The start of NHL training camps is here, and it’s time for a few more pre-season predictions.
We kicked off the process by looking at five predictions for the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division teams. Today, we’re focused on five predictions for the Metropolitan Division. Here they are:
Prediction: New York Islanders addition Anthony Duclair wins the No. 1 left-winger’s job in camp and begins the year with Mathew Barzal and center Bo Horvat.
The Islanders made very few changes this summer, cutting ties with longtime rugged winger Cal Clutterbuck and offering veteran enforcer Matt Martin only a professional tryout. Replacing Clutterbuck among the Isles’ forwards is the much-travelled Duclair, who now is on his ninth NHL team in 11 seasons.
That doesn’t mean there’s something inherently wrong with the 29-year-old Duclair, who posted 24 goals and 42 points in 73 games with San Jose and Tampa Bay last season. In 2021-22, Duclair generated a career-high 31 goals and 58 points in 74 games with the Florida Panthers. Clearly, the man can create offense. And he will show the Islanders he can be a top-six forward this year.
If things don’t work out, Duclair has a no-trade clause for the first two years of his new, four-year, $14-million contract. But with Barzal and Horvat on his line, we expect Duclair to put up solid numbers and stay with the Isles for at least half of his contract. He’s one of the more offensively talented Islanders, and he’s earned the right to stay in one place for a while.
Related: NHL’s Top Issues Facing the New York Islanders: Roy’s Coaching Status, Nelson’s Future and the Goaltending Tandem
Prediction: First-year New York Rangers right winger Reilly Smith lands the second-line right winger job, bumping youngster Kaapo Kakko to the third line – and onto the trade block.
The salary cap squeezed the Rangers, but they opted for experience over youthful vigor when they acquired the 33-year-old Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Smith has the inside line on the Blueshirts’ second-line right wing position, and that means less opportunity for the 23-year-old Kakko, who averaged just 13:17 of ice time last season.
Kakko doesn’t have a no-trade or no-move clause in his current contract, which runs just one year at a $2.4-million cap hit before he becomes an RFA next summer. If the Rangers have roster issues during the season and look to other teams for help winning in the short term, it could be the end of the line in New York City for Kakko, who probably could use a fresh start somewhere else.
Kakko needs to either ratchet up his effectiveness in a hurry or wind up on the trade block, as Smith will challenge him in the depth chart and likely win out over him for the second-line spot. It doesn’t look especially promising for Kakko in New York, but he does have one more chance to stick the landing and establish himself as a long-term Ranger.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: The Latest On Igor Shesterkin, Mitch Marner And Mikko Rantanen
Prediction: New Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jordan Harris excels right out of camp, making veteran Ivan Provorov available on the trade market.
The Blue Jackets got a nice asset in Harris, who was acquired from Montreal in the Patrik Laine blockbuster deal. The 24-year-old Harris averaged 17:28 of ice time in 56 games with the Canadiens last season, and we suspect that number will increase notably in Columbus.
The Jackets are approaching a crossroads with the 27-year-old Provorov, who will be a UFA next summer and potentially seeking a raise on his $6.75-million annual salary. If Columbus doesn’t get close to a playoff spot in the Metro, Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell could bring in a haul for Provorov’s services.
Columbus has plenty of salary cap space to retain Provorov in the long term, but as the Blue Jackets continue to retool, it likely makes more sense to deal him for younger players and prospects. If Harris grows his game in a hurry, dealing Provorov might happen relatively soon.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On The Jets, Blue Jackets And Oilers
Prediction: In New Jersey, the injury to defenseman Luke Hughes opens up an opportunity on the first defense pairing to Jonas Siegenthaler. The ripple effect results in first-year Devils D-men Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon forming the Devils’ second pairing on ‘D.’
The loss of budding star defenseman Hughes is not the way the Devils wanted to start the regular season, but New Jersey’s depth on ‘D’ will help them thrive in his absence. Siegenthaler should get Hughes’ spot on the top pair with Dougie Hamilton, while Pesce and Dillion will get the second-pair jobs.
Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec and training camp tryout Jakub Zboril will battle it out for the third pairing. Regardless, the Devils’ defense corps could become one of the best in the NHL once Hughes returns in five to seven weeks, making New Jersey even more dangerous at both ends of the ice.
Related: Opinion: The New Jersey Devils Have The Rangers And Hurricanes Beat On Paper
Prediction: First-year Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy forms a solid bond with youngster Rasmus Sandin on the Caps’ second defense pairing, while Jakob Chychrun winds up on the first pair with star John Carlson.
Roy joined the Capitals on a six-year, $34.5-million contract this summer, and the 29-year-old currently slots in as Washington’s second-best right-shot blueliner behind Carlson.
As such, Roy will almost certainly start the season paired with Sandin, who posted 20 assists and 23 points in 68 games with the L.A. Kings last season. Although neither Roy nor Sandin will challenge the rest of the NHL in the points department, they don’t have to do that to satisfy Caps management.
Instead, Roy and Sandin must be defensively responsible and help Washington’s possession game. Both players will be key cogs for the Capitals for years, and they need to have a solid start to keep the skeptics at bay. We think they’ll do that.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
Related: Capitals’ T.J. Oshie Speaks On Chronic Back Injury
Related: Ranking Each NHL Team’s Mount Rushmore: No. 16, Washington Capitals
Related: Five Bold NHL Pre-Season Predictions For The Bruins, Sabres, Leafs And Atlantic Division
News Summary:
- Five NHL Pre-Season Predictions For The Blue Jackets, Rangers And Metropolitan Division
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.