The Power Play Point Potential series kicked off already and the basics were outlined. Moving forward it is important to both review last season and forecast ahead for each team and we’ll start with the Metropolitan Division in this edition of the Power Play Point Potential Review.
In these Power Play Point Potential Reviews, we’ll look at personnel changes primarily and try to project whether the team stands to improve their Power Play production in 2013/14.
Metropolitan Division Power Play Point Potential Review
Carolina Hurricanes
Forward Changes: The only difference between 2013’s weak Hurricanes Power Play and what is in store for this season will be the return of Tuomo Ruutu. The feisty Finn missed all but 17 games in 2013 and didn’t record a single Power Play point. The unit doesn’t lack high end talent with Jeff Skinner, the two Staal brothers and former 40 goal scorer Alexander Semin, but the team’s power play percentage was under 15% last year and only three teams were worse.
Defense Changes: Joe Corvo and Jamie McBain are both gone, but the two most offensively talented Canes, Justin Faulk and Joni Pitkanen, both missed significant time in 2013. Youngster Ryan Murphy has the offensive upside of former Canes’ Veteran Marc-Andre Bergeron and stands to also contribute with the Man Advantage. However, he isn’t a lock to make the team. Faulk’s upside arrow is pointing straight up and the Canes will need more production from the back end if they hope to improve their Power Play this season.
Conclusion: The Canes were one of the biggest disappoints of the 2013 season, but that just means there could be value across the roster heading into this season. The team boasts enough talent to significantly improve their Power Play, although, there are concerns on the Blue Line. Sometimes it does take teams time to gel after major off-season overhauls and with a condensed schedule and fewer practices the Canes struggles shouldn’t have been that surprising. Look for an uptick in production across the board and especially with the Man Advantage this year.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Forward Changes: Derick Brassard was a key cog on the Blue Jackets Power Play, but the trade deadline swap to bring in Marian Gaborik should be viewed as an upgrade. Otherwise, there will be few changes until Nathan Horton returns from his shoulder injury. The Blue Jackets struggled on the Power Play in 2013, so the addition of two proven scorers should help them substantially. R.J. Umberger, Nick Foligno and Brandon Dubinsky shouldn’t be considered as go to scorers with the Man Advantage, but Vinny Prospal can be. Furthermore, former first rounder Ryan Johansen and teammate Artem Anisimov should continue their development and could figure in on the Power Play this season.
Defense Changes: There will be very few changes on the Blue Line for the Blue Jackets, especially on the Power Play and this is an underrated group. If James Wisniewski stays healthy, Jack Johnson takes another step forward in his development and Nikita Nikitin gets back to the player we saw in the second half of the 2011/12 season, there is a lot to like in Columbus. There are few defensemen as steady as Fedor Tyutin and he’ll continue to see minutes in all situations, but isn’t as offensively talented as the other three.
Conclusion: The Blue Jackets were a feisty and difficult team to play against in 2013 and almost made the play-offs, but their Power Play was atrocious. The reality is that they boasted all kinds of warriors and no generals to lead them on the Man Advantage. Marian Gaborik is a proven trigger man and their defense boasts a lot of offensive skill and play-making ability. Ryan Johansen has the offensive vision to be a great play-maker, but wasn’t given a lot of opportunity last season and Nathan Horton will help when he returns. Expect modest improvements, but don’t get too excited.
New Jersey Devils
Forward Changes: First it was Zach Parise, now this season the Devils lose Ilya Kovalchuk and of lesser significance David Clarkson. That is a lot of punch and it leaves aging Czechs Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr, Newfs Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder and pivots Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac to pick up the pieces. All six are fine complimentary pieces at this stage of their careers, but none of them have the ability to carry the load. A barely respectable Power Play in 2013 stands to regress significantly.
Defense Changes: There are no significant changes heading into the season. Andy Greene and Marek Zidlicky logged the majority of minutes with the Man Advantage in 2013 and will likely do so again this year. The wildcard is Adam Larsson and whether he is far enough along in his development to take over the Devils’ Power Play and be the quarterback. It is unlikely he’ll be much of a fantasy factor given the talent that’ll surround him and his inexperience—Larsson turns just 22 in November.
Conclusion: The Devils appear to be a mess heading into the season. The roster boasts no explosive offensive weapons and has relied on solid team defense for years as it is, so expect that to go to new heights this fall. It is hard to imagine their Power Play getting much worse, but expecting any improvement would be fanatical. Avoiding all Devils not named Martin Brodeur and Cory Schneider is advised and the goaltending situation is a whole other mess.
New York Islanders
Forward Changes: The main unit was Matt Moulson, John Tavares and Brad Boyes, but Boyes hasn’t re-signed yet. Pierre-Marc Bouchard has been extremely effective with the Man Advantage in the past and Ryan Strome is knocking on the door after a monster career in the OHL. The Islanders had one of the league’s best Power Plays in 2013 and as John Tavares begins to enter his prime there is a lot to like going forward. Even more so, if Josh Bailey can stay healthy and continue his development and the 25 year old Kyle Okposo puts it all together.
Defense Changes: Mark Streit is a big loss, as the Captain logged a lot of minutes, but Lubomir Visnovsky only had 3 fewer Points on the PP last season. Furthermore, the Islanders have a group of youngsters who are capable of stepping in. Matt Donovan might be the most offensively inclined Isle who is ready to step into Power Play situations, but there are a number of well-rounded defenders too. Andrew MacDonald, Travis Hamonic have experience with the Man Advantage and then there are two former First Rounders in Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan on the roster too. Streit’s absence hurts, but there are players ready to step in.
Conclusion: Mark Streit’s departure shouldn’t be ignored, but this is a team on the rise and John Tavares is the Quarterback and leader of this offense. Brad Boyes’ production shouldn’t be hard to replace for anyone playing with Tavares and Matt Moulson. Moulson has become a proven weapon. The secondary unit stands to improve too and there is no reason the Islanders cannot continue to be one of the league’s better Power Plays. Figuring out who is going to replace Streit on the Blue Line and Boyes will be critical on draft day, there is a lot of potential points up for grabs.
New York Rangers
Forward Changes: There really aren’t any. The Rangers shipped out Marian Gaborik at the Trade Deadline and Brad Richards is staying in town despite the rumors. Therefore, the biggest change will be behind the bench, perhaps. The drama in The Big Apple got out of control last season, but change has to be a good thing for the Rangers Power Play. There is a lot of talent here and they greatly underachieved in 2013. Rick Nash, Brad Richards, Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan are quality hockey players, Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello both boast some zip and there are up and comers to consider. Both J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider stand to get a taste on the Power Play, while Derick Brassard and Brian Boyle are also in the mix.
Defense Changes: Michael Del Zotto is the man on the Rangers Power Play and it is unlikely that anyone else cuts into his time. The trio of Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are all well-rounded defenders, but if given a chance with the Man Advantage could excel. The most intriguing option, if opportunity strikes is JohnMoore, who is a fantastic skater and owns a solid shot, but he might not be completely ready to eat up substantial Power Play minutes.
Conclusion: There is too much talent here to finish in the bottom third of the league again in power play percentage this season. The coaching change stands to rejuvenate this club and their Power Play could easily take off in 2013/14. Rick Nash only scored three Power Play goals last season and as a whole the Rangers were just one of seven teams to score less than 20% of their goals with the Man Advantage. Expect changes for the better this season and if one of the youngsters emerges on either of the Power Play units, they stand to gain additional value.
Philadelphia Flyers
Forward Changes: The major change is the Vincent Lecavalier in, Danny Briere out flip. Otherwise, it’ll be more of the same in the City of Brotherly Love. Claude Giroux injured his finger in a freak golfing accident, but barring setbacks shouldn’t miss substantial time. Speaking of injuries, Scott Hartnell missed chunks of the season a year ago and stands to help the Power Play this coming season. Just don’t expect 2011/12 numbers from Mr. Hair Do. But there is a lot to like for the Flyers, as Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Read and Sean Couturier all have potential to improve their game. There is a lot of talent and this was a top Power Play unit a year ago.
Defense Changes: The Mark Streit signing headlines the changes in Philly, but a healthy Andrej Meszaros could benefit the team just as much. Kimmo Timonen will remain in the Power Play picture and is as reliable as they come, although, if he gets demoted with Streit’s arrival his value takes a hit. Erik Gustafsson has some offensive upside if he can get enough minutes and the Jekyll and Hyde that is Luke Schenn may still have some untapped offensive upside yet.
Conclusion: The Flyers only got better with the addition of Mark Streit, their shootout style makes their Power Play production critical and if they stay healthy they could even improve. They’re a young and talented team and as mentioned, there is room for improvement from their core talents. 2013 was a disappointing season, so expect more this year and if Claude Giroux slips at all because of injury concerns grab him.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Forward Changes: There is little change here. Jarome Iginla and Tyler Kennedy are gone, but Beau Bennett is ready to step in, but that is just in a supporting role anyway. Pascal Dupuis might see a few more Power Play minutes, but don’t bank on it, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and James Neal are the go-to guys. Brandon Morrow, Brandon Sutter and Jussi Jokinen will all battle with Bennett to get the chance on the 2nd unit.
Defense Changes: Zippo again. The Pens brought in Rob Scuderi, but he wont figure into the Power Play mix. Kris Letang is the man, with Paul Martin and Matt Niskanen getting their minutes in. Simon Despres holds value if he gets the chance to take another step forward in his development, but he’ll never edge out Letang and the same goes for the other 2 likely.
Conclusion: The Pens were lethal on the Power Play last season and will be again in 2013/14. There aren’t going to be any sleepers or value picks either, in fact, guys like Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis might reach overrated status. With that being said, if something clicks and a guy like Beau Bennett or Simon Despres gets a chance to stick with the 2nd unit there could be upside. Kris Letang will be a top 3 Defensemen off draft boards and James Neal, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are all likely 1st Rounders again.
Washington Capitals
Forward Changes: Mike Ribeiro‘s departure cannot be understated, or underestimated. The now, Phoenix Coyote had 27 Power Play Points and has been replaced with Mikhail Grabvoski who had three. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Troy Brouwer remain from the top group and the upside arrow is pointing straight up for Marcus Johansson, but again, Ribeiro will be missed dearly. If another forward lands on that top unit with those three their potential rises significantly, so that is something to monitor. Otherwise, there isn’t a lot to like. Mathieu Perreault, Joel Ward, Martin Erat, Mikhail Grabovski and Marcus Johansson are all complimentary players, not drink stirrers.
Defense Changes: There isn’t a single change on defense and it is the Mike Green and John Carlson show on the Power Play. Tomas Kundratek stands to eat a few minutes and Jack Hillen boasts modest potential, but expecting much from either is a mistake. Mike Green and John Carlson are the only defenders in D.C. to own.
Conclusion: Last season, the Capitals Power Play was the best in the league, they scored on over 26% of their chances and almost 35% of all their goals were scored with the man advantage. Those trends just cannot continue and there is no reason to expect them too, especially, with their top Power Play producer out of town. There is still plenty of talent and the first unit will be very good again this season, but regression is inevitable. Furthermore, the Capitals secondary scoring is questionable.
There we have our Metropolitan Power Play Point Potential Review. There are some heavyweight Power Play units in this division. The Penguins, Flyers, Rangers and Capitals all boast huge talent. Don’t sleep on the Islanders though, John Tavares might have a Hart Trophy and Art Ross on his mantle in the near future. Further down the list, the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes should both be better this season. Ignore the Devils and expect a lot of 2-1 games.
