Don't Mess With The Metro

With so much talent, expectations build. Interestingly enough, there doesn’t seem to be much consensus on a preseason favorite for the Stanley Cup but rather the general belief is that a Stanley Cup Favorite will emerge from the Metro. A Penguin 3peat, a King’s first crown, or the breaking of the Capital Curse seem most likely; however, I wouldn’t count out the Hurricanes or Blue Jackets just yet. While some think the Preseason answers questions, this year I think it only made me ask more. Here are my top Questions for the Metro Division: 

Who Emerges as the Thanksgiving Favorite?

Care about it or not, history shows that the Division leader around Thanksgiving will make the playoffs. As cliche as it sounds: all you need is a chance, with the talent these rosters have, to get hot at the right time. If one team explodes out of the gate they’ll possess an advantage for that #1 seed, who gets to play the wildcard rather than facing that 3rd place metro team.

Are the Rookies the Real Deal?

We’ll see if they all make it past the 9 game ELC mark, but for now the metro rookies add so much more talent to such a stacked talent pool. Can Nico actually be a game changer? Has Nolan’s development been thrown off course with all the Injuries? Can Lias and Filip survive with NYR? What does Dubois add to a strong CBJ lineup? A rookie having a great year could make a contender, while signs of under development could break one.

Who’s gonna be THAT Duchebag?

For future reference that will be the worst pun ever made on this site so I do apologize. The worst kept secret in the NHL is that Matt Duchene would walk him and his bags from the Pepsi Center to PPG Paints arena if it meant he could be traded out of Colorado. Yet somehow, Sakic won’t pull the trigger on any offer and is demanding a mega-package for his 2nd line center. A desperate metro division team could make that offer. Columbus, Pittsburgh or even New Jersey could be in on Duchene and oh god would it cause madness in the Metro.

Who is the Metro’s best Goalie?

A competition normally dominated by Henrik Lundqvist has opened up over the past 12-18 months. Arguably, one could say that the Metro has 5 of the top 8 Goalies in the league. Here’s my question: who’s the best. Almost no one would say lundqvist or Murray, although in any game 7 I’m taking Hank. Most would argue it’s likely between Sergei Bobrovsky and Braden Holtby, the last 2 Vezina winners. Which goalie is better could be irrelevant but great goalies steal games. Those stolen games will show their relevance when the final standings roll around.

To another year of goals, hits, saves, excitement and disappointment. Happy Hockey Season.

Follow Matt on Twitter @Anttiup32