Predicting the Best Offenses in the Metro Division for 2019-20 Part Two

Where could the Philadelphia Flyers rank amongst the best offenses in the Metro Division for the 2019-20 season?

Last week, I projected the bottom half of the Metropolitan offenses. To recap the selections, check out this post. With the bottom of the Metro already taken care of, here are my predictions for the top half of the hotly contested division.

4) New York Islanders

The Islanders were impressive last season. Finishing second in the division with 103 points. However, the Islanders were more impressive at stopping other teams than they were putting the puck in the net. They only scored 223 goals, twenty-second in the NHL. But the Islanders had the best defense in the NHL, only allowing 191 goals. The Islanders won their games by stopping other teams and will most likely do the same next season.

In spite of their defensive approach, I expect the Islanders to score a lot more goals this season. The Isles had thirteen players score at least 20 points last season and nineteen scored at least double figures. They are extremely deep, to say the least. Head coach Barry Trotz will have a lot to work with next season, and after developing a stout defensive identity, I think the Islanders will construct an impressive offensive this season.

3) Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers were honestly not that bad offensively last season, scoring 241 goals. There were games where the Flyers looked like a well-oiled machine on offense last season. However, the team was incredibly streaky. Philadelphia would put in an offensive performance that would inspire hope among the organization and the fans, only to regress the next time they were on the ice. A lot of the poor offensive performances can be attributed to the instability that defined the 2018-19 season. The Flyers were in the midst of a goaltending crisis, constant trade rumors surrounding one of the most beloved players in Philly, a GM change in the middle of the season, and a coach whose position that was never stable throughout the season.

This season, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Flyers can improve and be one of the better offenses in the Metro. Philadelphia only really lost offensive production with the departure of Wayne Simmonds. They should get a better return from Kevin Hayes, who will hope to prove that he wasn’t overpaid. Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek will produce as always, and the team should also get improved production from Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick as the young guns try to prove they are ready to take over the main scoring burden.

The Flyers should also figure out their power-play issues and return to respectable numbers.  However, the most significant help to the Flyers will be the lack of turmoil in the organization. Alain Vigneault is a solid coach who will help the Orange and Black perform more consistently. Chuck Fletcher had a summer to get the roster he wanted, and now the team is entirely his. With a new identity within the organization, the Flyers should be among the better offensive teams in the Metropolitan Division next season.

2) Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins were pretty good offensively last season. Any team with Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Evgeni Malkin should be excellent on offense. The Penguins, like the Islanders, are super deep. They had 21 players score at least ten points last season. Pittsburgh has some of the best scorers in the game and still have plenty of talent around them. Seven of those 21 players are defensive players as well, showing how well the team can score on different levels. The Penguins also had one of the best power-play percentages in the entire NHL last season, scoring on an impressive 24.56% of their chances. Like it or not, the Penguins will be scoring goals at a pretty good rate next season.

However, there is also reason to believe the Penguins won’t be quite as prolific as 2018-19. The loss of Phil Kessel will leave a pretty big hole in the scoring category. It shouldn’t be too detrimental to the team’s ability to score, as long as the rest of the team stays healthy. Crosby and Malkin have each had health issues in the past, and if they return, the offense could slip a little. With the slight concern about the health of the team and loss of Kessel, Pittsburgh just misses out on the top spot.

1) Washington Capitals

The Capitals won’t only have the best offense in the Metro; they could be among the league leaders once again. Last year’s best offensive team within the division should have no problem retaining that spot. The Capitals didn’t get a whole lot better or worse than they were last season, but that isn’t an issue for them. They won a ton of games and scored a ton of goals, 274 to be exact.

While they did lose some production on the back end of their offense when Brett Connolly signed with for the Panthers, they should be alright with Carl Hagelin serving as his replacement. The biggest reason why the Capitals will be better than the rest of the offenses in the Metropolitan Division is because of their star power. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, John Carlson, and T.J. Oshie are all returning. That is about as good of a point-producing core any team could ask for, and those players will once-again make the Capitals the best scoring team in the Metropolitan division.

The race in the Metro is projected to be another tight one in 2019-20, and every single point will matter for teams vying for a playoff spot.