Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

Seeking Writers For Pro Hockey Rumors

By Gavin Lee | at October 18, 2019 5:30 pm

We’re looking to add part-time contributors to the PHR writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. Strong evening and weekend availability is critical, though there also may be opportunities for daytime work during the week.

Applicants must meet ALL of the following criteria:

Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams, with no discernible bias.
Knowledge of the salary cap, CBA and transaction-related concepts.
At least some college education.
Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance creating quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers or links to other relevant articles.
Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.

If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and take a couple of paragraphs to explain why you qualify and stand out. Be sure to attach your resume to the email. If you have applied to PHR before, please feel free to submit again. Many will apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.

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Poll: Which Team Has Had The Most Surprising Start?

By Gavin Lee | at October 18, 2019 4:27 pm

The 2019-20 NHL regular season is now a little over two weeks old and already there has been talk of coach firings, long-term injuries to star players and surprising performances from some young talent. In a league that never gives you exactly what you expect, things have gotten off to an exciting start.

It’s hard not to start with the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently leading the entire NHL with a 6-1-1 record through their first eight games. You can’t ignore a team that has been so dominant, but can they keep it going? The Sabres are getting solid goaltending and have a powerplay that is converting at a scorching 35.5%—thanks, Victor Olofsson. They don’t show any signs of slowing down.

At the other end of the spectrum have been the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks, both expected to compete for the playoffs this season—even penciled in as Stanley Cup contenders by some. Both teams started the season dreadfully, though the Sharks have now won three straight to at least stay out of the basement in the Pacific Division. The Stars can’t seem to score a goal when they need one and are now 1-6-1 through their first eight, barely staying ahead of the tumultuous mess that is the Minnesota Wild.

The Sabres aren’t the only team that failed to make the playoffs in 2018 off to a great start this time around. The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks lead the Pacific with excellent records to start the year, each relying on different strategies to emerge victorious. The Oilers are leaning heavily on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl who lead all forwards in ice time this season, while the Ducks have a goaltending tandem that has allowed just 12 goals on 212 shots (a .943 save percentage through seven games).

Which team has surprised you the most through the first few weeks? Cast your vote and make sure to jump into the conversation down below.

Which team has had the most surprising start?

Buffalo Sabres (6-1-1) 28% (312)
Edmonton Oilers (6-1-0) 23% (258)
Dallas Stars (1-6-1) 14% (151)
New Jersey Devils (1-4-2) 6% (70)
Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-0) 5% (54)
Anaheim Ducks (5-2-0) 5% (50)
Minnesota Wild (1-6-0) 3% (31)
Carolina Hurricanes (6-2-0) 3% (30)
Colorado Avalanche (5-0-1) 2% (27)
Vancouver Canucks (4-2-0) 2% (27)
San Jose Sharks (3-4-0) 1% (12)
St. Louis Blues (3-1-3) 1% (10)
Detroit Red Wings (3-4-0 1% (8)
Chicago Blackhawks (1-2-1) 1% (8)
Arizona Coyotes (3-2-1) 1% (8)
Boston Bruins (5-1-1) 1% (7)
New York Islanders (4-3-0 1% (6)
Florida Panthers (2-2-2) 0% (5)
Columbus Blue Jackets (3-3-0) 0% (4)
Tampa Bay Lightning (4-2-1) 0% (3)
Montreal Canadiens (3-2-2) 0% (2)
Ottawa Senators (1-4-1) 0% (2)
Washington Capitals (4-2-2) 0% (2)
Philadelphia Flyers (2-2-1) 0% (2)
Nashville Predators (4-3-0) 0% (2)
Winnipeg Jets (4-5-0) 0% (2)
Los Angeles Kings (2-5-0) 0% (2)
Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3-1) 0% (1)
Vegas Golden Knights (5-3-0) 0% (1)
Calgary Flames (4-3-1) 0% (1)
New York Rangers (2-2-0) 0% (0)

Total votes: 1,098

[Mobile users click here to vote]

1 comment Polls Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Fifth Overall Pick

By Gavin Lee | at October 14, 2019 4:08 pm

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)
9th Overall: Wayne Simmonds, San Jose Sharks (61)
10th Overall: Kevin Shattenkirk, Florida Panthers (14)
11th Overall: Jake Muzzin, Carolina Hurricanes (141)
12th Overall: Kyle Turris, Montreal Canadiens (3)
13th Overall: David Perron, St. Louis Blues (26)
14th Overall: Mikael Backlund, Colorado Avalanche (24)
15th Overall: Evgenii Dadonov, Edmonton Oilers (71)
16th Overall: Alec Martinez, Minnesota Wild (95)
17th Overall: Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers (168)
18th Overall: Lars Eller, St. Louis Blues (13)
19th Overall: Alex Killorn, Anaheim Ducks (77)
20th Overall: Nick Bonino, Pittsburgh Penguins (173)
21st Overall: Pat Maroon, Edmonton Oilers (161)
22nd Overall: Paul Byron, Montreal Canadiens (179)
23rd Overall: Sam Gagner, Nashville Predators (6)
24th Overall: Justin Braun, Calgary Flames (201)

We finally have our first seventh-round selection jumping up the board, as Braun was nearly left undrafted completely back in 2007. Picked just ten spots before the end of the draft, he was one of five players in that round to ever suit up in the NHL—surprisingly though, not the only one to break the 500-game mark.

The thing was, it wouldn’t have been the first time that Braun went unselected by an NHL team if he had fallen out of the 2007 draft. He had already gone undrafted in his first two years of eligibility and had already completed his freshman year at UMass (Amherst). Despite being more than two years older than many of the prospects available, Braun still slipped onto the NHL Central Scouting list as the 209th-best North American skater (210 were ranked).

Though he wasn’t a star in college, the Sharks must have seen something they liked in the right-handed defenseman as not only did they pick him, but decided to offer him an NHL contract after his college career finished. Stepping almost directly into the NHL, he would play 28 games with San Jose during his first professional season and recorded 11 points doing it. Rather quickly, Braun would become a dependable option for the team and ended up playing more than 600 games for the Sharks before ending up with the Philadelphia Flyers this offseason.

While his 155 career points don’t pop off the page, that’s actually the sixth-highest total by any defenseman drafted in 2007. Braun has also played in 18th-most games by any player from that class, justifying his place here in the first round of our redraft. Not bad for a seventh-round pick in his final year of eligibility.

Vancouver, who picked next back in 2007, surely would have liked to know that Braun would turn out so well. When they strode up to the podium they had a different name in mind, one that would never play a single game in the NHL.

Patrick White was an American center who was actually ranked 23rd by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters, and was supposed to give the Canucks another weapon down the middle. Unfortunately, the offense that was supposed to develop in college never did, and White finished his four-year career at the University of Minnesota with just 53 points in 147 games.

When it became apparent to Vancouver that it wasn’t coming together, White was included in what was basically a salary dump with the San Jose Sharks, taking on Christian Ehrhoff a year into his three-year, $9.3MM deal. Ehrhoff ended up playing extremely well for the Canucks, while White was never even tendered a contract by the Sharks and ended up playing in half a dozen different European leagues.

If they had another chance, the Canucks certainly would have decided to go in a different direction with their pick. But in our redraft, the talent pool is getting shallow. With the twenty-fifth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Vancouver Canucks select? Cast your vote below!

2007 Redraft: Twenty-Fifth Overall

Ian Cole 26% (112)
Brandon Sutter 22% (97)
Karl Alzner 15% (64)
Carl Gunnarsson 10% (42)
Riley Nash 9% (38)
Thomas Hickey 7% (32)
Robert Bortuzzo 6% (24)
Brendan Smith 4% (16)
Colton Sceviour 2% (8)

Total votes: 433

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.

2 comments Polls Vancouver Canucks NHL Entry Draft Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Fourth Overall Pick

By Gavin Lee | at October 11, 2019 4:05 pm

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

Despite currently being in the AHL, Gagner managed to hold onto his status as a first-round pick in our 2007 redraft and goes to Nashville. Originally Edmonton’s first of three picks in that round, the London, Ontario native carved out quite the early career for himself in the NHL, even if it has quickly evaporated.

Back then, Gagner was an easy pick at the top of the draft. The somewhat undersized forward had just combined with Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn for the London Knights to make one of the most dynamic offensive attacks in the OHL, recording 118 points of his own in 53 games. Gagner’s 83 assists tied him with Kane for the most by any OHL rookie, and got him onto the CHL All-Rookie squad. Even at his young age he landed a roster spot on Canada’s World Junior team, something he’d never have another opportunity to do.

That’s because after he was drafted, Gagner stepped right into the NHL and became an impact player for the Edmonton Oilers. Unfortunately, the 49 points in 2007-08 as a rookie would be his highest total until many years later, as the talented center faced injury after injury that kept him out for various stretches. In fact, Gagner has never played all 82 games in a single season, only ever failing to miss time in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign. Still, it’s hard to argue with his offensive consistency for the Oilers. Scoring at least 41 points in each of his first five seasons, he would finish his first stint in Edmonton with 295 points in 481 games. Just that total would make him the 14th-highest scoring player from the 2007 draft, but Gagner wasn’t done quite yet.

After a few more seasons bouncing around the NHL—playing for the Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks—Gagner has found his way back to the Edmonton organization and is now playing with the Bakersfield Condors. In 802 career games he has 446 points, making him the eighth-highest scoring player from the 2007 draft. You can bet if the Predators received that kind of production from this spot they’d be extremely happy.

In 2007, the Calgary Flames were up next and picked their own steal late in the first round. Mikael Backlund was ranked second among all European skaters by NHL Central Scouting coming into the draft, but he ended up falling thanks to a strong North American contingent. The Flames had actually traded back from their spot at No. 18, gaining a third-round selection in the process, and still got the two-way center.

It took a while for the move to really pay off though, as Backlund was a project that needed to be developed correctly. After spending another season in Sweden, Backlund split the 2008-09 season between his Swedish team, the Flames and the Kelowna Rockets, making quite the impression as a late addition to the WHL squad. The Rockets would actually take home the WHL title that season, thanks to a playoff-leading 13 goals from Backlund. It still would be another several years before he really broke out in the NHL, scoring 18 goals and 39 points in 2013-14. Since then he has been quite the consistent presence for the team, and even recorded three 20+ goal seasons.

Unfortunately for Calgary, Backlund already went to Colorado in our redraft and they’ll have to pick another name. The talent is starting to really thin out, showing just how difficult it is to even get an NHL regular out of the draft. With the twenty-fourth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Calgary Flames select? Cast your vote below!

2007 Redraft: Twenty-Fourth Overall

Justin Braun 21% (84)
Ian Cole 20% (78)
Brandon Sutter 19% (77)
Karl Alzner 14% (56)
Carl Gunnarsson 8% (31)
Riley Nash 6% (25)
Thomas Hickey 6% (22)
Robert Bortuzzo 3% (13)
Brendan Smith 3% (11)
Colton Sceviour 1% (3)

Total votes: 400

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.

0 comments Calgary Flames Polls Prospects NHL Entry Draft Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

By Gavin Lee | at October 11, 2019 1:30 pm

The 2019-20 NHL regular season is underway and already there have been some surprises and disappointments. Most shocking perhaps are the injuries that have occurred early on, including Adam Larsson, Evgeni Malkin and Nate Schmidt. That has already made the rumor mill start churning over who will be the first to make a big trade—unless of course Vladislav Namestnikov heading to Ottawa is considered that already.

With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of our mailbag. You can submit your query by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. Make sure you get your questions in early and we’ll try to get through as many as possible when the mailbag runs on the weekend.

If you missed our last edition you can read it right here. Brian tackled questions regarding potential waiver candidates, correctly suggesting that Pheonix Copley, Casey DeSmith, Charlie Lindgren and Eric Comrie could all be available at the end of training camp. He also explained why Julius Honka was the only then-unsigned RFA that had a real chance of a long dispute, did his best at explaining the complicated cap situation the Toronto Maple Leafs created this summer, and gave his predictions on how the Metropolitan Division standings would look at the end of the year.

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2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Second Overall Pick

By Gavin Lee | at October 7, 2019 3:24 pm

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

Another sixth-round pick jumps up to the first, showing just how much of a lottery the NHL Entry Draft really is. Perhaps if Maroon started his career in Edmonton it would look even better than it does now, given the success he experienced once he finally did land there.

In 2007, Maroon was already 6’4″ 225-lbs, but concerns about his conditioning and level of competition dropped him to 208th overall among North American skaters on the NHL Central Scouting rankings. He had just played two years in the NAHL, most recently scoring 95 points in 57 games with the St. Louis Bandits to lead the league and earn a Most Valuable Player award. When he left the Bandits for the London Knights the following year and topped all OHL rookies with 90 points, the Philadelphia Flyers got an inkling that they might have a late-round steal on their hands.

In 2008, when Maroon started his pro career with the Philadelphia Phantoms, he was a monstrous winger that could push around even grown men. He scored 23 goals and 54 points in his rookie AHL season, and proved any doubters wrong about his ability to contribute at a high level. In 2010, after he failed to make the leap to the NHL for a second year, Maroon was traded to the Anaheim Ducks where he would once again dominate for their AHL affiliate. Though it took him a while, he would eventually get to the NHL as a full-time option for the Ducks in 2013, where he started what has been a successful career.

Setting a career-high with 27 goals in 2016-17 with the Edmonton Oilers, Maroon eventually found himself back in his hometown of St. Louis just in time to participate in their Stanley Cup run. Though his regular season wasn’t anything to write home about, the “Big Rig” would score one of the most memorable goals in the 2019 playoffs when he ended game seven against the Dallas Stars in double overtime. He’s now with the Tampa Bay Lightning where he’ll try for a repeat performance. In 452 career regular season games Maroon has 208 points, putting him 21st among all players drafted in 2007.

Finally, we get back to a pick that was well worth it back in 2007. The 22nd overall selection belonged to the Montreal Canadiens back then, and with it they would pick future captain and All-Star Max Pacioretty. Looking back, Pacioretty should have been off the board well before Montreal walked up to the podium for their second pick of the night (Ryan McDonagh at No. 12 wasn’t too shabby either). This time around he won’t be, as our community selected him in the top-five.

Without Pacioretty on the board, who will Montreal go after? Cast your vote below!

2007 Redraft: Twenty-Second Overall

Paul Byron 20% (108)
Sam Gagner 15% (80)
Justin Braun 12% (62)
Karl Alzner 11% (56)
Ian Cole 10% (55)
Brandon Sutter 9% (47)
Carl Gunnarsson 6% (33)
Riley Nash 5% (29)
Thomas Hickey 5% (26)
Robert Bortuzzo 4% (22)
Brendan Smith 3% (14)
Colton Sceviour 0% (1)

Total votes: 533

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.

1 comment Montreal Canadiens Polls NHL Entry Draft Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

PHR Originals: 9/30/19 – 10/6/19

By Brian La Rose | at October 6, 2019 7:31 pm

Here’s a rundown of the original content here at PHR over the past seven days.

The Oilers are on the clock in our 2007 redraft series with the 21st selection, their third of the first round. Their first two (Sam Gagner and Alex Plante) didn’t exactly work out as well as they hoped for while Riley Nash, their initial pick here, was traded away before he turned pro. They’ve done a lot better in our redraft and you can make their final first-round selection for them here.

The NCAA season is now underway. Zach took a look at some of the notable names to watch for among the top drafted prospects and those that are likely to hear their name called early in June. He also examined some of the players that are slated to hit the UFA market in March or April depending on when their respective seasons come to an end.

With the puck dropping on the 2019-20 season, it’s prediction time. Who will come out as the winners in the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific divisions? The current leaders are the Lightning, Capitals, Blues, and Golden Knights. Click the respective links to make your predictions.

The Maple Leafs are the final team to be featured in our Salary Cap Deep Dive series. They’re using plenty of LTIR to stay in compliance and with so much money tied up in their core four up front, it will be interesting to see who they’re able to retain between the pipes and on the back end over the next few seasons as the deals for several key players expire.

California recently passed a bill allowing NCAA student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness. College hockey isn’t exactly prominent there but Zach provided an overview of how this could wind up eventually affecting players in states that do have a significant college hockey presence as similar bills have been discussed elsewhere. This doesn’t come into effect until January 2023 so there will undoubtedly be some legal challenges between now and then but it certainly could affect collegiate sports, including hockey, over the next few years.

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Poll: Who Will Win The Pacific Division In 2019-20?

By Gavin Lee | at October 2, 2019 1:32 pm

We’ve finally reached the end of the offseason and things kick off tonight in the NHL. The regular season begins in Toronto with a matchup between the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, while the St. Louis Blues will hang their banner against the 2018 champion Washington Capitals. The excitement for the upcoming season is palpable, with even the most minor transactions generating plenty of interest among hockey fans.

With that in mind we’ve been asking you, the PHR reader, to give us your thoughts on the upcoming season. We started with the Atlantic Division, which seemed an easy choice for a good chunk of our community. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with the poll, earning a whopping 46% of all votes. Next was the Metropolitan Division, which wasn’t quite as lopsided. The Washington Capitals were picked by 31% of the voters to take home their fifth consecutive division title, but the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders all got at least 10%.

The closest so far though goes to the Central Division, which is almost a dead heat between the Blues and Colorado Avalanche. Five teams received at least 10% of the vote, with only the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild falling below that threshold. The Central looks like it will be a meat grinder right to the end, but the reigning Stanley Cup champions are at least slightly ahead right now.

Lastly we’ll look at the Pacific Division, which was filled with disappointment in 2018-19. Just three Western Conference playoff spots came out of the group, with the other five teams all recording 86 or fewer points in the regular season. This time around things might be different, but will the upstart Arizona Coyotes, Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers or rebuilt Vancouver Canucks really be able to challenge for the top spot? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out!

Who will win the Pacific Division in 2019-20?

Vegas Golden Knights 42% (498)
Calgary Flames 20% (231)
San Jose Sharks 15% (177)
Los Angeles Kings 7% (82)
Anaheim Ducks 5% (63)
Edmonton Oilers 4% (50)
Vancouver Canucks 4% (44)
Arizona Coyotes 3% (31)

Total votes: 1,176

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

17 comments Anaheim Ducks Calgary Flames Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Polls San Jose Sharks Utah Mammoth Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

Poll: Who Will Win The Central Division In 2019-20

By Gavin Lee | at October 1, 2019 5:53 pm

We’ve finally reached the end of the offseason and things kick off this week around the NHL. Exhibition games are underway in Europe and final cuts have come down all around the league. The excitement for the upcoming season is palpable, with even the most minor transactions generating plenty of interest among hockey fans.

With that in mind we’re going to ask you, the PHR reader, to give us your thoughts on the upcoming season. We started with the Atlantic Division, which seemed an easy choice for a good chunk of our community. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with the poll, earning a whopping 46% of all votes. Next was the Metropolitan Division earlier today, which doesn’t look quite as lopsided. The Washington Capitals have been picked by 32% of the voters to take home their fifth consecutive division title, but the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils each currently carry more than 10%.

After finishing up the Eastern Conference we’ll now move west into the Central Division, where the Nashville Predators finished just a single point ahead of both the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues last season. In fact, Nashville’s 100 points were the lowest by any division winner and wouldn’t have even placed second in any of the other three groups. It didn’t do them much good either, as the Predators would fall in the first round to the Dallas Stars and have to watch their division rivals from St. Louis take home the Stanley Cup.

With that in mind, the Central might be the hardest division in the league to predict for 2019-20. All seven teams finished with at least 83 points last season and a similar thing might happen this year as they beat up on each other all year long. The Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche should all be improved, while the Jets still have a star-studded forward group even if their defense did take a hit in the offseason.

Who do you think will come out on top of the Central Division? Will Matt Duchene‘s arrival make up for the loss of P.K. Subban from the back-end in Nashville? Can the young core in Colorado take them all the way to the top? Will the Blues continue to ride a breakout Jordan Binnington all year long? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out!

Who will win the Central Division in 2019-20?

St. Louis Blues 25% (493)
Colorado Avalanche 24% (460)
Nashville Predators 14% (280)
Dallas Stars 12% (239)
Chicago Blackhawks 11% (215)
Winnipeg Jets 7% (141)
Minnesota Wild 6% (119)

Total votes: 1,947

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

9 comments Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators Polls St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

Poll: Who Will Win The Metropolitan Division In 2019-20?

By Gavin Lee | at October 1, 2019 10:04 am

With that in mind we’re going to ask you, the PHR reader, to give us your thoughts on the upcoming season. We started with the Atlantic Division, which seemed an easy choice for a good chunk of our community. The Tampa Bay Lightning ran away with the poll, earning a whopping 46% of all votes. With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins firmly in the second and third spots, it may be another difficult year for Atlantic teams trying to crack those divisional playoff spots.

We’ll now move on to the Metropolitan Division, which has been dominated by one team for the last several years. The Washington Capitals have taken home the divisional crown for the past four consecutive seasons, posting at least 104 points in each. Even after losing head coach Barry Trotz to the rival New York Islanders, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals were able to fend off the rest of the group for the top spot. It didn’t do them much good as they ended up kicked out of the first round by the hard-charging Carolina Hurricanes, who should be in contention for the division lead after going all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.

It certainly won’t be easy to capture though, as the division had five playoff teams last season and could potentially be a battle between all eight clubs this time around. The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils both underwent huge changes in the offseason, while the Pittsburgh Penguins are still led by the Hall of Fame duo down the middle.

Who do you think will come out on top of the Metropolitan Division in the regular season? Can the Capitals make it five in a row? Will the Islanders complete the transformation to defensive powerhouse? Will Carter Hart‘s goaltending be the missing ingredient for the Philadelphia Flyers? Cast your vote below and explain how you think the season will play out!

Who will win the Metropolitan Division?

Washington Capitals 29% (527)
Pittsburgh Penguins 16% (285)
Philadelphia Flyers 13% (237)
Carolina Hurricanes 11% (203)
New York Islanders 10% (172)
New York Rangers 8% (148)
New Jersey Devils 8% (143)
Columbus Blue Jackets 4% (72)

Total votes: 1,787

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

6 comments Carolina Hurricanes Columbus Blue Jackets New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Polls Washington Capitals Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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Headlines

Which team has had the most surprising start?

2007 Redraft: Twenty-Fifth Overall

2007 Redraft: Twenty-Fourth Overall

2007 Redraft: Twenty-Second Overall

Who will win the Pacific Division in 2019-20?

Who will win the Central Division in 2019-20?

Who will win the Metropolitan Division?