NHL Mid-Season Grades: Metropolitan Division Breakdown
NHL Mid-Season Grades: Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators
NHL Mid-Season Grades, Surprises, Letdowns, Future Outlook: Complete Central Division Breakdown by Team and Position, Including Predictions for the Remainder of 2016-17
Today we’ll be handing out NHL mid-season grades for the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division which includes the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Washington Capitals.
The division is considered the strongest in the NHL to this point featuring the league-leading Blue Jackets and Capitals who come in with 64 points. The Penguins occupy the third seed in the division with 61 points and the Rangers have the top wild card spot with 57 points.
Philadelphia (50 points), Carolina (49 points) and New Jersey (47 points) are within the final wild card spot currently held by the Ottawa Senators (50 points in 42 games). The Islanders find themselves at the bottom of the division and conference with 42 points.
*Standings heading into Thursday night
Take a look at our Central and Pacific Division mid-season grades.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Current Record: 21-16-7 (49 points)
The Carolina Hurricanes got off to a rough start, going 2-4-2 in the opening month of the season, but head coach Bill Peters was able to get the group back on track. A score-by-committee team has played their way into the playoff race, while riding a potential career-year from Jeff Skinner.
FORWARDS: B-
The Hurricanes are a middle-of-the-pack team in scoring with 120 goals so far this season, and they owe it to the entire group.
Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask are the only players scoring at above average marks and have established themselves as the leaders up front.
Teuvo Tervainen, Sebastien Aho, Lee Stempniak and Elias Lindholm have provided the team was a solid core of secondary scorers, which is needed in a score-by-committee team.
Youngster Brock McGinn and late bloomer Derek Ryan have really helped the team along with their surprising performances.
Add in Jordan Staal‘s steady two-way play and you have a recipe for team success.
DEFENSE: B-
The “D” core gets the same grade as the forwards. Good, but not spectacular.
Justin Faulk has not had the greatest season, but he has still shouldered the load in minutes played on a very young group.
Brett Pesce, Jaccob Slavin, and Noah Hanifin are all under the age of 22 and are playing in the top four. That’s incredible. This group will be one to keep an eye on for some time.
GOALIES: C+
Cam Ward has been good enough this year, and that’s an improvement on last season.
While Eddie Lack has either been ineffective or injured, Ward has had to shoulder the load that he has been shouldering for over a decade.
He is capable, but if the Hurricanes had a better puck stopper, they could be a team in a keen playoff spot.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: DEREK RYAN
How many of you had to google this guy’s name?
Derek Ryan is a journeyman hockey player and at age 29, he is finally becoming an NHL regular. Ryan is a former University of Alberta player, turned Austrian league superstar, turned SHL superstar, turned AHL star, turned NHL player.
He has eight goals and 18 points in only 31 games and he is an inspiration for anybody who feels they have lost their chance to be an NHLer.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: RYAN MURPHY
When the Hurricanes selected Ryan Murphy with their first round pick (12th overall) in 2011, they hoped he would become the power play quarterback they had been waiting for.
Now in his fifth professional season with the club, Murphy finds himself sitting in the press box, in trade rumors and on the outside looking in. He is a defensive liability and the offense hasn’t been there enough to hide his deficiencies. Time to move on, even if it means he is claimed on waivers for nothing.
OUTLOOK:
The Carolina Hurricanes are a really well-coached team, and that has allowed them to fly under the radar.
They don’t blow anybody away on paper, and many believe they are just overachieving. This team plays too well together, and Elliotte Friedman wrote about them in his 30 thoughts, saying “Good line on the Hurricanes from another coach: “If there was an advanced stat for percentage of times a player is exactly where he’s supposed to be, they’d lead. Smart team.””
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hurricanes add insurance between the pipes and make the playoffs.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Current Record: 30-9-4 (64 points)
Nobody saw this coming, but the Columbus Blue Jackets are the top team in the league, and they have their almost-record-breaking 16-game win streak to thank.
Head coach John Tortorella has found a way to get back in the elite league of coaches by turning this franchise around. Whatever it is he is doing, it is working.
FORWARDS: A
Five of the Blue Jacket’s have over 30 points, including the revamped Sam Gagner.
Brandon Saad was expected, but Nick Foligno‘s bounce back year and breakout years from Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg have added to the most lethal attacks.
To a lesser extent, the Blue Jackets have also seen solid additions to their attack from Josh Anderson (10 goals), William Karlsson (14 points) and to a lesser extent Lukas Sedlak (11 points).
Add in the solid play of veteran checkers Scott Hartnell and Brandon Dubinsky and you will see a group that is just a well-oiled machine.
DEFENSE: A-
When the Jackets traded their number one center in Ryan Johansen for defender Seth Jones, it was a risk/reward deal. Seth Jones’ performance this year proves it was worth the risk.
While Wennberg has filled in for Johansen up front, Jones has become the minute muncher a good team needs. He does it all from the back end.
Rookie Zach Werenski has been a revelation and while he won’t win the Calder, at this point he should.
GOALIES: A
BOBROVSKY!!!!!!!
The Russian wonder goalie is at it again. Bobrovsky has an outstanding 27-6-2 record to go along with a 1.97 GAA and .932 save percentage.
Bobrovsky is my pick for runner-up to Devan Dubnyk for the Vezina trophy.
Bobrovsky has been so good that the carousel of backups (Curtis McElhinney, Joonas Korpisalo, and Anton Forsberg) have had very little work to do.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: SAM GAGNER
The entire team could be the winner for this category, but you have to look at what Gagner’s done this season to become a relevant hockey player again.
Gagner’s career high in points was the 49 he scored in his rookie year with the Edmonton Oilers. With 31 points in only 42 games, he is well on his way to posting the best season of his career.
The real kicker is the fact that he has been playing on the club’s fourth line this entire time.
Oh, and he’s the best bargain in the league coming in at $650,000.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: RYAN MURRAY
While it was hard to pick anything wrong with the team this year, one would have to look at the seemingly stalled career of 2012 2nd overall pick Ryan Murray.
Murray hasn’t been terrible, but he was expected to take the next step toward becoming a top defensemen. Instead, Murray has a measly seven assists and he is fifth on the Jackets ice time amongst defenders. That puts him behind Jones, David Savard, Jack Johnson and rookie Zach Werenski.
Could be trade bait.
OUTLOOK:
I always felt they were a good but unlucky team. But now they are a great team. These kinds of streaks don’t just happen out of the blue.
The Jackets have been spinning their wheels long enough and I expect they finally win a series, the first of their franchise’s lifespan.
They may also be in the market for a backup goaltender, but if they want to push themselves to the point where they can legitimately challenge for the Cup, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see them be a big player for either Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Current Record: 19-18-9 (47 points)
The New Jersey Devils made a big splash in the offseason acquiring Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers. However, with the added offense, the team still hasn’t found a way to push the pace and that has made their playoff hopes look dim. If this team didn’t have Cory Schneider we may be looking at a lottery pick.
FORWARDS: C-
Taylor Hall is doing all he can and what he was expected to do, but the rest of the group just simply haven’t given him enough support.
Pavel Zacha has struggled to produce offense and Mike Cammalleri is starting to regress as he reaches his mid 30’s.
While Travis Zajac has found another gear in his offensive game, Adam Henrique has come back to the ground in his.
Beau Bennett, Devante Smith-Pelly, and Sergei Kalinin haven’t rediscovered their games to the point of being effective either.
When your entire group is only scoring 2.22 goals per game, you can’t get all that high of a grade.
Not all things are terrible though as Miles Wood and Nick Lappin have shown to be decent effective players with some upside.
DEFENSE: C
When the Devils acquired Taylor Hall, the player they swapped out was young Swedish d-man Adam Larsson. Apparently, Larsson meant more to the team than NHL outsiders would have believed.
The Devils play a defensive style game, but they have allowed 2.83 goals against per game. That puts them in the bottom ten in the league.
Damon Severson is finding offense, but he bears an ugly -23 at the halfway point. Worst in the league.
John Moore, Ben Lovejoy, and Kyle Quincey were expected to help aid the team in Larsson’s absence, but the early returns are not looking all that great.
GOALIES: B-
This is a bit of a pity grade.
Cory Schneider is only sporting a .910 save percentage, but a lot of that has more to do with the team in front of him than himself.
Schneider is totally capable of winning games on his own, and aside from a few poor outings (the recent Toronto game comes to mind), he is normally solid between the pipes.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: MILES WOOD
While it’s still early, Miles Wood has been pretty impressive since his recall.
The 21-year old rookie is a fourth round pick from the 2013 Draft and he only played one season of college hockey at Boston College before turning pro this year.
He has a lot of speed and it has been on display in a few of his five first NHL goals.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: DEVANTE SMITH-PELLY
While Smith-Pelly never really set the world on fire with his offense, many believed he had the potential to be a decent top six forward.
Smith-Pelly was traded to the Devils by the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Stefan Matteau. After the trade, Smith-Pelly produced at a career rate scoring 13 points in only 18 games with the Devils at the end of last season.
He only has two goals, seven points through 40 games this year.
OUTLOOK:
GM Ray Shero has been vocal about his disappointment in the team as a whole, and you can’t blame him.
The Devils have become a very mediocre team since their surprising run to the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals and it looks like it may be a few years before they find an identity again.
It will be long summer in Jersey once again.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Current Record: 17-17-8 (42 points)
To say it’s been a disappointing year for the Isles would be an understatement. After going to the second round of the playoffs last year, the Islanders have bottomed out and currently sit in last in the Eastern Conference. It has already cost head coach Jack Capuano his job, and GM Garth Snow could be next in line.
FORWARDS: C+
Even John Tavares can’t right this ship. The captain has 32 points in 42 games and other than a strong year from the usually tempered offensive player Josh Bailey (29 points) nobody is really in the same realm.
Andrew Ladd has been a complete bust scoring only 12 points. Won’t be easy to move that contract with six years remaining.
Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, and Shane Prince have been unable to take the next step in their careers, but Anders Lee is on pace to score 30. He’s the only one moving forward.
Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck are great role players and they earned five-year extensions (risky move in itself) but they aren’t the players who will decide the close games.
They are middle-of-the-pack in scoring, but they need some of their guys to get going. The team obviously misses Frans Nielsen (All-Star) and Kyle Okposo (All-Star)
DEFENSE: C+
It’s been a down year for the Travis Hamonic/Nick Led pairing and that has put a stake in the game plan for the Islanders.
Aging defenders Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg have had a lot to take on as well.
Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan round out the defense, but the Islanders may benefit from playing Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock more.
GOALIES: C+
Starting the year with a three-headed goalie monster is never a good idea in the NHL, and that’s why this grade goes down.
Jaroslav Halak didn’t have a good start and is now toiling in the minors with a $4.5 million cap hit.
The real issue is this; why are the Islanders so worried about losing Jean-Francois Berube? He’s 25, not established and doesn’t have a great track record.
Thank God Thomas Greiss has been giving the team capable goaltending.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: JOSH BAILEY
Josh Bailey has never scored more than 41 points in a single NHL season, and normally finds himself between 30-45 points. That’s good secondary scoring, but Bailey was expected to score more after turning pro as an 18-year-old.
His 29 points so far put him well on track to finally hit the 50-point mark.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: ANDREW LADD
The two guys that Garth Snow let go in free agency (Okposo, Nielsen) will be suiting up for their new teams at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game.
The guy he gave a long-term seven-year contract to will be lucky if he ever gets to watch that game from the stands.
Andrew Ladd’s 24-point pace season is an absolute dud. Plain and simple, he may be the biggest disappointment in the NHL so far this season.
OUTLOOK:
Jack Capuano took the fall, but the real culprit here is Garth Snow. The moves he has made put the franchise into disarray. He’s a decade into his tenure and it’s likely time him and the franchise part ways.
If the Islanders have any hope of keeping John Tavares beyond next season, they better start cleaning up the mess.
The playoffs aren’t impossible with a win streak here and there, but they are highly unlikely.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Current Record: 28-17-1 (57 points)
While one GM in New York is getting criticism, the other GM in New York may get the highest praise. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has assembled a roster that leads the NHL in goals scored and has ensured nobody is talking about the struggles of Henrik Lundqvist. In a year many thought the Rangers would regress and possibly even miss the playoffs, Gorton has them looking like contenders again.
FORWARDS: A+
Seven players have double digits in goals. Five players have 30+ points. They lead the league in scoring.
Chris Kreider, JT Miller, and Kevin Hayes are set to hit career highs and Alain Vigneault deserves the most credit for getting the most out of these players.
GM Jeff Gorton’s additions of Mika Zibanejad (when healthy), Michael Grabner, Jimmy Vesey and Brandon Pirri are the reason he should already have the GM of the Year trophy with his name on it.
Rick Nash has dealt with some injuries but when in the lineup he is scoring at his regular 60-point pace.
DEFENSE: B
While the offensive group gets a perfect grade, the defensive group hasn’t been near as good.
Captain Ryan McDonagh is his usual self, and he has added an extra gear to his offense, but the supporting cast has only been above average.
Colorado cast-off Nick Holden has been big surprise scoring 23 points and sporting a +19 rating.
Rookie Brady Skjei has also been a welcome addition, and the supporting cast of veterans Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein are capable of giving the team a competitive streak every night.
Rookie Pavel Buchnevich is a real sleeper but he has 13 points in the 13 games he has played.
GOALIES: B
Henrik Lundqvist has not been himself, and he would get a “C” while his surprisingly stingy backup Antti Raanta gets an “A”.
In the end, the average works out to a solid B. Raanta’s play has been so brilliant he has seen back to back and consecutive starts. Not a very common thing in the big apple.
Age may be catching up to the 34-year-old Lundqvist, but the King is much better than he has been this year.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: NICK HOLDEN
Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes are close runner-ups but Nick Holden’s tremendous play deserves to be noticed.
Acquired for a lowly 4th round pick, Holden has seen more ice time than the likes of Klein, Staal, and Girardi placing him second amongst defencemen on the club.
The rest of the league should give this guy more recognition.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: HENRIK LUNDQVIST
When a perennial superstar goalie posts numbers similar to a third-string goalie, then you need to be disappointed.
While we probably all agree that Lundqvist will get his game back, to this point it’s been all down arrows.
OUTLOOK:
If Hank finds his game then look out. This team will take a serious run at the cup. It won’t be easy getting out of this division to make a Stanley Cup run, but once thing the Rangers have is a wealth of playoff experience.
I’m guessing Jeff Gorton stands pat with the club he assembled in the offseason and they ride Henrik Lundqvist to one last run before Hank’s real regression takes place.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Current Record: 22-18-6 (50 points)
The Flyers have been the streakiest team in the league. After a long ten-game win streak, the Flyers came back down to league and struggled. They have no problems scoring goals, but they sit third last in the league for goals against. Anything could happen the rest of the way, but being in the toughest division in the league could be very harmful to Dave Hakstol’s team’s playoff hopes.
FORWARDS: B
The Flyers have three big names that will always be the heartbeat of the offense. Those players are Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Jake Voracek.
This year, they are finally starting to see some help. Brayden Schenn is finally becoming a scoring threat at age 25 and rookie Travis Konecny is exceeding expectations.
Other than that, it’s been a little underwhelming. Matt Read, Sean Couturier, and Michael Raffl have all disappointed to this point and will need strong second halves to ensure the Flyers can make the playoffs.
Fourth liners PE Bellemare, Chris Vande Velde and Dale Weiss play a really strong game, but they don’t impact the scoreboard enough to change the game.
DEFENSE: C
Rookie Ivan Provorov has been a revelation, but other than him, the group has been one of the team’s biggest issues.
Shayne Gostisbehere is going through a bit of a sophomore slump, and while his 19 points so far aren’t terrible offensively, his defensive lapses have hurt the team.
Radko Gudas has been a healthy scratch at times as well as Michael Del Zotto.
GOALIES: C-
At times Steve Mason looks like he still can be a starting goalie in the NHL. At times he looks like a bona fide game saver. But most times this year he looks like an ECHLer.
Both Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth have not been able to give the Flyers decent goaltending and have cost the team some games.
Both players are unrestricted and if I’m Flyers GM Ron Hextall, I’m on the phone with Pittsburgh and Tampa to discuss Marc-Andre Fleury and Ben Bishop stat.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: IVAN PROVOROV
I heard this guy was good, but I didn’t think he would be this good.
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The Russian defender who starred for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL last year is already playing like a number one defenceman in his rookie year at the rope old age of 19.
While he may also experience sophomore slump next year (like Gostisbehere), he has been a stud this season.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: THE GOALTENDING
Mason and Neuvirth both played really good hockey at different points of the season last year. Mason was the guy during the playoff race, and Neuvirth was the guy during the playoffs.
I expected one of them to take the job and run with it, earning themselves another contract, but it looks like they’ll both have to find other options.
OUTLOOK:
Head coach Dave Hakstol did wonders for this group last year leading them to the promised land out of the blue and under the radar but there likely isn’t enough magic to go around this time.
If Hextall can swing a deal for one of the aforementioned goalies available, then I may reconsider, but right now I think they miss the party.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Current Record: 28-11-5 (61 points)
The defending Stanley Cup champions look as good as any defenders to repeat as they march through the first half of the season. They are getting career years from Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, and Conor Sheary and are getting by currently with a depleted defensive core. Even with the goalie controversy, the Penguins are simply finding ways to win.
FORWARDS: A
If it weren’t for Connor McDavid, the Penguins would have the top two scorers in the league. Crosby and Malkin are those players and it is really no surprise to anybody.
Crosby is scoring at an alarming rate, well on pace to destroy his previous career high of 51 goals.
While Crosby ditched his passing totals for goal scoring totals it seems as if Kessel did the opposite, but is on pace for the type of season many expected in year one with the Penguins.
The supporting cast from the cup run remains intact and has seen some good additions in rookie Jake Guentzel and Scott Wilson.
DEFENSE: B
They have been very depleted with Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley missing time every now and then, but they’ve been able to keep their head above water.
Justin Schultz is scoring at the rate many expected he would with the Oilers, but it seems as if a change of scenery was all he needed.
Ian Cole has been a steady eddy for the group and has added more offense to his game on top of it.
GOALIES: B-
When you have two guys between the crease that have both led you to a Stanley Cup you should be set right?
Well, Marc-Andre Fleury has played below his career average and Matt Murray has cooled off since a hot start.
Still, the Penguins have two guys capable of winning games and stopping the pucks they should stop for the most part (remember that 8-7 game recently?).
BIGGEST SURPRISE: JUSTIN SCHULTZ
Ask any Oiler fan what they think of Justin Schultz and many will roll their eyes and walk away in disgust. Ask any Pens fan and they will likely say they love him.
Schultz is scoring at career-high rates and his defensive issues aren’t that much of an issue anymore.
While many believed a fresh start would help him, nobody thought it would propel him to near the top of scorers for defensemen.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: MARC-ANDRE FLEURY
Fleury claimed he would fight to win his job back from Matt Murray, and that sounded like music to Pens fans ears.
Instead, Fleury has been mediocre so far and it has gotten to the point that even his trade value is rather low.
OUTLOOK:
The Pens are defending champs for a reason; they are really that good.
I expect one of Dallas, Philadelphia or Carolina finally bites and trades for Marc-Andre Fleury, but I don’t see many other moves than that. The Penguins will challenge for another Stanley Cup.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Current Record: 29-9-6 (64 points)
The Capitals are the hottest team in the league right now and if it wasn’t for the Blue Jackets’ magical 16-game win streak they would be the best team in the league. Alex Ovechkin scored his 1,000th point in style and he has led another great team through another great regular season.
FORWARDS: A-
Nicklas Backstroke and Alex Ovechkin continue to lead the team offensively and they have gotten great support from Marcus Johansson and TJ Oshie just to name a couple.
Evgeny Kuznetsov got off to a really slow start, but he has found his game again and is primed for a solid second half.
Justin Williams and Andre Burakovsky also got off to bad starts but their games have also started coming around.
The team has also managed to stay really healthy. Couple that with a good mix of role players and this group can finally exorcise their playoff demons.
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DEFENSE: A-
Scoring goals is never a problem for the group but not enough credit goes to their blue line for keeping them out. The Capitals have allowed the least amount of goals against at this point of the season.
John Carlson leads a strong group that also consists of Dmitri Orlov and Matt Niskanen eating up minutes while producing offense from the back end.
Nate Schmidt and Karl Alzner have upped their games and veteran Brooks Orpik has been a good cog in the machine.
GOALIES: A-
Defending Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby is picking up right where he left off last season. His .930 save percentage is epic and his 1.96 GAA is also eyebrow-raising.
Backup Philip Grubauer provides the Caps with the ability to give Holtby a rest from time to time.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: MARCUS JOHANSSON
While Johansson has always been a consistent point producer, his 31 points have him on track to best his career high of 47.
Everything has been running the way it has always been, so there’s really no big surprise on this club.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: BRETT CONNOLLY
The sixth overall pick in the 2010 draft was never able to become the scoring machine many thought he would be. Now on his third team, Connolly was expected to finally break out on a really good team and become a solid value pick.
Connolly has only scored seven goals and eight points through 30 games and finds himself as a healthy scratch too many times.
OUTLOOK:
The Capitals have never had any issues dominating the regular season, and this year is no different. There are no holes on this roster.
The Capitals will likely claim another division title as they seem to always finish on top and the Blue Jackets aren’t as good a team as them despite what the standings say today.
This is the year the Capitals exorcise their playoff demons. I’m calling it right here right now: The 2017 Stanley Cup champs will be the Washington Capitals.
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