With hockey returning in only three (!!!) days, fans have a lot to rejoice about. If you follow teams outside of Rangerstown, you know that there is a lot to look for this upcoming season that will make things interesting. Let’s check out what to watch for outside of the Garden.

Rookie Mania: ever heard of this guy Connor McDavid? Of course you have! There is a lot of hype surrounding the 18 year old center, and with good reason. With 120 points in 47 games played last year with the Erie Otters, plus another 49 in 20 playoff games, there’s a lot of hype to live up to. Will he or won’t he? NHL players expect that he will.

South of the border, Sabres rookie center Jack Eichel is already finding chemistry and making a splash in the preseason. The BU Terrier (and only second freshman to ever win the Hobey Baker award after Paul Kariya) was selected second, behind McDavid, in a talent-packed first round draft. He’s expected to be a major part of the rebuild in Buffalo, with new coach, former Penguins/US Olympic hockey leader, Dan Bylsma taking the reins. Also look for fan-favorite Zemgus Girgensons to continue what he started last year, going 15-15-30 in 61 games.

Other rookies to look out for include Toronto’s Mitch Marner, who was sent to play for the London Knights after experiencing a preseason with the Leafs, and Carolina defenseman Noah Hanifin, as the 5th round 2015 pick has made the Hurricanes’ regular season roster.

A New-Look Metropolitan Division: some nights, I find myself waking up at 3:00am in a cold sweat, kicking and shaken up and I don’t quite know why. Then, I remember that the Rangers have to face the Penguins four times this year, and they have Phil Kessel now after trading him for basically a bunch of picks. Toronto fans were not particularly fond of Kessel, who somehow averaged four 70 point seasons (and a 50 point season during the half lockout year) despite being tied to Tyler Bozak. Toronto fans are notoriously impatient and outspoken, so moving Kessel was a priority. Now, he’ll have a chance to play with Sid and Geno and, quite frankly, terrorize the division. Pittsburgh’s only downfall may be their young, slightly smaller defensemen.

The team that I personally am terrified of, awake or asleep, is the Washington Capitals. Under the tutelage of Barry Trotz (who is a delightful human being, I mean remember Bruce “we can’t hear the fans” Boudreau and Adam “I want to fight Torts” Oates? They were so easy to hate), Alex Ovechkin now is an effective two-way player and terrifying beast. Braden Holtby is a confident, capable goalie, and TJ Oshie has found chemistry playing on the East Coast. Oshie has always been effective, despite the fact that he may be a bit overrated after his stellar shootout performance against Russia in Sochi, and is a headache I would prefer not having to see this season. Ovechkin seems hungry to win, and, hate him if you will, is so talented and difficult to play.

Raffi Torres is a scumbag, but what else is new? How is he still allowed to play in this league?

Early season previews: with the Rangers getting a home-and-home out of the way almost immediately vs. Columbus, we’ll be exposed to Brandon Saad and Nick Foligno and the hype surrounding them. Foligno exceeded expectations by a long shot last year, racking up 73 points, but I’m not too worried; with a prior career high of 47 points, it would be very, very interesting for the soon-to-be 28 year old to find a sudden burst of consecutive 70-point years. Still, playing with Saad will be beneficial for the team. Saad is a big offensive power forward who was traded this past offseason after winning two Cups with the Blackhawks. Fun fact: he’s only 22.

Speaking of the Hawks, the Rangers open their season in Chicago to watch the banner raising ceremony. They’ll sure be fired up, but how have they been this preseason? Typical Hawks. The Patrick Kane controversy has kept them a bit quiet, and they no longer have Saad or veteran Patrick Sharp, who has gone to an offensively-stacked-but-defensively-inept team down in Dallas. Can’t imagine they’ll be too scary, but they certainly are never a walk in the park to face.

What team scares you the most? What are you most excited to see play out?

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