NHL tries new kind of chase
Veteran Penguins team lands in tough division
To count down the days until Penguins training camp, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writers Matt Vensel and Mike DeFabo will dive into a new hockey topic each weekday until the first puck rattles the Plexiglass at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 3. Today, we look at how they stack up against the rest of the new-look East Division.
Heading into camp the past couple of years, we took stock of where the Penguins stood in the Eastern Conference’s pecking order. We can’t do that this year. There are currently no conferences.
The NHL, adapting to the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, has temporarily realigned for 2020-21. Forced to put all seven Canadian clubs into one division north of the border, the league’s 24 U.S.-based teams were divvied up into three other divisions. The Metropolitan Division is taking a sabbatical.
The Penguins are now in what is called the East Division, which two weeks in is still incredibly strange to type. It’s mostly the Metro. But Carolina and Columbus have been replaced by Boston and Buffalo, formerly of the old Atlantic Division.
From a competitive standpoint, that’s not ideal — and, maybe, not why you would think that way.
While Boston has been an Eastern Conference powerhouse, Carolina has young legs and the offensive firepower to do plenty of damage during a 56-game regular season. And Columbus is typically tough under curmudgeon coach John Tortorella. So, really, in terms of the intradivision
opposition, it’s basically a wash.
What will make this unique format challenging for the Penguins is that with no conferences, there are no wild-card spots. The top four teams from each division will make the playoffs and duke it out for a spot in the NHL’s playoff final four. In past years, with the wild cards, five teams from one division could qualify.
Oh, one more thing in case you were swamped with holiday shopping when all this got announced earlier this month: This season is intradivision play only, meaning that the Penguins face each of their East foes eight times. So, yeah, you’ll want to get up to speed with what those teams have been up to.
We are here to help, slotting the eight East Division teams into three tiers. Please note that within each tier, teams are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked.
Tier 1: Best bets
Barring something bonkers like a cluster of injuries or illnesses, these teams should be among the four teams that make the playoffs.
Boston Bruins: Despite a diminished defensive depth chart, the Bruins once again appear to have one of the NHL’s best squads. They boast an excellent goaltending tandem in Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, arguably the league’s top forward line and a coach, Bruce Cassidy, who won the Jack Adams Trophy last season.
Their blue line, a big-time strength in recent years, is a question mark. Torrey Krug left in free agency and captain Zdeno Chara ended up with the Capitals. The Bruins still have good defenders — Charlie McAvoy is a stud — but depth could be iffy.
If the Bruins, with their strong goaltending and defensive structure, weather the early season storm until David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand return from their offseason surgeries, they should make the playoffs and be tough to knock out.
New York Islanders: Coaching and continuity have the Islanders in this tier.
In Barry Trotz’s first two seasons behind their bench, only the Penguins and the Washington Capitals picked up more points in the Metro standings. The Islanders did that with stingy defense and steady goaltending, not star power.
That shouldn’t change, not with so many players back from the team that made it all the way to the Eastern Conference final in the bubble. Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Nick Leddy and Ryan Pulock are still there and Ilya Sorokin, one of the top goalies outside the NHL, flew over to back up Semyon Varlamov.
The Islanders probably don’t have what it takes to win it all unless Barzal becomes a superstar. But in this short, strange season, they should be playoffbound.
Tier 2: In the mix
These teams should also be vying for a playoff spot, and they’re all capable of winning at least one series if they get in the field.
New York Rangers: The Rangers were already a team on the rise before they lucked out and landed Alexis Lafreniere through the draft lottery. You can argue that no NHL team has a more promising collection of young players.
Led by Hart Trophy finalist Artemi Panarin, they are poised to take another step forward if Igor Shesterkin is ready to be the go-to guy in goal. (Henrik Lundqvist was bought out and his NHL career is now in jeopardy due to a heart condition.) If they make a significant move or two before the trade deadline, look out.
Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers were arguably the NHL’s hottest team before the pandemic paused the regular season in March. When play resumed, they made it past the Montreal Canadiens before falling to the Islanders in seven games.
The Flyers should again be formidable. Claude Giroux is still solid at 33. But it’s on youngsters Carter Hart and Travis Konecny to push them deeper now.
Pittsburgh Penguins: We won’t say too much here about the home team, as we hope you’ve been reading this “countdown to camp” series daily. The Penguins should have a really strong top-six and two quality defensive pairs. But depth, Tristan Jarry’s inexperience and an aging core are legitimate uncertainties.
Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin and Co. are in a similar boat as the Penguins, with stars inching toward the mid-30s and not much youth to get excited about in the short term. But their regular season track record speaks for itself. And signing Chara, which the Capitals did Wednesday, probably can’t hurt.
One thing that could trip them up is goaltending. They let Braden Holtby walk, signed Lundqvist and learned just last week that he is unable to play this season. That leaves them with unproven 23-year-old Ilya Samsonov and Craig Anderson, the soon-to-be 40-yearold whom they scrambled to sign on a tryout agreement.
Tier 3: Maybe next year
Or the one after that. Possibly 2022-23.
Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres expect to push for a playoff spot after bringing in Eric Staal and Taylor Hall to play alongside young franchise cornerstones Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin. But a number of holes on their roster remain unplugged.
They should be frisky. They certainly have given the Penguins problems the past couple of years. But it’s probably a 10th year in a row without a playoff berth.
New Jersey Devils: The Devils sure did pivot quickly. Heading into last season, they were hopeful after adding veterans PK Subban, Wayne Simmonds and Nikita Gusev in addition to picking Jack Hughes first overall in the draft. They started slow, finished last and began a rebuild, which is now led by ex-Penguins exec Tom Fitzgerald.
The Devils, smartly, are now leaning into a youth movement. Pairing Corey Crawford with Mackenzie Blackwood between the pipes could give them one of the division’s better duos. But it will be a major surprise if they crack the East’s top four.