S6 Metro Division Preview

Hey this is my first attempt at an NHL write up so forgive me for any mistakes made, feelings hurt, egos destroyed, or idiotic things said. I typed this all on my phone in my notes so no i didnt proofread, my capitalization isnt perfect, and nor is my punctuation. So fuck off with those comments. Also i am no talent expert, I looked at most people stats and went by what i have heard and what i know, so please refrain from thinking i know what i am talking about.

I also wanted to explain that the “Players to Watch” arent always the best players on the team, it is just in my opinion, the players to pay attention to because i just feel like you should. Okay, with that being said, if you dont feel like reading this whole thing, I am going to place my standings prediction right below this as a way for people just interested in that to see it without having to read the entire thing. You’re welcome.

Another quick thing is that alot of Draft Picks will be moved up and that hasnt happened yet so i included the ones I thought were worth mentioning. That is all. Enjoy.

STANDINGS:
1. Columbus Blue Jackets
2. New York Islanders
3. Pittsburgh Penguins
4. New Jersey Devils
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Carolina Hurricanes
7. New York Rangers
8. Washington Capitals



Columbus Blue Jackets

Forwards: A

Spending 10.5m on any player is never really “good” but the notorious @P t P 10 will surely earn his keep. Also, getting @jeff0012 for just under 5m is nothing short of a steal (granted he shows up for at least 20 games). Expect the pair of them to put up huge numbers together. Those two, along with @JayFelic5 @II-Amazing-ll and @Akonvict21 make this a top 6 to be feared. They also drafted @zGuentzel who i expect to crack the top 6 truly making it one of, if not the best, offense in the league.

Defense: B

While there is no true standout here, this defense is solid all the way through. Expect @II-Entryy-II and @Canadas__Game416 to continue to anchor this teams defense as they had a great playoff run en route to the Stanley Cup last season. Other names include Owner @Nick_x_98 @RSall14 and AHL standout @tball619 . These 3 all figure to be a huge part of a very good defense, and I could see them all having great seasons as they are all up to the task of defending the Cup.

Goalies: C+

@IRev1S and @zBernatchez are both coming off of lackluster seasons and thus i cant give them a higher grade. I played with Rev on NYR last season and i can say confidently that he is a sick goalie who was a victim of a very very bad defensive team. Bern is someone I have heard alot of good things about and thus i fully expect them to make me eat my grade here.

Players to Watch: @zGuentzel @RSall14 @IRev1S

Carolina Hurricanes

Forwards: C+

While they have some solid players here, i just dont see a standout talent here. @ll_Larkin_71_ll @Reps_71 , and @NjDevil08 are all coming off of successful seasons so I expect them to carry on that trend into this season. However, after those 3 theres really just a mix of decent 2nd and 3rd liners in @miviens @MikexMassacre and @sloanertw . Expect the offense to be in middle of the pack or worse for the majority of the season. They also have 1st round pick @AlcoholicGamer92 , who i expect to be productive in his first season after a very good CHL stint.

Defense: D+

When @BurnsForNorris is your best defensemen, well its safe to say your defense isnt great. Not a knock to Burns who i think is good, but the rest of the D-core is to put it nicely, uninspiring. My mom used to tell me, “if you dont have anything nice to say then dont say anything at all”, so next.

Goalies: C+

Im a huge fan of @Flyersap as i have played with and against him a few times, and was very impressed. Hes coming off a good statistical season, but with the defense in front of him im afraid he may not see that same success. @TheFlyers1992 doesnt have much experience in the NHL but his short stint last season showed he could get the job done. While i like the goaltending, they will likely struggle due to the overall strength of the team.

Players to Watch: @ll_Larkin_71_ll @BurnsForNorris @Flyersap

New Jersey Devils

Forwards: C+

Not the most inspiring group of forwards but they arent bad. Im a fan of @DynoMikeV2 and think he will be the offensive leader for this team. @EvO @Shotl72l and @xShauN88 should provide some top 6 depth, and I wouldn’t put it past @Gour_x_71 to make it over 1ppg this season. Overall, it looks like an okay offense, and I expect them to score enough goals to win a fair amount of games.

Defense: B-

@snipefest1122 is a good pickup to lead the defense, he’s been regarded as a near top LG defender for as long as i have been around. Watch for @Boss77x_O who hasnt played on psn since S2 to see if he is worth that 4m salary they slapped on him. @Rico Suave FLS and @xGianTx both came over in a rather controversial trade, and they are expected to continue their winning ways of last season. Overall, it’s a pretty deep defense and they should do well.

Goalies: B-

@sparkplug87 nic has been the sole driving force behind any TML success the past 2 seasons, although they still havent had much. Now with a new team, I expect him to drastically improve on last season. The 2nd goalie spot will be filled by @WhatsTheMaatta if NJ management has any brain cells at all. He may not be known in the NHL by many, but he is one of the best goalies I have seen anywhere. He has underwhelming AHL stats, but a goalie can only do so much for a bad team.

Players to Watch: @DynoMikeV2 @Boss77x_O @sparkplug87 nic

New York Islanders

Forwards: B+

The Islanders went a little top heavy on forward, loading up with xbox guys i know very little about personally. @Tcx7 aka Rico aka LGHL PSNs all time leading scorer figures to have yet another huge season (and contend for a few awards) as I see him pairing himself with @SweeT 9 LoU 84 and @The Gr8 Haxby to form a very formidable Xbox line. After that you have @Chislett 19 and @JJ-Finesse- to provide some good 2nd line scoring. However, after that it pretty much drops off into your average 3rd liners. Expect the top 2 lines to score alot, and the 3rd to be your classic “sui” line.

Defense: C

Im not too familiar with any if these names so i turn to stats for this one. @Potsy44 has some xbox NHL experience where he was decent. @I-Gumby was an up and comer with myself back in S3 and returns after taking the last 2 seasons off, expect him to be productive in his first taste of the big leagues. The rest are xbox guys i dont really know and their stats didnt tell me much about them so make your own assumptions. Next.

Goalies: B+

Everyone knows about @hgSparty by now, you may love him, you may hate him, but you cannot deny he is a good goalie. He is capable of winning games on his own but likely wont have to as he will play with the top lines and get alot of goal support. Im going to guess the 2nd goalie spot will be filled by @ViRuS_I29I_ whom they drafted in the 2nd round. I expect him to be good enough in the backup role to win the games he’s supposed to.

Players to Watch: @Tcx7 @I-Gumby @hgSparty


New York Rangers:

Forwards: C

The Rangers put together an odd forward group here. @Primetimme aka Nick Klein aka well known dad will lead the first line, likely flanked by “the next elite” @ltz_McLovin and his lesser half, @HazeeHype . That line will win plenty of games and score plenty of goals. After that they have cup champion @I-Dekar-I @xOvechkinx l8l and @bidou96m for a decent 2nd line. Overall, some overpays cost them depth, so expect them to finish around the middle of the pack or worse in goals for.

Defense: D

So about those overpays, well it seems it cost them on defense as well. A top pairing of @Psulions32 and @KillsAKill- isnt very good unfortunately, and so I fully expect this defense to struggle against good competition, which the Metro has plenty of. Not much else to say, hopefully they can swing a trade or two in their favor.

Goalies: B-

@ItzA WaterMelon has been in the AHL the past two seasons and he has absolutely killed it. I have seen him play quite a bit and I think he will be just fine transitioning. @JDoolus is an old school guy who usually gets waived before the season even starts, however it seems he is here to stay this time and with a 1.75m cap hit I expect him to underperform, but still be decent. Another thing is the defense here is bad and it surely wont help them succeed.

Players to Watch: @ltz_McLovin @Psulions32 @ItzA WaterMelon

Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards: D

Not really sure what the deal is here but it seems they bid on one line then went with a 500k army. @CUMMINSx7 @ivegotyour6 and @GallyChucky should form a decent 1st line, or perhaps they will all be spread out to provide some sense of depth. After that they have @eGodJumps who is underrated but somehow overrates himself at the same time. Overall, this forward group just looks not very good.

Defense: B-

Now this is where they put the money, and they did well with it. @XxTerryTORxX leads this defense with a hefty 7.25m salary, which may be a slight overpay, but Terry is a great defender and i trust he will earn his keep. Elsewhere, they have their entire management group, @Matty_A_31 @AjHcCwRs @o S m i i t t y on defense, so expect them to be really locked in as they cant trade themselves away if they struggle. They also signed former owner and goalie @Ryan_x_28 to a 2m contract which is a perfect deal for him. Overall a very solid defense i could see finishing top 15 in the league.

Goalies: B

@balake96 is a starter on basically any LG team and he is also considered “elite” by many. I see him having no problem putting up good numbers with this defense in front of him. @Str8Syko__ is bored of being the best at every other position I guess, so he is giving goalie a whirl. Ive seen him play and hes not great but he should be fine.

Players to Watch: @eGodJumps @Ryan_x_28 @balake96

Pittsburgh Penguins

Forwards: C+

Im almost positive this entire team is made up of all french people. Okay with that out of the way im not initially excited about this forward group. @PheNoMeNaLxOnE17 @Bigyan__ and @Alexdrum100 are all great players and they should all find success if played in the right way. The rest however, seem like a 500k army, none of which have done anything worth mentioning prior to this season. They did draft LD turned LW @Weapon-C-181 in the first round. Weapon was a part of the S5 Valdor that crushed the rest of the CHL and so he naturally overrates himself, but he should be just fine in the show.

Defense: B+

This defense looks promising, and they figure to be one of the top defenses in the league. Starting with the 7m man @AC_gee who has never lost in regulation yet (granted, it was CHL) expect him to be a threat when he plays. Next we have the Owner-GM combo of @Sedinpower aka niner and @Trio_Bigmac- . Those two look to repeat the success they had in CBJ S3 where they made it to the conference finals I believe. They also have draft pick @MacInnis_2 who I know from other leagues as a solid player. Overall, its a great defense full of frenchies so expect them to be very good.

Goalies: C+

@Goouuu_x27 another S3 CBJ alumni looks to repeat that same success he had that season where he finished with a 22-8 record. He is a decent goalie and should be helped out a ton by the great defense put together. @Montoni007 is yet another S3 CBJ guy except this time he is back as a goalie. I think i’ve seen him play in SP and he should be good enough to win the games he is meant to.

Players to Watch: @Weapon-C-181 @AC_gee @Goouuu_x27

Washington Capitals

Forwards: D-

Hate to say it because these are actually some of my pals but i cant be biased. This shit looks bad. This honestly looks like a good AHL team, not an NHL team. @I2I-Way-Hockey is tasked with leading this teams offense and as much as i love him, @JClaus33 is back and wont need to play on his account anymore (joking). So in other words this team is pretty much fucked. However I do like some of these players and think if they werent in such a bad situation, they could be productive NHL players.

Defense: C+

A bright spot on an otherwise dull team, the defense actually looks pretty good all things considered. @Foote @zdball @ryofthebeholder and @Goosechuk form a pretty good top 4 that should have no problem shutting down some teams in a weaker season like this one. Expect them to be the focal point of this team, and perhaps its only strength.

Goalies: C

@Vezina-_- appears to be the starter and he did a fine job in Ottawa last season. With a better defense now, I think he can put up some good numbers, though i have heard he hasnt been playing much goalie so maybe he shows signs of rust. @iCallsoWhat55 is an unknown guy and he has had decent numbers at just about every level he has played at. I actually played with him for a bit in S3 and hes good enough to win games. However, he is unproven against top competition so we shall see.

Players to Watch: @I2I-Way-Hockey @Goosechuk @Vezina-_-


So I think that about wraps it up, please leave any feedback and/or suggestions to help me improve for next time down in the comments. If you are upset about how i ranked your team or what i said, feel free to voice your opinions, but it wont change mine so whats the point ya know.

 

um hello jt we want chicago

 

Needs more gifs. But I got that shit covered so all in all nice job.

 

Coming soon

 

Good writeup, its always nice to see someone go into some detail about each team.

 

One of the best write ups I’ve seen. Great work man hopefully you have time to do some more!

 

Wow, what a bright yung goalie we have here on Ottawa.

 

Fantastic Job

 

Gj jt

 

Great write up!

 

Everyone writing off the Caps, even the LG bots Sick write up tho JT, keep it up, love reading neatly organized posts like these.

 

Good job!!

 

Nice job man

 

Just shocked someone said something nice about me, stop the presses.

I don't know who that AHL goalie is though, looks like I have to do some research.

@Boss77x_O is a safe 4mil, a lot of people have different opinions on him but he reminds me of a more offensive/less defensively skilled @ryofthebeholder - who in his own right is a solid first line defenseman with a dman who can be a bit more flashy next to him. I expect this New Jersey D-core to lead us in to the playoffs.

 

I’m telling my mom that you said I wasn’t good

 

Gotta do central division.

Great read really detailed.

 

Pretty enormous omission on Carolina forwards...

 

cant tell if serious

 

@RiseOfTheNinja will poop on many people

 

hey i didn’t say that, i just said i dont see you as a top pairing guy