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Ranking The 8 Teams In The NHL's Metropolitan Division

By Daniel Friedman
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With the start of the NHL regular season just a few weeks away, the Rangers, Islanders and Devils are gearing up for what should be a tight battle within the Metropolitan Division. Here's how I think it'll all play out:

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

They've always been a good regular season team; the playoffs is where they've struggled. Gone are Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik and James Neal, as well as coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero. With the new management and coaching staff in place, the Penguins are hoping they can turn things around. It'll be interesting to see how additions Patric Hornqvist and Christian Ehrhoff fit in, but Pittsburgh is still very deep down the middle and has more forward depth than they've had in a couple of years. They're not a lock to finish atop the division, but they are certainly equipped to do so.

2. New York Rangers

A Stanley Cup Final appearance was a surprising development, but it definitely raises the bar for this season. The Rangers will be expected to compete for the division title and be a dominant force. Whether or not they're capable of meeting those raised expectations is a bit of a different story, but they do have pieces to work with. J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider will need to be productive, or the Blueshirts could be in trouble, especially now that they won't have Derek Stepan for part of the season due to a broken leg. They need the secondary scoring. As for the top line, goaltending and defense, you basically know what you have, and it's pretty darn solid.

Chris Kreider
Chris Kreider (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

3. New York Islanders

While Pittsburgh and the Rangers are the favorites to finish first and second in the Metro (not necessarily in that order), the battle for the remaining spots is where things will get interesting. There are very few unrealistic scenarios here; it's essentially a free-for-all. I'm going with the Islanders to place third, however, and I'm doing that for a bunch of reasons. First, their goaltending situation has vastly improved. Second, they're deeper down the middle than everyone in the division except Pittsburgh. Third, they've got something to prove -- that their playoff appearance two years ago wasn't a fluke and that they're the real deal. If you're looking for a good sleeper pick, the Isles are it.

Josh Bailey
The Islanders' Josh Bailey, left, celebrates his shorthanded goal against the Devils with Kyle Okposo at the Prudential Center on Sept. 19, 2013 in Newark. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

Assuming that young star Ryan Johansen is under contract (which should be the case, despite the current situation), the Jackets are going to push for a playoff spot again. I love the addition of Scott Hartnell, and the young nucleus of Johansen, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray will only get better. Of course, having Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes is also helpful. This team has surprised a lot of people lately and I think they'll continue to improve.

5. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are a team that begs to be taken seriously, and when you look up and down their roster, you're tempted to do so; Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Read, Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn, Mark Streit, Brayden Coburn, Steve Mason -- what's not to like? Well, that's all very nice, but the fact of the matter is the Flyers can't play defense. I've seen kids in makeshift forts during playtime with better defensive capabilities. By also picking up Andrew MacDonald, the Flyers basically traded for the Islanders' blue line, a team that has since gotten better. If you can't keep the puck out of your net, you're not going to win games; no matter how well Mason plays (and he's usually stellar).

6. Washington Capitals

Another team that could go either way, the Caps made some interesting offseason moves, to say the least. They vastly overpaid for defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, which does add to their depth at that position but also puts them into salary cap hell over the longer term. There are lots of questions: How will Evgeni Kuznetsov play in his first full season? How will Alex Ovechkin and Co. respond to new head coach Barry Trotz? How the Capitals answer those questions will determine what kind of season they have.

7. New Jersey Devils

Training camp looks like a refugee center for escapees from the Island of Misfit Toys. Scott Gomez, Tomas Kaberle, Jordin Tootoo, Mike Komisarek are all vying for career resurrections, which adds intrigue, but, at the bare minimum, it also increases the competition level. That's always a good thing. With Martin Brodeur out of the way, Cory Schneider is now the undisputed No. 1 in New Jersey and he'll keep the Devils in just about every game. Unfortunately, the team in front of him -- particularly the defense -- isn't that deep, which is why I don't see them making the playoffs this season.

Devils G Cory Schneider
Devils goalie Cory Schneider (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

8. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have struggled over the last few years, and the biggest reason for that is their lack of depth. Yes, they have Eric Staal and should eventually get brother Jordan Stall back from a broken leg, and also sport Jeff Skinner, Alex Semin, Jiri Tlusty and Elias Lindholm (if he plays). The rest of the forwards are mediocre at best. On defense, things don't get much better. Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera and Tim Gleason are the lead dogs, and unless Ryan Murphy (finally) pans out, that's about it. Cam Ward has been a shadow of his former self lately, and unless that changes, Carolina's going to have a tough time keeping pace.

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