Poll: Who Will Win The Metropolitan Division In 2018-19?
We’re less than a month away from the 2018-19 NHL season, and players are hitting the ice with teammates to start forming chemistry. All over the league there are individual workouts underway, with rookie tournaments kicking off to showcase the young players in the organization. The excitement for the upcoming season is starting to bubble up to the surface, and even the smallest NHL news has fans in a frenzy.
Recently, Bovada released their over/under numbers for each team’s point totals and there are some interesting results. Though these aren’t to be taken exactly as predictions for the upcoming season—since betting odds also take into account popularity trends and other factors—fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning should still be extremely satisfied to see their club at the very top with an over/under of 107.5 points. The Lightning are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders once again in 2018-19, and have brought back nearly their entire roster.
We ran a poll asking the PHR community to decide who will win the Atlantic Division, and the Lightning came out on top with nearly 37% of the vote. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished in second place, but the big surprise was the Detroit Red Wings in third with 15% of all voters. While our readers have more confidence in the Red Wings than the odds makers, we’ve seen stranger things in the past.
Next we asked the PHR community to vote on the Pacific Division, and while things were a little more evenly distributed the San Jose Sharks were still the clear favorite. With more than 26% of the vote, the Sharks came out ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (16%), Vegas Golden Knights (14%) and Calgary Flames (13%). The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks haven’t done enough to inspire much confidence, earning just a handful of votes each.
The Metropolitan Division might be the most difficult to predict, but perhaps the most important given that it has taken home the last three Stanley Cups. The Pittsburgh Penguins are the only team with an over/under above 100 at 103.5, but the Philadelphia Flyers (98.5), Washington Capitals (98.5) and Columbus Blue Jackets (97.5) are all right in the mix. It might be tough for the other teams to jump all the way to the top, but there is real talent still in Carolina and both New York teams. The New Jersey Devils, despite making the playoffs last year, have just a 91.5 over/under and find themselves right on the bubble of the postseason predictions.
Who do you think will come out on top of the Metropolitan Division? Can Washington keep the motor running and ride their Stanley Cup high all the way to another division title? Will the Penguins reassert themselves as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference? Can Philadelphia stay healthy enough to challenge for the crown? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out in the comments!
Who will win the Metropolitan Division in 2018-19?
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Pittsburgh Penguins 34% (363)
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Washington Capitals 25% (275)
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Philadelphia Flyers 13% (137)
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Columbus Blue Jackets 8% (91)
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New York Rangers 6% (65)
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New York Islanders 6% (62)
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New Jersey Devils 5% (55)
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Carolina Hurricanes 3% (34)
Total votes: 1,082
[Mobile users click here to vote]
Columbus Blue Jackets Announce Front Office Extensions
The Columbus Blue Jackets have built a deep playoff contending roster, and those who are responsible were rewarded today. President of Hockey Operations John Davidson, General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Assistant General Manager Bill Zito have all signed multi-year extensions to stay with the franchise. Zito has also been promoted to Associate General Manager. No word yet on a contract extension for John Tortorella, though Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the team is “still working” on it.
Kekalainen will take over as longest-tenured GM in Blue Jackets history this season, in this position with Columbus since early 2013. The former NHL forward was actually the first European-born GM in the history of the league, and has developed a reputation for his fearless management style. The team has made several moves over the last few years that seemed relatively risky, like taking Pierre-Luc Dubois or trading for Artemi Panarin. Though the Panarin situation is far from resolved given his current contract situation, any doubts in his ability have been summarily dismissed after another outstanding season in Columbus.
Columbus has built one of the deepest teams in the league, and will once again have the benefit of pairing Seth Jones and Zach Werenski if they so choose. The Blue Jackets top pairing are considered among the best defensemen in the league and are both still under the age of 24. Still a real contender for the Stanley Cup, Kekalainen and the rest of the front office have some difficult decisions to make regarding Panarin and fellow pending free agent Sergei Bobrovsky. These extensions at least give the management confidence that they will be in place regardless of their final decision, and will be able to consider the long-term health of the franchise instead of trying to save their jobs.
Blue Jackets Didn't Consider Buying Out Brandon Dubinsky This Offseason
- While Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky struggled considerably last season, the team didn’t give any thought to buying out the remaining three years of his contract, notes George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch. The 32-year-old spent time as a healthy scratch last year and recorded a career-low 16 points, hardly the type of value they were expecting for someone carrying a $5.85MM cap hit. Dubinsky has slimmed down over the summer and hopes that his improved speed will help him make more of an impact. If not, the buyout talk will pick up once again over the summer.
Morning Notes: Pacioretty, Peeke, Top 100
The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the most intriguing teams in the league recently—in the way it’s hard to look away from a car crash—with a very public dispute surrounding the future of captain Max Pacioretty. With reports surfacing about previous trade requests, and Pacioretty’s agent using Twitter to issue strong denials, the entire hockey world is waiting to see whether the team will reach an extension with their talented winger or trade him to a contender for the upcoming season, his last under contract.
Eric Engels of Sportsnet held an impromptu Q&A on Twitter this morning, answering fan questions about the state of the Canadiens. When asked about a potential extension with Pacioretty, he didn’t mince words, saying “unless it is a sign and trade, I don’t see there being any possibility of a long-term extension” and explaining that Mike Hoffman and Jeff Skinner are obvious comparables when it comes to recent trades. With training camps set to open in less than two weeks, the Canadiens don’t have much offseason left to make a move if Pacioretty is truly on his way out.
- Andrew Peeke was drafted 34th overall in 2016 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, but decided to go the collegiate route for his hockey development. After two years at Notre Dame that decision has been rewarded, as Peeke was named captain today by the legendary program. The school brought in alums like Anders Lee, Cal Petersen, Steven Fogarty and Erik Condra to announce the decision in a video. Peeke, a 20-year old defenseman has followed an excellent development path and could be a two-way difference maker when he finally transitions to the professional ranks.
- Sportsnet released the “best of the rest” for their recent Top 100 rankings, which includes forwards Jaden Schwartz, Sebastian Aho and Dylan Larkin, defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Torey Krug, and goaltender Antti Raanta. There is plenty of talent still left off the ranking, but Detroit Red Wings fans will be happy to see at least one of their players recognized in some fashion. They were the only team with no one on the original ranking, though apparently Filip Zadina did receive some votes despite not yet making his NHL debut.
Metropolitan Notes: Columbus’ Defense, Maatta, Butcher, Kreider
With losses of both Jack Johnson and Ian Cole this offseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets will have some changes on their defense. Those changes could alter the entire defense, as head coach John Tortorella said recently in a Q&A with The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required). In fact, Tortorella said he will have to consider whether he’s ready to break up his two star defensemen in Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. At the moment, he’s not ready to do so.
“It certainly makes me think about it, and I have thought about it this summer,” Tortorella said. “I’m going to let it play out. Right now I’m going into the season with ‘Z’ and Jonesy together, and we’ll see what comes of that second pair.”
Jones had a breakout season a year ago, while Werenski had an off year, but dealt with a shoulder injury that hampered him all season. However, Tortorella hopes that others will fill in for the team’s offseason losses, including Markus Nutivaara and Ryan Murray.
“I think (Markus) Nutivaara has improved tremendously,” Tortorella said. “I think (Murray) looked different to me in the playoffs. He can’t even grow a beard yet, he’s just got this stuff all over his face, but he looked different to me. He had more of a game face than I’ve seen since I coached him. He was really good in the playoffs. Can he take those minutes? I know he wants to. I know he’s pissed at me that I don’t give him enough time at certain times, but hopefully, he stays healthy and plays with an attitude.”
- The Pittsburgh Penguins look to be breaking up their top-four as well as the team promised to give top minutes to free-agent signee Jack Johnson, which will force the team to make some changes, according to Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Jason Mackey in a Penguins’ chat. While the team has no intention of breaking up their top defensive pair of Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang. That means the likely second line will be Johnson and Justin Schultz, which will likely force Olli Maatta out of the top four. Maatta, who tied a career-high in 29 points last season, will likely be moved to the third pairing next to Jamie Oleksiak.
- The Athletic’s Ryan Clark’s (subscription required) writes a Q&A interview with New Jersey Devils defenseman Will Butcher, the second-year defenseman has said he’s spent his offseason working on his shot. “My huge emphasis this summer has been on my shot from one-timers to just getting it off quicker,” Butcher said. “Just try to shoot the puck more. Look to shoot the puck more than pass.” The 23-year-old posted impressive numbers in his first year in the league, putting up five goals and 39 points last season. An impressive shot could improve his goal numbers in the future.
- When New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider returned from a two-month break when he was recovering from a blood clot, the 27-year-old had lost 15 pounds, which actually proved helpful to him, according to The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman (subscription required). In fact, Kreider played some of his best hockey upon his return, which could fit in well around head coach David Quinn‘s new system. The scribe writes that Kreider found the perfect balance between his size, speed, strength and skill, which could carry over to this season, especially now that he’s out of Alain Vigneault‘s system that focused only on his speed.
Dallas Is On Artemi Panarin's Shortlist Of Preferred Destinations
Although the Rangers and Blackhawks have linked as potential landing spots for Blue Jackets winger Artemi Panarin, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Stars are also on Panarin’s shortlist of preferred destinations. Shapiro adds that the team believes that they could have the cap room long-term to have both Panarin and fellow pending UFA Tyler Seguin on long-term contracts but that there would likely need to be roster casualties to do so. Columbus has been fielding trade interest in the Russian winger but they have been receiving futures-based packages, something they don’t seem interested in doing at this time.
Minor Transactions: 08/31/18
Noah Hanifin has signed with the Calgary Flames, but we’re still waiting on news of the other dozen restricted free agents. While we wait, we’ll keep track of the minor moves around the hockey world.
- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have signed Zach Palmquist, Nick Luukko and Branden Komm to AHL contracts for 2018-19. Palmquist especially will give the team some added firepower on the blue line after registering 34 points in 67 games last season for the Iowa Wild. The 27-year old was an undrafted free agent out of the Minnesota State University when he signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2015, and earned two more NHL contracts over the last few seasons. Still waiting for his NHL debut, he’ll have to prove that he once again deserves a big league deal next summer.
- Former Bowling Green standout Dan DeSalvo has found a new home in the AHL. The Cleveland Monsters, minor league affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, announced a one-year deal with undersized, but explosive forward. DeSalvo has shown great offensive ability over the past three years between the AHL and ECHL. After close to a point-per-game pace with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers as well as on loan to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in his first pro season in 2015-16, DeSalvo earned a regular role with Manitoba the next year and posted 40 points in 66 games. While that production slipped somewhat last year, with DeSalvo limited to just 44 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the Monsters have clearly bought in to what he can offer up front. The 26-year-old forward is likely to bring positive returns for the team if put in the right position and given enough ice time.
- Joining DeSalvo in Cleveland for another year is also Miles Koules, who returns for his third season. After working his way through four different ECHL teams in his first two pro seasons, Koules finally found a fit when given a chance with the Monsters in 2016-17. The team has re-signed the winger for a second straight year after he registered 27 points in 68 games last season.
- The University of Massachusetts Minutemen are adding another weapon to their squad and about a week before classes begin no less. The team has announced that former St. Lawrence University forward Joel Pritchard has joined the program as a graduate transfer. Although Pritchard played only three seasons for the Saints, he completed his studies and recently graduated. He will be eligible to play immediately at UMass, where he will reunite with former coach Greg Carvel. Pritchard recorded 20+ points in each of his seasons at St. Lawrence and played a responsible two-way game. He will bring consistency and experience to a young UMass squad that hopes to surprise people in the Hockey East Conference this season.
NHL Rookie Tournaments Set For Early September
8/31: The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders have joined to fray, as their rookie camps will clash in prospects game on September 12th at the Isles’ practice facility, the teams announced. This leaves only the Florida Panthers without a competition for their rookies in the coming weeks.
8/24: Before team training camps open up for veterans, the rookies get some work in each year with various rookie tournaments and exhibition games taking place around the continent. This is where you can catch your favorite team:
- The most well-known preseason rookie tournament is obviously the Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament. The annual tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings is in its 20th year of existence. The format consists of two four-team “divisions” who play a round-robin tournament with the winner of each group earning a berth in the championship game. Featured this year are the Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues. The games run from September 7th to September 11th.
- Buffalo is again set to host the Sabres’ Prospect Challenge Tournament. Running from September 7th to 10th, it is a single group round robin tournament with the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Pittsburgh Penguins joining the Sabres on their home ice. This will be the first game action for top overall pick and preseason Calder Trophy favorite Rasmus Dahlin.
- Across the border, the three eastern Canadian teams are set to square off in Laval, Quebec, the home of the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. The Habs announced a set of three games featuring themselves, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Ottawa Senators on September 7th, 8th, and 9th.
- On the other side of the country, a previous rookie tournament has been split in half. The NHL Young Stars Tournament, held in Penticton, British Columbia, will now contain only the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks, as well as a pair of collegiate teams in a three-day series of games from September 7th to 9th. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames chose not to participate this year and will instead face-off in one singular game in Red Deer, Alberta on September 12th.
- The Vegas Golden Knights are set to host the first of a revolving tournament among U.S.-based Western Conference teams. Nicknamed the Vegas Rookie Faceoff, Sin City will be the location of this year’s tournament which also features the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. It will be a three-day, nine-game series taking place on September 8th, 9th, and 11th. The tournament is expected to head to Anaheim next year.
- Finally, the NHL’s southeastern squads will square off in Estero, Florida at the home of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. The Prospect Showcase will be four days of games between the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, taking place from September 8th to 11th.
For all updates on rookie tournament rosters, check in with Roster Resource and their running tracker of roster announcements.
Columbus Blue Jackets Have Received Offers Of Prospects, Picks For Artemi Panarin
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on this offseason, after reports surfaced months ago regarding Artemi Panarin and his reluctance to negotiate a long-term extension. That pushed the star forward—at least speculatively—onto the trade market, and made him one of the biggest stories of the summer. In his State of the Franchise column for The Athletic (subscription required), Blue Jackets insider Aaron Portzline reports that Columbus has received trade offers for Panarin but that they’ve been for prospects and “high-round draft picks.” The Blue Jackets obviously haven’t accepted these packages, and Portzline notes that they wouldn’t help “ease the absence” of the star winger for the upcoming season.
Columbus is still expected to compete for the Metropolitan Division title this season with the roster as currently constructed, but losing Panarin (and possibly Sergei Bobrovsky) to free agency in the summer of 2019 is a tough pill to swallow at this point. With no Stanley Cup success guaranteed in 2018-19, it would be tough for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to just allow the season to progress without a deal in place. Portzline reports that a list of “preferred destinations” for Panarin—which is headlined by the New York Rangers and also includes New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars—is still applicable, though agent Dan Milstein has downplayed the accurary of any list and said that nothing had been provided (at that point) to the Blue Jackets.
Training camp starts in just two weeks for Columbus, and the Panarin situation was supposed to be resolved by then one way or another. If that’s a true deadline from Panarin’s perspective on negotiating an extension, the team may have to settle for one of the packages offered and hope the rest of the roster can take them to the playoffs on their own. After all, the team does have a good young core of players in Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois and others and could likely secure a big package of future assets for Panarin’s services. That could set the team up for even more long-term success, despite it coming with a decline in performance for the 2018-19 season.
Metropolitan Notes: Reirden, Atkinson, Elias, Kravtsov
The Washington Capitals have that unusual circumstance where they are coming off winning the Stanley Cup, but are also breaking in a new coach. With Barry Trotz headed to New York, the team replaced him with long-time assistant coach Todd Reirden. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti writes that the new head coach intends to make some changes to a team that returns everyone with the exception of fourth-line center Jay Beagle and backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
“In particular, I would say from the 63 to 65-game range on we really adjusted a few things that helped us defend better and set us up for better success defensively and our numbers followed, especially in the playoffs,” Reirden said. “So those things for the most part 5-on-5 will stay. … There will be some adjustments a little bit in some areas. Special teams in particular in the penalty kill area would be something that we’ll be making some adjustments to.”
Reirden, known as a players’ coach when he was an assistant, says that he believes that connecting with players is critical of being a coach and said he doesn’t intend to change now that he’s finally got his chance to be a head coach.
“I would say that everyone has to be a player’s coach in some respects today to be able to maximize the players,” Reirden said. “I think some of the success I’ve been able to have in the development of players over the last eight, nine years has been off of being able to relate to different players and put them in a situation where they’re in a challenging environment.”
- Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Cam Atkinson expects a more impressive season out of himself this year after struggling through multiple issues early in the season last year, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s George Richards. The 29-year-old forward started slow after signing a seven-year, $41.13MM extension last season and then suffering through a broken bone in his foot. However, the veteran looks at his success after his return that suggests he will have a big year for the Blue Jackets this year. Atkinson, who started the first 32 games with just six goals and 13 points, went on a tear after that, finishing the season (65 games total) with 24 goals and 46 points, meaning he tallied 18 goals in the second half. “There’s no doubt in my mind that is the Cam we’re going to see,” said assistant general manager Bill Zito. “He’s such a talented player. He has the skills, the temerity to get out of a rut. He has a lot of weapons — he has a great shot, can skate, has a great hockey sense and likes to score. He likes it and is confident enough to know he can score.”
- Former New Jersey Devils forward Patrik Elias, who tallied 1,025 points throughout his NHL career, will be starting a new venture as he intends to get into coaching, according to Elite Prospects’ Uffe Bodin. Elias has become the assistant coach for the Czech Republic’s U20 national team alongside head coach Vaclav Varada. “(Varada) approached me about three or four months ago”, Patrik Elias says, although he admits he was never interested in coaching. “Since I have the personal relationship with him and I know that he has done a really good job last two, three years as a coach, I felt that if I wanted to start up with someone, it’s good to start with someone that you trust and that can help you out. He’s been great.”
- The New York Rangers’ Vitali Kravtsov was named the best forward at the 2018 U20 Four Nations Tournament with a goal and three assists in three games. The 18-year-old was the ninth overall pick by the Rangers in this year’s draft and is expected to return to his KHL team, Traktor Chelyabinsk, as he signed a one-year deal there. The hope is Kravtsov will be ready to compete for a spot on the Rangers roster next season. Minnesota Wild’s Simon Johansson was named top defenseman, while Detroit Red Wings’ Jesper Eliasson was named top goaltender.