Only going to do one division at a time. Starting with the Metro, because they will be quickest and easiest.
Best team in this division is the Hurricanes. They are really good, maybe lack an elite gk, but they play great in both ends, have great pk, have Burns now to help their pp, I haven't watched one of their games this year, but definitely this is the cream of the crop. Will have a chip on their shoulders come playoff time, they are my stanley cup favorites right now. It's a long season, I'm not making any future bets on such a physical sport, but I'll be on them often.
Rangers are the second best team. This team is poised to win the cup and I think this could be the year for real. They have been so much better 5v5 so far this year, they are winning face offs, they are averaging like 40sog per game. Mika and Artemi are elite. They've moved Kakko to the top line instead of Laffy and it's worked out well. Kakko is really really good two way player. Their power play is the 3rd best I've seen so far this year. Their pk is great. Their top 4 dmen are good enough. They've rotated their last pairing, we'll see how that shakes out. And, the other night they played the kid line right after a pp as none of them get pp time, and they go out and score a goal straight away. So much versatility in this lineup. I'm relatively sure they are going to go for Kane as that would make a ton of sense, just not sure they'll pay that price. I play Rangers pl almost every night - will play them pl tomorrow for sure vs the Sharks.
Islanders are third best team and really a team to back. I've played them pl the last two games and they've made me cash. They are another team solid in back and offense, but their special teams are not as good as the elite teams. They've had so many injuries and covid absences the past few years they are being extremely undervalued. I'll pick my spots with this team, but early in the year, you'll do well backing the isles
Penguins and Caps are interchangeable in the next spots. Both teams are old, both teams dealing with injuries. Pens when healthy have a very good top 6 on offense, decent enough defense, but I dunno. I usually pass on their games. Crosby starting off the year on fire could certainly continue with Rakell and Guentzell. That's a solid line. Caps have more grit and grind. I dunno if they have enough offense though, especially till they get their key guys back. I can see them missing the playoffs, I could see them making one more deep playoff run. Ovie will catch Gretzky in goals, that will be epic.
Devils are next up and this team is pretty damn good. Pains me to say it, Hughes making the next step, and there are plenty of pieces there. But, not enough defense, not enough gk so I play overs on them almost every time I can. Not the Devils team of old grinding out 2-1 type games, they can score.
Flyers are a mess. They should tank for Bedard as there is just nothing there imho. They need to dump salary, gather picks and a full rebuild mode in the likes of the Hawks. I am not sure why Torts went there either, but that said, they are going to be annoying to play against. They'll get in your face, hit you, just be typically Philly cunts. But they are coming in last place.
So that leaves me with Columbus. Jury is still out here. I watched a bit of their game last night vs the Canucks (but was mostly watching Bruins/Sens) and Canucks seemed the better team. I swear I didn't hear Gaudreau's name mentioned but once for like 45 minutes. WTF he went to Columbus I'll never know. But, they find a way to win. They have 1-2 good defensemen, 1-2 good lines, so-so goalie, and just grind it out. Mid-table team here, but they have one guy I'd love to have on my team in Justin Danforth. Maybe I never noticed this guy before, but he kind of embodies the type of player that the Jackets are. They have some good enough players for sure, just not enough of them. I'll avoid most of their games this year until I can get a feel for them.
