Projecting the Best Offenses in the Metro Division in 2019-20 Part One

Which Metropolitan teams will rank towards the bottom of the division offensively this upcoming season?

As the NHL season slowly approaches, the Metropolitan division looks to be the strongest in the league. Responsible for three of the previous four Stanley Cups and five of the eight Eastern Conference playoff spots last season, the Metro has only gotten stronger in the offseason. With the division bound to be hyper-competitive, scoring will be essential for any team’s chances of success. Here are my predictions for the offensive rankings within the division for 2019-20.

8) Columbus Blue Jackets

I really enjoyed watching the Blue Jackets last season. Especially in the playoffs as they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NHL playoff history, sweeping the Tampa Bay Lighting. However, they weren’t extraordinarily prolific last season. The Jackets scored 256 goals last season, suitable for 12th in the league, but they also posted a power-play percentage that ranked twenty-eighth in the NHL. This means that the Jackets were pretty good at scoring in five-on-five situations but rarely took full advantage of extra-man opportunities.

This is why the loss of Artemi Panarin is so essential. Not only was he the leading scorer on the team, but if you took away his power-play points, he would’ve still been tied at the top with Cam Atkinson. Losing such an important piece of your offense is extremely hard, and not finding a suitable replacement will prove to be catastrophic for the Blue Jackets offense. Expect to see the Blue Jackets finish dead last in the Metro division in terms of scoring next season.

7)New York Rangers

Unlike the Blue Jackets, the Rangers only got better this offseason. Getting Kaapo Kakko in the draft and snatching Panarin from a Metro foe in the Blue Jackets will help the Rangers transform their offense this season. A balanced, yet underwhelming offense will now be powered by Panarin and supplemented with returning and new talent.

The supporting cast is young enough to continue their improvement and support a premier scorer like Panarin. However, the Rangers lost Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, and Jimmy Vesey, three of the team’s top six point-getters last season. Panarin is a fantastic player, but I don’t think he alone can ultimately make up for the loss of three key players. The Rangers will most likely be better in 2019-20, but I don’t believe they will score many more goals.

6) New Jersey Devils

Much like the Rangers, the Devils offseason was a complete contrast to the one Columbus had. They obtained a franchise offensive player, Jack Hughes, and added other key pieces they needed, as well. But besides Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac, and Kyle Palmieri, the Devils are still quite young and inexperienced offensively. This showed in their measly haul of 219 goals last season.

Nico Hischier will most likely continue to improve his point production, and I expect Hall to play more games this season. With the addition of Jack Hughes and Nikita Gusev, the Devils will score more goals next season, and within a few years could be one of the best offenses in the entire NHL, let alone the Metro division. However, the Devils’ time has yet to come.

5) Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes didn’t have any vast moves associated with them this offseason. They added Ryan Dzingel from Columbus and re-signed Sebastian Aho to a five-year deal. Without any massive losses offensively and the addition of a solid center, the Hurricanes should remain around the same goal total as the 243 they scored last season.

Despite the lack of any headline moves, the Hurricanes could be without one of their most important players next season. The potential loss of Justin Williams does not only take away 53 points but also deprives them of the glue of the team. Williams was a consistent performer who was a great leader on and off the ice, and the Hurricanes could end up missing his presence. The Hurricanes will most likely benefit from a stable offseason and continue to battle for a playoff spot. However, I think it is reasonable to expect their offense to hover around the league average the same way it did last season.

These are the teams I believe will finish in the bottom half of the Metropolitan Division next season. The predictions for the top half will be coming later this week. Comment below your forecasts for the top offenses in the division.