Well, the 2023-24 NHL season is rapidly approaching and there are plenty of questions that need to be answered for the Metropolitan teams. While every team has questions, these are the most pressing.
Carolina Hurricanes Can They Win a Conference Finals Game?
Everything was falling into place for the Carolina Hurricanes last postseason after winning a tight series vs the NY Islanders and dismantling the New Jersey Devils in five games as they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2019. Their problem was that they ran into the buzzsaw known as the Florida Panthers. Despite opening the scoring in the first two games, the Canes didn't play with a lead often. Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour was in disbelief in his series-ending presser, "We didn't lose four games...We got beat. We were right there." Yes, they can say that they were "goalied" by Sergei Bobrovsky as he recorded a 4-0 record with a .966 save % over the 321 minutes in the series (overtimes), but the fact is that this team hasn't won an Eastern Conference Finals Game since 2006 when they won the Cup. That covers 12 straight going back to their sweep at the hand of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 08-09. The other fact is that this team added Dmitri Orlov and Michael Bunting and could be even better than their 113-point division winning season last year. Can they do it for a fourth straight season (including their 2020 South Division title)? Absolutely! No one coaches the regular season like Brind'Amour. However, can he finish the job?
Columbus Blue Jackets With Babcock out, Can Pascal Vincent get the same expected result?
One look at Mike Babcock's record and you knew the Columbus Blue Jackets were going to improve this season, however, Babcock continued his questionable behavior and was forced to resign in disgrace. Columbus turns to Pascal Vincent whose coaching record is blank. Not joking. Look him up on Hockey-Reference, his page is LITERALLY blank. The Blue Jackets fell far short of expectations after signing Johnny Gaudreau last year. They allowed the most goals in the Eastern Conference (329) and were a minus -116 in goal differential. It was enough for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to bring in Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson to revamp their defense corps. A veteran coach like Babcock could have fixed these problems like Barry Trotz did for the Islanders in 2018-19. How can a rookie head coach fix all the problems from last year? Vincent will have his own growing pains and mistakes, though he can look to the Islanders' Lane Lambert, who made the playoffs as a rookie head coach last season.
New Jersey Devils Do they have the goaltending?
The New Jersey Devils announced themselves as a hockey power last season as they improved from their 21-22 season by a staggering 49 points. The Devils tied for 4th in goals with 289 (Seattle Kraken) with Jack Hughes ready for superstardom, sitting on a 99-point season which he's certain to improve on this season. Timo Meier will be a Devil for a FULL season and Stanley Cup Champion Tyler Toffoli joining the crew in Newark. What can possibly hold this team back? Well...how's their net? While Vitek Vanecek (33 wins) and Akira Schmid (.922 save %) posted great regular season numbers, the Devils goaltending struggled in the postseason aside from their four wins against the NY Rangers. Schmid had a .874 save % vs the Carolina Hurricanes after his .982 Save % in his Four wins vs the Rangers. Vanecek struggled against the Rangers allowing nine goals in the first two games before going back in net for Carolina after they chased Schmid. Despite getting the Devils only 2nd Round win, Vanecek's numbers were much worse. His .824 Save % and the 12 goals that got past him in the 149 minutes were a deficit that the Devils couldn't overcome. So do the Devils have a goalie that can win them 16 playoff games or carry the team when they're not at their best? That's what wins a Stanley Cup.
New York Islanders Can they find offense?
Of all the 2023 NHL playoff teams, none scored fewer goals than the New York Islanders (242, 22nd overall). It was no secret that the New York Islanders needed offense, but their defense kept them in the playoff race. Their 217 goals against ranked 5th in the NHL and could get better with Ilya Sorokin playing at a Vezina Trophy level. All the Islanders need is a little more scoring. The Metro Champion Carolina Hurricanes had 20 more goals than them and the Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights had 25 more lap lightings. 23-goal scorer Zach Parise appears to have hung up the skates (though could return), but a healthy Oliver Wahlstrom and Kyle Palmieri can bring that total back up. They'll get a FULL season out of their big acquisition Bo Horvat, who had 31 goals in Vancouver but a mere seven with the Islanders. His shooting percentage was ABNORMALLY high in Vancouver and ABYSMALLY low with the Islanders. He has shot over 14.5% in the last three seasons. Simply matching those numbers could give the Islanders a 30-goal scorer to match Brock Nelson. That could climb them in the standings beyond a wild card team even in the tough Metropolitan Division.
New York Rangers Will Laviolette make the difference?
The New York Rangers 22-23 season began with lofty expectations after falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Finishing 3rd in the Metro with 107 points, the Rangers loaded up for a postseason run that would bring the Cup back to NY for the first time in 29 years. It began well with two routes of New Jersey, but the Devils put the clamps on and slowed them down immensely. The Rangers managed two goals in the four losses to NJ in the 1st round while Igor Shesterkin stood on his head with a .931 save % in the series. Unmistakable, however, was the divide between Rangers GM Chris Drury and coach Gerard Gallant. Gallant guided the Rangers to consecutive 100-point seasons but did not have an answer for the adjustments made by Devils coach Lindy Ruff. Enter Peter Laviolette, a coach who went to the Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams. Only Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan can say the same. Can his system be what the Rangers need? Many Rangers players complained about the lack of structure in the exit interviews. With Laviolette, they get it. He has gotten results quickly in Philadelphia and also gotten them over time in Nashville and Carolina. Now the winningest American-born coach (752 wins) will have to do it on Broadway, where only one coach has won since 1940 (Keenan,1994).
Philadelphia Flyers How much will Brière tear it down now?
The Flyers could have started their rebuild a year earlier and tried to enter the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, instead, they hired John Tortorella, who is not a coach that loses easily. Even though the Flyers were a minus -56 in goal differential, Tortorella coached the Flyers to a 31-38-13 record while missing star center Sean Couturier. Making the right decision, Keith Jones and Daniel Brière elected to tear it down. They traded their All-Star center Kevin Hayes to St. Louis and moved out defensemen Ivan Provorov and Tony DeAngelo. The Flyers are in FULL rebuild mode and wisely so. They are rid of the questionable decisions of Chuck Fletcher, but how much salary can Brière shed this season? Rumors swirled about the Flyers moving Carter Hart, who is only 25 and a pending RFA. Couturier has a FULL no-move clause and an AAV of $7.75m till 29-30. If they could move him, he'd get the Flyers a haul, but who has the resources to try that? Could they move out Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen? How much more can they add to their 10 2024 Draft picks and prospect pool that includes the blue-chip Russian sniper Matvei Michkov?
Pittsburgh Penguins Will they find defense?
When the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season, they reacted by bringing former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas in. His moves? Adding in Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, Matt Nieto, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Ryan Graves...oh yeah, and Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is coming off a 100-point season (the 6th defenseman to do so), but is he the right move with Kris Letang still on this roster and producing? Karlsson is a Norris Trophy winner who isn't exactly a quality defensive defenseman. Pair this with Tristan Jarry remaining with the Penguins and you're left with a couple that isn't working, but just won't break up. While Jarry has been an All-Star, he's also been unhealthy and susceptible to the "back-breaking goal". The Penguins were a minus -2 in goal differential last season and 18th in goals against. How does this solve their defensive problems? Karlsson was a -26 last season and had 100 points. Let that sink in. He's also a year removed from a disappointing 35 points / 50-game season. How will he mesh on that power play? Karlsson can dominate puck possession, but his critics are right to question if he's really a good defenseman or just a third wing. Jarry is horrible against the Metro Division with a 3.28 GAA and a .900 Save % and his numbers are not good in the dog days of a playoff push as he posted save percentages of .893 in February and .878 in March while his GAA climbs north of 3.28 in those months. In the meantime, their age is staggering. The Penguins sport the oldest roster in the division with 12 regulars over the age of 30. While they have Sidney Crosby donning the Penguins jersey, the rest are showing signs of aging. It's more logical that the Penguins get worse in all these areas, not better with older players. Head Coach Mike Sullivan has his work cut out for him.
Washington Capitals What does this core have left?
To borrow a quote from the Shawshank Redemption, " Geology is a study of pressure and time." The Washington Capitals embody this. Time and pressure have caught up to the Caps. Beyond Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's goal record, what does this team have left? While Tom Wilson was extended this summer, Nicklas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, and Evgeny Kuznetsov all have one more year remaining. There have been diminishing returns on all the stars' production since their Cup win in 2018. The Kuznetsov trade rumors have not stopped. In the shadow of the stars, Rasmus Sandin had 15 points in 19 games after being acquired at the trade deadline and could be a STEAL for the Caps. A healthy John Carlson would make them better, but realistically, can this team leapfrog the Penguins and Islanders or are they going to sell off their vets to restock the cupboard? Can rookie coach Spencer Carbery guide them back to the playoffs?
Those are the pressing questions for each team in the Metro. Do you have your own? Put it in the comments below.
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