Metropolitan Division Notebook: Week 1 (Oct. 5)

Hayes Officially a Devil

After a preseason that included two goals and one assist, right wing Jimmy Hayes has been signed to a one-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. The former Boston Bruin looks to bring experience and depth along the right side of the Devils' young bottom six.

The 27-year-old has just two seasons above 25 points, but 301 games of NHL experience should complement the rather unseasoned talent that will be around him in the latter parts of the Devils' lineup.

Hurricanes Cap Strong Preseason

Not that winning five of your seven preseason games is a tremendously reliant indicator of regular season success, but with a 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes are hoping to carry some momentum into the opening stretches of the year. The News and Observer re-caps the closing warm-up tilt.

The Canes put in their seventh and final preseason game Friday, taking a 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals. Defensemen Justin Faulk, Noah Hanifin and Trevor van Riemsdyk scored goals, and goalie Scott Darling -- in his second preseason outing -- was solid in net while Carolina did a good job limiting the Caps’ shots and scoring looks. – Chip Alexander, News and Observer

Time will tell if fans of the Hurricanes should actually expect their squad to contend to the playoffs (they need to get there first, and it's been a while), or if another point total in the mid-80s is in store for 2017-2018.

Reading Between the Lines

It's not too often that you see a player with a $3.5 million salary cut from a team. But that is the exact situation facing Matt Read, a former right wing for the Philadelphia Flyers Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

After five straight seasons to open his career in which he produced at least 24 points for the Flyers and averaged no less than 15:15 TOI, Read dipped to only 19 points and an average of 13:48 TOI in 63 games for the Flyers last season. Apparently, Flyers GM Ron Hextall was not satisfied with what he saw from Read during training camp and has sent him off to the AHL.

If Matt Read clears waivers and is sent to the AHL, the #Flyers will benefit from $1.025M in cap relief, reducing his cap hit to $2.6M.

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) October 2, 2017

Islanders Using Horse Sense in Search for Quality Arena

It was over 98 years ago that a thoroughbred three-year-old horse completed the first triple crown at the Belmont Stakes. Since 1905, Belmont Park has been one the premier destinations for horse racing in the U.S.A. Now the New York Islanders may potentially be looking at a close-up view of the mile and a half long track. Per ESPN:

On Thursday, the New York Arena Partners LLC, which includes the Islanders and owners of the New York Mets, announced it had "submitted a comprehensive proposal to create a world-class sports and entertainment destination at Belmont Park, which we look forward to discussing with the Empire State Development Corporation." – Dave Caldwell, ESPN

The Islanders have been at the Barclays Center, also home of the Brooklyn Nets, for two seasons after being unable to work out a deal to stay in Nassau Coliseum through either renovation or reconstruction. In those two Barclays Center years, they have an average attendance that ranks 28th in the league. This is primarily due to logistical problems, one of which being that the new home isn't close enough to the parts of Long Island where their fan base actually stems from in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Brooklyn was seen as an untapped hockey market, but so far has not lived up to expectations. There is also the fact that the arena is intended for basketball, resulting in certain seats having poor views of the ice. 

There are problems with moving to Belmont too, however; many residents of New York feel the park is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, and is much harder to access than Barclays Center. Any sort of move is a long way from being finalized, but the Islanders are certainly exploring their options.

Filip Chytil gets a Shot

Forgoing any years of development in another league, a draft pick by the name of Filip Chytil has earned a spot as the third line center for the New York Rangers. He is just 18 years old.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Chytil played three preseason games for the Rangers this season, tallying one goal and two assists.

The last time a Rangers player this young earned an opening night roster spot was 1998 (I wasn't a full year old). That player was Manny Malhotra, who would go on to play a total of 991 National Hockey League games including a stint with the Blue Jackets.

Rangers director of player personnel Gordie Clark is quite excited about the talent Chytil possesses.

“As the season went on, he ended up being a guy [Zlin, Chytil's Czechoslovakian team] were using all the time,” Clark said at the draft. “They had scheduled him to be their second-line center this year, which is tremendous for an 18-year-old. He grew two inches over the season, and I don’t think he’s going to stop. He’s going to be a really good skating center, a playmaker."

Patric Hornqvist will Likely Miss Time to Start Season

Patric Hornqvist was a crucial part of the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins' second line last year, scoring 44 points in 70 games of action. The veteran winger was also third on the team with 10 power play goals.

According to an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Penguins will probably be without him for the first few games of this season as he is still recovering from offseason hand surgery. The earliest possible return for Hornqvist appears to be a week from today when the Penguins take on the Washington Capitals.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan does not sound too concerned:

“We’re going to make sure that when we do put him in that he’s ready,” Sullivan said. “I think at this particular point in the season, it’s important that we err on the side of caution with him.

“I think we're deep at the wing position, in particular. It’s a really competitive position for our organization. To have the luxury of having access to the quality of players that we have that we can put in our lineup is certainly comforting, from our standpoint.”

The Suspension Blues

Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals has been dealt a four-game suspension for boarding St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais in a preseason game on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Wilson will also forfeit nearly $100,000 in salary as it was the second suspension he was dealt in the preseason, after a separate incident against the Blues eight days prior. 

Wilson is eligible to return when the Capitals face the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 13.

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