Philadelphia Flyers: Reviewing the Metropolitan Division

Its getting near the end of July, and with each day ended we get one step closer to the season opener. The Philadelphia Flyers have had a decent off-season in which they drafted smartly, and dealt some of their cap burdens and roster-fat away to try and get a cleaner slate for next season. Today, lets look at how, with all the changes, the Flyers now rank amongst the rest of the Metropolitan Division.

Here is a reminder at how the season turned out for the divsion:

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The New York Rangers will most likely continue to hold the top position in the Met. next season. Even after trading Carl Hagelin and Cam Talbot to shed cap, they still will continue to lead the Met. with their top lines and defense probably staying intact pending the signing of their restricted free agents.

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Going 53-22-7 for a league best 113 points is hard performance to follow, but

Henrik Lundqvist

will look to continue carrying the team to victories all next season. Newly acquired backup

Antti Raanta

will be a nice replacement for Talbot, and should provide just as much support to the Rangers and let the 33 year-old Lundqvist rest more often.

Feb 17, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; New York Islanders forward John Tavares (91) skates against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The New York Islanders defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Next, the other New York team, the Islanders, will look to improve on their own impressive last season. They, with the Rangers, led the division in goals scored and was tied with the Washington Capitals for 2nd with 101 points. Led by captain John Tavares, the Islanders will need to continue to score a lot in games to win as much as they did. They have not made any big moves in free agency or with trades, so they are basically the same team going into this year. This could change between now and when camp starts, but what could they really do to improve? Not much. They still make a push for being 1st or 2nd next season.

The team we all love to hate, the Pittsburgh Penguins, come up next. With another first-round exit last year, they continued to disappoint their fans who seek more from their elite players. Coming in 4th last year was a bit of a dip for them, but adding Phil Kessel will only make their dangerous offense better. They will go into the year with a young defense, which hurts their chances of being at the top of the standings, but wont hurt their chance of improving off of last year. They have the offensive talent to be anywhere from 1st to 3rd in the division, but their overall inconsistency and defense will be the biggest factors in their success this year.

May 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) shoots the puck on New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) in the second period in game four of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The same goes for the Washington Capitals, who also may deserve a spot near the top of the division. They have the whole package a team needs to make a run, and a player like Justin Williams just adds to their depth. Evgeny Kuznetsov got his first full season under his belt, and he will provide some nice offensive firepower this upcoming season.

Jan 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Jakub Voracek (93) celebrates his goal with center Claude Giroux (28) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

This is where the Flyers begin to fit in. They don’t have the defensive skill just yet to make a run for the Cup, but if they let a prospect or two make the squad they can become a more dangerous team this season. Jake Voracek and Claude Giroux need to build off of last season’s success and also be able to perform at a high level in the beginning of the season, then be more consistent at the end of it. Hopefully newcomer Sam Gagner can be a highly productive linemate for them or the 2nd line. New head-coach Dave Hakstol will play a key role in how the Flyers can succeed this year, and we will have to see how the team responds under his new leadership.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had a pretty good season last year considering they gave up the most goals in the division. Their ability to not lose so many games in overtime, like the Flyers did, gave them the edge in the standings. Their end of season push also gave them a better record than they were on pace for. They still have a good overall team, but don’t have the talent like the rest of the top teams do.

This leaves the NJ Devils and Carolina Huricanes to round out the bottom of the division. Despite NJ drafting talented forward Pavel Zacha and Carolina landing top-defensive prospect Noah Hanifin, these teams are still built to struggle this upcoming season. Those players are some the Flyers could be having a hard time facing in the future, but for now these teams will still be the worst of the Metropolitan.

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