (19) hoists the Stanley Cup with Washington Capitals Left Wing Alex
Ovechkin (8) to celebrate defeating the Las Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 during
game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Las
Vegas Golden Knights on June 07, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
(Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After winning it all, the Caps went on one of the most legendary Stanley Cup
benders of all-time. While it was a treat for any sports fan to watch, it';s
stirred up questions about the Capitals suffering from a Stanley Cup hangover
next season.

Don';t bank on that happening. These are all professional athletes, and the
Capitals are largely bringing back the same roster that they won it all with.
They have one of the league';s best snipers, two of the best centres, great
forward depth, a bonafide number one defenceman in John Carlson, a and
underrated defensive duo with Matt Niskanen and Dmitri Orlov.

They also have Braden Holtby, who rebounded from a poor regular season with
solid numbers in the playoffs. It won';t be easy, but the Capitals should be
hungry for a repeat.

The post Burning Questions for the Metropolitan Division appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)