Rangers @ Blue Jackets: NHL Betting Game Preview
Date: Friday, October 9th, 2015 Time: 7:00PM Venue: Nationwide Arena Opening Line: Columbus +150
W2W4: #NYR play front end of home & home with Blue Jackets in Columbus; here’s your primer http://t.co/jUyhg83N0V pic.twitter.com/Q9bTUo5yXx
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 9, 2015
It should be made clear from the get go that this is not the same Rangers team that had the best record in hockey last season. A number of key players from that team are gone, with the biggest loss perhaps being Cam Talbot, who will be between the pipes in Edmonton this year. There is some question as to whether or not the Rangers have properly addressed the gaps left by those players who are now elsewhere, and the general consensus is that they have not. The Rangers still have enough talent and depth to make it to the playoff, but asking them to repeat as division winners seems like a little much. The Metropolitan Division once again promises to be incredibly tough, and there are a couple of teams who I believe have more to offer than the Rangers.
One of those teams may well be the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was an awful season for them last year, as injuries made it impossible for them to put out their best skaters every single night. This is a team that is skillful, but which can also throw its weight around when needed, which may well be regularly in this division. Columbus made one of the savviest moves in the offseason by acquiring Brandon Saad from the Chicago Blackhawks. This kid is just 22 years old, and comes with a ton of upside. If he slots into this team as well as I think he can, the Columbus Blue Jackets may well be one of the biggest dark horses in the NHL this coming season.