New York Rangers Season Preview

The Rangers signed the number-one free agent in Kevin Shattenkirk this off season to add to their defence but lost a lot more players than they gained. Included in the departures was number-one center Derek Stepan, creating a hole on the first line to go along with the lack of star power they have at forward. They still have one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and with good depth all around they should fight for a wild card spot.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Kevin Shattenkirk, Ondrej Pavelec, David Desharnais, Anthony DeAngelo, Steven Kampfer
Departures: Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Dan Girardi, Kevin Klein, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Pirri, Adam Clendening, Tanner Glass, Magnus Hellberg, Marek Hrivik, Nicklas Jensen



Forwards:

The Rangers have lots of good depth at offence but they lack a true star up front who is going to give you a 40-goal or 70-point season. The team's best forwards is Mats Zuccarello who has turned into a consistent 50-point performer at the first-line right wing spot. Chris Kreider has also evolved his game to be a solid option on the top line at left wing but it would be nice if he could contribute more offensively in 2018. The number-one center spot will be Mika Zibanejad even though he is unproven and based on past performances not capable to be a number-one center. JT Miller had a breakout season putting up 56 points and with Derek Stepan gone, he should get even more time to showcase his talent. Rick Nash is no longer a 40-goal scorer as he has only put up 15 and 23 over the past two seasons but he can still be a top-six forward and power play specialist. Speedster Michael Grabner had a great first year in Broadway after a couple of down seasons with multiple teams but he will have to prove he can perform like he did again. Kevin Hayes will be asked to play a bigger role with Stepan's departure and after his first three seasons it seems like he should be capable to do what he is asked. Last year's big college free agent was Jimmy Vesey and he chose the Rangers. His season started off with a bang but as it went on he slowed down; he will need to play like he did during the first month of the season. Another one of New York's young forwards who has played well is Jesper Fast. Fast will not put up huge offensive numbers but he will do all the small things needed. Veteran center David Desharnais was brought in to play the fourth-line center role as the Rangers don't have any prospects ready to take the spot. Pavel Buchnevich was OK during his rookie season where he played in 40 games putting up 20 points but he will need to be better for this team to make the playoffs. Matt Puempel will probably be the 12th forward while the depth slots will be up for grabs for many prospects.



Defenceman:

The leader of the defence is undoubtedly Ryan McDonagh as he captains the team while playing lots of minutes against the other teams' best players. McDonagh is slowly becoming better offensively as he cracked 40 points for the second time during his career in 2017. Kevin Shattenkirk was the biggest name on the free agency market and he chose the Rangers to bring his offensive game to. Shattenkirk makes lots of mistakes defensively but he ranks among the best offensive defencemen as 40-point seasons have become regular for the 28 year old. Brady Skjei may have been the best rookie defenceman last year after Zach Werenski, putting up 39 points and playing more minutes than you would expect from a rookie. Brendan Smith got overpaid this summer to remain with the Rangers and based on what he is payed, he will be in the top four. Marc Staal struggles to produce offence but he is in New York for his shutdown defence that he brings to every game; Staal's role will likely be reduced due to the emergence of Skjei. Nick Holden will likely try to keep his job on the top six from Anthony DeAngelo who is ready for a full-time NHL job.



Goaltending:

Henrik Lundqvist may not be the elite goalie he once was but he is still good enough to steal games for the Rangers on a regular basis and take them to the playoffs. Lundqvist remains a top-tier goaltender and with a decent team in front of him, don't expect a drop off in play. Antti Raanta is gone so if Lundqvist struggles they will have to rely on Ondrej Pavelec who spent most of last year in the AHL.

Projected Lineup:

Chris Kreider	Mike Zibanejad	Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner	JT Miller	Rick Nash
Jimmy Vesey	Kevin Hayes	Jesper Fast
Matt Puempel	David Desharnais	Pavel Buchnevich
Ryan Gropp	Lias Andersson	Malte Stormwall

Ryan McDonagh	Kevin Shattenkirk
Brady Skjei	Brendan Smith
Marc Staal	Nick Holden
Steven Kampfer	Anthony DeAngelo

Henrik Lundqvist

Ondrej Pavelec

Brandon Halverson

Top 10 Players:

10. Brady Skjei

9. Kevin Hayes

8. JT Miller

7. Rick Nash

6. Mika Zibanejad

5. Chris Kreider

4. Kevin Shattenkirk

3. Mats Zuccarello

2. Ryan McDonagh

1. Henrik Lundqvist



Projected Finish: 93 Points (5th in Metropolitan)
Last Year: 102 Points (4th in Metropolitan)

Photo credit for Kevin Shattenkirk goes to http://www.espn.com/. Mats Zuccarello and Henrik Lundqvist goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Ryan McDonagh goes to http://www.cbc.ca/.

New York Islanders Season Preview

The biggest question with the Islanders is if their franchise player John Tavares will remain in an Islanders jersey when October comes around as he is an unrestricted free agent. That is not the only worry though as the goaltending is among the worst in the league, the defence lacks stars and the offence needs more scoring from its players not named John Tavares. With all the stress of the Tavares situation and their other problems, the playoffs won't return to Brooklyn in 2018.

Arrivals/Departures

Arrivals: Jordan Eberle, Kristers Gudlevskis
Departures: Travis Hamonic, Ryan Strome, Mikhail Grabovski, Jean Francois-Berube, Stephen Gionta



Forwards:

John Tavares is a franchise player as he always produces offence with a weak group of players alongside him.They brought in Jordan Eberle to play with Tavares but Eberle has not lived up to his potential only scoring 20 goals last season. Anders Lee is Tavares' other winger and he had a breakout season scoring a career high 34 goals to go with 52 points. Brock Nelson is still on the team even after he was left unprotected during the expansion draft and he will be the number-two center after three straight 40-plus point seasons. Andrew Ladd had a rough first season with the Islanders as he only put up 31 points when a 50-point season was expected. Ladd should improve in his second season especially if he gets to play with Tavares. Josh Bailey had the best season of his career pushing past 50 points for the first time and he will be one of the top-six wingers again. The Islanders' best prospect is Mathew Barzal and it is time for him to make the jump to the NHL as the third-line center to bring his play-making skills to the mix. Anthony Beauvillier had a decent rookie year with the Islanders last year but he will need to create more offence during his second season as he gets more playing time. Joshua Ho-Sang is another one of the Islanders' good forward prospects and after getting 10 points in 21 games and it is time for him to make the leap to the NHL for the whole season. If Ho-Sang can keep his off-ice problems from distracting his game, he could become an elite scorer and be up for the Calder Trophy. Casey Cizikas has turned into one of the league's best fourth-line centers as he continues to provide offence while playing the role of the fourth-line center shutting opposing players down. Jason Chimera scored 20 goals in his first season with the Islanders but it is the young guns' time to shine so he will probably be demoted to a fourth-line role. The last member of possibly the best fourth line is hard-hitter Cal Clutterbuck. Nikolay Kulemin, Alan Quine and Shane Prince (when healthy) will compete for a spot on the roster too.



Defenceman:

Nick Leddy is the best defenceman on this team as he put up a solid 46 points last season while playing most of his minutes against the other team's best players. Johnny Boychuk is their other accomplished defenceman who plays more of a defensive role alongside Leddy rather than contributing offensively. Calvin De Haan will be part of the top four but he may be better suited for a bottom-pair role as he lacks true offensive skill and the ability to completely shut down players. Thomas Hickey is a very similar player to De Haan as they put up similar underwhelming numbers for second-pair defencemen. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock will both get their first taste at a full season in the NHL as they are expected to be the bottom pair unless one of them takes a big step into a top-four guy. Veteran Dennis Seidenberg will also be on the roster to fill in for one of the bottom four guys if they struggle.



Goaltending:

The Islanders' goaltender situation is among the worst in the NHL as neither Thomas Greiss or Jaroslav Halak are starters at this point in their careers. Thomas Greiss is most likely going to be the starter as he outplayed Halak last year. Jaroslav Halak used to be a very good goalie but those days are over as he spent a lot of last season in the AHL where he played well.

Projected Lineup:

Anders Lee	John Tavares	Jordan Eberle
Andrew Ladd	Brock Nelson	Josh Bailey
Anthony Beauvillier	Mathew Barzal	Joshua Ho-Sang
Jason Chimera	Casey Cizikas	Cal Clutterbuck
Nikolay Kulemin	Alan Quine	Shane Prince

Nick Leddy	Johnny Boychuk
Calvin De Haan	Thomas Hickey
Adam Pelech	Ryan Pulock
Scott Mayfield	Dennis Seidenberg

Thomas Greiss

Jaroslav Halak

Kristers Gudlevskis

Top 10 Players:

10. Thomas Greiss

9. Calvin De Haan

8. Josh Bailey

7. Brock Nelson

6. Andrew Ladd

5. Anders Lee



4. Johnny Boychuk

3. Nick Leddy

2. Jordan Eberle

1. John Tavares

Projected Finish: 82 Points (7th in Metropolitan)
Last Year: 94 Points (5th in Metropolitan)

Photo credit for Jordan Eberle goes to http://www.tsn.ca/. John Tavares goes to https://www.nhl.com/. Nick Leddy goes to http://www.espn.com/. Anders Lee goes to https://www.cbssports.com/.

New York Jets Season Preview

The Jets may be the worst team in the NFL as questions remain all over the place especially at quarterback. If the Jets even want a respectable record they will need lots of rookies to step up in their first season as little veteran help was added. The Jetsè main goal this season will be to grow young players and get a high draft pick.

Arrivals/Departures:

Arrivals: Kelvin Beachum, Morris Claiborne, Josh McCown, Quinton Patton
Departures: Nick Folk, Brandon Marshall, Geno Smith



Offence:

Josh McCown will likely be the day-one starter as he has experience that should help to mentor the young quarterbacks Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg who are not ready yet. Matt Forte will be the running back again even though he is no longer the great dual threat he was in Chicago. Bilal Powell will also get lots of snaps as the runner as he came on strong to end last year taking over the starting position. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are now gone meaning Quincy Enunwa will be the number-one receiver after showing flashes last year. Charone Peake, Robby Anderson and Jalin Marshall will also get time at wide receiver. If Austin Seferian-Jenkins can control his off-field issues and put his talent together he could be a great tight end but he has yet to do that. If Seferian-Jenkins continues to struggle watch for rookie Jordan Leggett to get a long look at tight end. The offensive line is not terrible but it is not good either with lots of veterans on it. The starters will be Ben Ijalana, James Carpenter, Wesley Johnson, Brian Winters and Kelvin Beachum.



Defence:

The best part of the Jets by far is their defensive line which could single handily win them games because of the stars on the line. Muhammad Wilkerson is the Jets' best player as he racks up sacks and tackles helping the defence. Not far behind is Sheldon Richardson who also does a great job at stopping the run commanding double teams. Leonard Williams is the third star on the line who played very well in his sophomore season last year. The other starter on the line will be Steve McLendon. Last year's first-round pick Darron Lee was a disappointment and the Jets will need him to improve because the linebackers on this team are not very good. Demario Davis and Jordan Jenkins will be the others who play linebacker with Sheldon Richardson switching from defensive end to linebacker if they play a 3-4 defence. Darrelle Revis is no longer the staple of the secondary putting a lot of pressure on Buster Skrine, Morris Claiborne and Marcus Williams to keep the secondary afloat. First-round pick Jamal Adams will be expected to play good in his rookie season and he will need too as he teams up with second-round pick Marcus Maye to form a rookie safety duo.



Special Teams:

The Jets brought in Chandler Catanzaro to be the kicker after a terrible season in Arizona where he missed key field goals. Rookie Lachlan Edwards will be the punter while Jalin Marshall will get a shot at both aspects of the return game.

Starters:

Offence	Defence
Charone Peake	Leonard Williams
Robby Anderson	Steve McLendon
Quincy Enunwa	Muhammad Wilkerson
Ben Ijalana	Sheldon Richardson
James Carpenter	Darron Lee
Wesley Johnson	Demario Davis
Brian Winters	Jordan Jenkins
Kelvin Beachum	Morris Claiborne
Austin Seferian-Jenkins	Marcus Maye
Josh McCown	Jamal Adams
Matt Forte	Buster Skrine

2017 Draft:

6. Jamal Adams
39. Marcus Maye
79. ArDarius Stewart
141. Chad Hansen
150. Jordan Leggett
181. Dylan Donahue
188. Elijah McGuire
197. Jeremy Clark
204. Derrick Jones

Top 10 Players:

10. Brian Winters

9. Kelvin Beachum

8. Bilal Powell

7. Jamal Adams

6. Morris Claiborne

5. Quincy Enunwa

4. Matt Forte

3. Leonard Williams



2. Sheldon Richardson

1. Muhammad Wilkerson

Season Prediction: 2-14 (4th in AFC East)
Last Year: 5-11

Photo credit for Josh McCown goes to http://www.sportsnet.ca/. Quincy Enunwa goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams goes to http://www.newyorkjets.com/.

New York Giants Season Preview

Last year, the Giants spent a lot of money on key defensive players in Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison and Olivier Vernon during free agency. The money was well spent as the Giants' defence was one of the best in the league taking the Giants to the playoffs. If Eli Manning does not age too badly this season and the defence keeps it up, the Giants will be Super Bowl contenders.

Arrivals/Departures:

Arrivals: Shaun Draughn, Rhett Ellison, DJ Fluker, Brandon Marshall, Geno Smith
Departures: Robbie Gould, Johnathan Hankins, Marshall Newhouse, Coty Sensabaugh



Offence:

Eli Manning took a step backwards last season but the two-time Super Bowl champion is still a good starter who has the smarts to lead the Giants to a NFC East first-place finish. The running game may be the biggest question of the team as Paul Perkins, Orleans Darkwa, Wayne Gallman, Shane Vereen and Shaun Draughn will all compete for snaps. Odell Beckham may be the NFL's biggest rising star and he is already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL with his athleticism and speed. If Beckham can control his temper and stop acting like a fool, he could take the next step forwards. Brandon Marshall joins Beckham to form a dangerous wide receiver tandem that will have opposing defences scratching their heads. Sterling Shepard will be the other starter coming off a decent rookie season. The Giants selected tight end Evan Engram in the first round to give Manning a big target at the tight end position. Last year's starter Will Tye will also see time at tight end especially if Engram's rookie season is a disappointment. Center Weston Richburg and left guard Justin Pugh are the stars of the offensive line, both providing stability while the rest of the line needs some work. John Jerry will start at right guard while Ereck Flowers, DJ Fluker and Bobby Hart compete for the starting tackle spots.



Defence:

Damon Harrison is the best run stopper in the NFL as Snacks earned his mega-contract extension last season domintaing the trenches. Johnathan Hankins provided a great defensive tackle duo but he left for the Colts so rookie Dalvin Tomlinson and Robert Thomas will compete for his job. Olivier Vernon was great off the edge last season providing pressure on the quarterback while Jason Pierre-Paul played good even while missing half a hand but is no longer the player he once was. The linebackers need some work as Devon Kennard, BJ Goodson and JT Thomas are all below-average starters who might be better as backups. The secondaries is one of the best in the NFL as Janoris Jenkins turned into a true shutdown corner in his first season in the Big Apple. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is also a very good corner and last year's first-round pick Eli Apple was good in his rookie season providing the Giants with three serviceable starting corners. Landon Collins could have won defensive player of the year last season as he dominated as one of the best safeties in the NFL. His stat line was very impressive with 125 tackles, four sacks and five interceptions. Darian Thompson will be the other starting safety with Andrew Adams and Duke Ihenacho providing depth.



Special Teams:

After the Josh Brown fiasco involving personal issues, the Giants signed Robbie Gould last year but he did not work so they brought in Aldrick Rosas to be the kicker. Australian punter Brad Wing is a good punter who will help in the field-position battle. Dwayne Harris, Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham will be given chances in the return game.

Starters:

Offence	Defence
Odell Beckham	Jason Pierre-Paul
Brandon Marshall	Damon Harrison
Sterling Shepard	Dalvin Tomlinson
Ereck Flowers	Olivier Vernon
Justin Pugh	Devon Kennard
Weston Richburg	BJ Goodson
John Jerry	JT Thomas
DJ Fluker	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Evan Engram	Landon Collins
Eli Manning	Darian Thompson
Paul Perkins	Janoris Jenkins

2017 Draft:


23. Evan Engram
55. Dalvin Tomlinson
87. Davis Webb
140. Wayne Gallman
167. Avery Moss
200. Adam Bisnowaty

Top 10 Players:

10. Justin Pugh

9. Weston Richburg

8. Jason Pierre-Paul

7. Brandon Marshall

6. Olivier Vernon

5. Eli Manning



4. Damon Harrison

3. Janoris Jenkins

2. Landon Collins

1. Odell Beckham

Season Prediction: 13-3 (1st in NFC East)
Last Year: 11-5

Photo credit for Brandon Marshall and Eli Manning goes to http://www.foxsports.com/. Odell Beckham goes to https://www.usatoday.com/. Landon Collins goes to http://www.giants.com/.