Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Why Your Favorite NHL Team Rocks: New York To Ottawa
New York Islanders
As a Caps fan, I am scared of the forward depth that the Islanders have. It’s ridiculous. Ryan Strome has to battle to get top six minutes. That tells you everything you need to know about their forward depth. John Tavares, Anders Lee, Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson and Strome are coming back one year better and one year wiser. Their blue line is a little concerning, especially once you look past Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. However, they have some guys who I think are ready to take their game to the next level. Jaroslav Halak is in net for them. If things get out of control, Thomas Greiss could be this year’s Dubnyk. Garth Snow is probably the second best general manager in the NHL.
New York Rangers
Like the Islanders, the Rangers have great forward depth. They lost Hagelin and Martin St. Louis, but they still have a pretty darn good team. Their blue line is a little shaky after Ryan McDonagh, but I think it should be just fine for them. The biggest reason why Rangers fans should be optimistic and full of hope is their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Not only is he incredibly handsome, he’s also kind of good at this hockey thing. I don’t think there’s a goalie in the world that I’d take over him in a big game. Expect Derek Stepan to have a bounce back year and Chris Kreider to have a breakout year. Kevin Hayes is primed for a breakout year as well, especially since he’ll likely be taking on a top six forward role. Keith Yandle took a while to get used to New York’s system, but he’s a dangerous defenseman who can do a lot of good things with the puck, especially if he gets sheltered minutes.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators will be hard-pressed to replicate the magic of March of last season, but this is still a really good team. Erik Karlsson is the best defenseman in the NHL, bar none. Craig Anderson is quietly one of the better goaltenders in the NHL if he’s healthy. Andrew Hammond is a capable backup if Anderson goes down. Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris give Ottawa fans hope for the future.
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