As the NHL heads into the month of December, it officially marks the time where almost every team has played a third of the NHL schedule. With student’s report cards being sent home to the moms and dads of the world, it’s only fitting to give every NHL team a report card of their own. Every day, over the next week, Last Word On Sports will cover one division a day, and break down each team into five separate categories; Offense, Defense, Goaltending, Coaching, and Management. Just like a school report card, each section will receive a grade between A+ and F. Today, we take a look at the Metropolitan Division.
The division has been a two-man race from the start of the season. Currently, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are duking it out for top spot as they continue to exchange wins. The Islanders, who have surprised most of the league, have benefitted from the free agency market and a couple of trades that have completely changed the make-up of their team. The Penguins, less of a surprise, have gotten excellent goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury and offensive production from their top guns. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals both have been hovering around the .500 mark, going through growing pains of a new coach (Washington) or injuries to significant pieces on their defensive core (New York). The bottom four are separated by six points, with the New Jersey Devils ahead of the pack (22 points) while the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the basement (16 points).
NHL Report Card, Term 1: Metropolitan Division
Our Hockey Department’s Tyler Shea, Griffin Schroeder, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Ben Kerr and Shawn Wilken all sat down and graded each team.
1. New York Islanders – (19-7-0)
Offense: A
With a 2.96 average in goals for, both John Tavares and Brock Nelson have hit double digits in goals while sharing the lead for points with 23. In fact, six forwards have hit the double digits in points this season, including youngster Ryan Strome, who is enjoying a wonderful start to his season.
Defense: A
It was the belief that the Islanders were a top-4 defenseman away from being a real contender. They then added Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy for no roster players in return and have changed everything you’ve ever known about this team. Boychuk is an absolute log on defense, while Leddy is playing around 20 minutes a game. Thomas Hickey is also playing exceptionally well.
Goaltending: A+
Out with the old and in with the new, Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson step in and offer the consistent 1-2 punch that the Islanders have desperately needed. Halak is currently on an 11-game winning streak and sits in 4th for total wins this season. His impressive stats of 2.05 goals against and a .926 save percentage, the Islanders haven’t had to depend too much on Johnson. When they have gone to him, Johnson brings some confidence with a 5-3-0 record.
Coaching: A
Head coach Jack Capuano has his work cut out for him. An offense that can score goals, a defense he can count on an incredible goaltending duo, sometimes all he has to do is sit back and enjoy the game. Of course, he puts tons of work into the team’s strategy and that shows on the ice. There’s no doubt about his capabilities as a coach when you look at the Islanders record but the question is, can he maintain this surge?
Management: A+
Wow. From bringing in secondary scoring in Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin, to shoring up on defense with Boychuk and Leddy, to finally replacing his goaltending position, Garth Snow has turned this team from a bottom-feeding, dead-end team into a playoff contender. Snow himself did a 180 with all these moves, after the debacle he faced after trading away Thomas Vanek for a prospect and a pick, going from being a laughing stock to a highly-praised general manager.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins – (17-6-2)
Offense: A+
Defense: A
The drop-off in point production from Kris Letang to the rest of the defensive roster is astounding. Letang has 18 points after 22 games. After that? 8 points in 25 games. Yet the talent that is on the blue-line goes beyond total point. Christian Ehrhoff, who is quickly becoming one of the best pick-ups in free agency this year, has a team-leading +13.
Goalies: A
Coaching: A
Management: A
3. New York Rangers – (11-9-4)
Offense: B+
The knock on the Rangers has always been their lack of scoring and their inability to escape the comfort zone of relying on their steady defense and world-class goaltender. but if you look at scoring so far this season, the Rangers are not doing too shabby. Sitting at 2.92 goals per game, the Rangers are top-5 in goals during 5-on-5 play. Rick Nash leads the way with 16 goals and 26 points, while both Derrick Brassard and Martin St. Louis have hit the 20-point mark.
Defense: B+
The Rangers hoped to get more out of Dan Boyle but he went down to injury early. The defense in general doesn’t produce much but they sure know how to suffocate the opposition’s offense on any given night. When their top defensemen in Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi are all healthy, the team is golden but when they have had to depend on Michael Kostka, watch out.
Goaltending: C
Henrik Lundqvist has been incredibly average to start this season. Whether you want to blame it on his defense being riddled with injuries, his numbers continue to drop while he has registered just 9 wins through 19 starts.
Coaching: B-
Alain Vigneault has struggled to keep his team going through sixty minutes every game but the record is still favorable and he has been known to get his team to rally when they hit their darkest days. The healthy scratching of Anthony Duclair has left many Rangers fans perplexed.
Management: C+
Glen Sather hasn’t done much in terms of improving his team this season and while his team sits in 3rd in the division, that may soon change.
4. Washington Capitals – (11-10-4)
Offense: B
Alex Ovechkin has always been the go-to guy when it comes to scoring goals and he continues to do so this season with 12 on the season. Nicklas Backstrom leads the team in points with 25 while a good chunk of their roster is putting up some decent production. The team’s achilles heel is certainly not their offense.
Defense: C+
Adding former-Penguins blue-liner Brooks Orpik improved the defense but outside of John Carlson and Mike Green, who are both providing some offense from the back, the defense in Washington leaves much to be desired. They’ll need more stability going forward if they want to improve their overall record.
Goaltending: B+
Brayden Holtby has seen his better days. He’s been hot-and-cold all season long and has produced league-average numbers in every category. His defense in front of him can afford to do a better job but Holtby is not particularly strong in stealing games for the Capitals. Justin Peters continues to have a train-wreck of a season.
Coaching: C+
Barry Trotz is having a tough time implicating his defensive-style strategy but how easy can it be when your top players are all offense and likely can’t spell the word defense. Still, he’s managing to hang in there and is really trying to get his team to pull together and make an impact. It’s too early to tell when it comes to a new coach in a completely different structure.
Management: C+
Again, it’s too early to tell for management and what they plan to do but changes indeed need to come mid-way through this season, heading into trade deadline day. The Capitals need help on defense, so what management decides to do at that point can determine the success or fall of this Capitals team.
5. New Jersey Devils – (10-12-4)
Offense: D
A New Jersey team that finished 27th overall in goals for last season tried to bolster that offense by signing Mike Cammalleri in the offseason. So far, he has panned out, leading the team in goals at the quarter mark with 10 and tying for second on the team in scoring with 14 points with Adam Henrique. Outside of Jaromir Jagr (15 points) and the forwards mentioned, the team lacks offensive punch that extends beyond the top six. The fact that the team is 24th in goals for so far this season tells that story.
Defense: C-
The Devils have a balanced offensive defense with four members of the core in the top 100 in terms of 5 on 5 goal statistics. They have been below-average however, in terms of keeping the puck out of their net. That is evident in their shots-allowed and goal differentials, as Jersey has given up 45 more shots against versus shots taken 24 games into this season along with 13 more goals against than scored.
Goaltending: C
This category was close to just being goalie, singular not plural. Cory Schneider has started 23 of the 24 games the Devils have played this season, winning nine of them and compiling a GAA of 2.59 with a .915 save percentage. Although Schneider has performed admirably with a heavy workload, back-up Keith Kinkaid should get at least some games in to give Schneider a breather.
Coaching: C-
It’s unclear how much of the Devils’ mediocre start is on Peter DeBoer. He obviously trusts Schneider to the point of him starting almost every single night, his line combos to generate a MIA offense fail to impress, and the fact that the team hasn’t made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons in DeBoer’s tenure is telling. He’s working with one of the more elder teams in the league and they’ve been mediocre to start in many facets of the game. Time will tell for DeBoer’s future judging from how the team performs in the coming months.
Management: D+
It’s been a tough few years for Lou Lamoriello and the Devils in terms of keeping players and signing new ones. Losing Ilya Kovalchuk to Russia and having to pay a price for his monster contract, Zach Parise deciding to flee to Minnesota with Ryan Suter, and the Ryane Clowe deal for a player that has failed to produce and stay in the lineup consistently, the management side has taken a hit. Jersey has an aging roster along with a coach that is failing to impress with the cast of players he has at the moment. A lot could change if the team falls even further.
6. Philadelphia Flyers – (8-13-4)
Offense: B+
The Flyers are scoring 2.7 goals per game, which is tied for 13th and a good number. But their problem is getting that extra goal to secure the win.
Defense: D
This is the Flyers problem. Allowing 3.0 goals a game isn’t going to win you games. They will need to tame that number if they want to break out and get in a playoffs position.
Goaltending: C
Steve Mason and Ray Emery are not playing well, with only Emery having a winning record. Maybe the defense is at fault, but he is facing the fifth most shots per game.
Coaching: B
Craig Berube is in his second year behind the bench, and it isn’t going as smoothly this year.
Management: B
Ron Hextall hasn’t be GM for very long, but it has started out rocky. Trading Scott Hartnell is still his biggest move, but Columbus won that trade, as R.J Umberger only has three points. Hextall is definitely on the lookout for more offense.
7. Carolina Hurricanes – (8-14-3)
Overall: C-
The Hurricanes are 8-13-3 in 24 games so far this year. When you only win 1/3 of your games, you can’t be too pleased with the performance. That said, the expectations weren’t high for the Canes this year, so being near the bottom of the league isn’t exactly unexpected.
Offense: D
Only four NHL teams have scored less than the Hurricanes 57 goals this season. Jordan Staal hasn’t played a game due to a preseason injury, while Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal have also missed time. Meanwhile, Alex Semin finally scored his first goal of the season last night; that’s just atrocious for a guy who the team is giving big money to. Those are four players the team should be able to rely on but hasn’t been able to. Riley Nash has been a pleasant surprise and his 15 points are tied with Eric Staal for the team lead.
Defense: C-
Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera have been pretty good for the Hurricanes. However I’m not sure where they were hoping to find two other top 4 defenders. Ron Hainsey, John Michael Liles, and Tim Gleason just aren’t good enough for the minutes that are asked of them.
Goaltending: C+
Cam Ward is playing better than last season and re-earned his number one spot. A .912 save percentage may be right around league average, but that’s an improvement for the Canes main man. Khodubin seemed a threat last year, but with just a .900 so far this year, he’s found himself back in the backup role.
Coaching and Management: N/A
We are just 24 games into Bill Peters first NHL job as a head coach and Ron Francis first stint as a GM. They inherited a team that quite frankly doesn’t have a lot of talent, and then were blindsided by a major injury to Jordan Staal before the season started. Really, you can’t criticize their jobs at this point. Developing youngsters like Victor Rask, Elias Lindholm and others, and seeing where they are in the second half will help us evaluate Peters, while Francis should have a busy trade deadline getting more future pieces.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets – (7-15-2)
Offense: C-
Defense: D
Goaltending: C
Coaching: B-
Management: A-
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