Received one question this week. This is a unique question, since I think the sender was spam, but it asked a question that a few folks have asked in the comments. So, spammer, you get your question answered. Congrats, that’s a first here. As always, submit your questions for the mailbag via the widget on the right side of the page.

ryan mcdonagh kevin klein

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Columbus (Spam) asks: Why are forecasters picking the Rangers to finish second or third, behind the Islanders and Blue Jackets?

And now you see why I think this question was spam. Not many are picking the Isles or Blue Jackets to finish ahead of the Rangers. Most predictions I’ve seen have the Penguins and/or Capitals finishing ahead of the Rangers. The Isles still have questions on their blue line and in their forward depth. The Blue Jackets have a great set of forwards, but their defense is suspect.

The Pens and the Caps are the two teams that should challenge the Rangers for the Metro Division crown this year. The Caps gave the Rangers a run for their money in the Division Finals last year, and are returning the core members of that team. Meanwhile, the Pens added Phil Kessel and made some savvy trades to make them a much more balanced team.

In fact, the only two teams that appear to be cellar-dwellers are the Hurricanes and the Devils. A few pundits have even the Flyers have been selected as a dark horse to make the playoffs.

I think the Metro sends five teams to the playoffs this year: Rangers, Pens, Caps, Isles, and Blue Jackets (in no particular order). The order doesn’t matter much, but avoiding the Lightning for as long as possible is ideal.

Assuming the defense for the Pens holds up, I’m picking them to win the division, although that’s a big assumption. I think they will be neck and neck with the Rangers most of the way. The Caps/Isles will be in a dog fight for third and fourth, and the Jackets will take fifth. Just my preseason guesses though.

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