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It’s the holiday season and we here at the 4th Line are in a giving mood. We figured we’d share this generosity with the NHL teams and bring a little joy in these turbulent times. As we’re still negotiating a 4th Line merch deal, let’s see what else Santa Gritty has under the tree in the Metro Division: Carolina Hurricanes Cap Relief: Like a lot of teams with COVID issues the Canes have been hit, losing many of their top players, and could use some help from the league. They’re a strong contender, provided Freddy Andersen doesn’t get haunted by the ghosts of playoffs past,Read More →

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What would you get if the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions had a baby? It’s the East division! With the Christmas holidays wrapping up and a brand new NHL season approaching faster than Santa’s sleigh, let’s review what the teams of the ‘North’ division had asked for from St. Nick, hoping something good under their hockey stick tree. Boston Bruins On the Christmas List: The Next Torey Krug After nine seasons in Boston, big-time blue-liner Torey Krug upped and left for St. Louis. This leaves a big hole for the Bruins to fill as Krug is not great in front of his goalie, but also handy withRead More →

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The New York Islanders are a long way from their storied years four straight Stanley Cups, but this version of the Isles are hoping to add another chapter to that book. Looking to make their way back to the Stanley Cup final, they will need to beat a red hot Tampa Bay Lightning team, but with Barry Trotz’s system, they can extinguish that flame. Embed from Getty Images Front Runner: Mathew Barzal No John Tavares? No problem. Picking up the talismanic role of the franchise, Barzal has done just that in these Stanley Cup playoffs. From his skill and his skating to his leadership on theRead More →

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After a trying season in the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia Flyers, under new GM Chuck Fletcher, made a number of changes this off-season in order to improve on their 37 wins and 82-point sixth place finish in the Metro last season. Notable Players In:  Kevin Hayes, Justin Braun, Matt Niskanen, Tyler Pitlick & Head Coach Alain Vigneault Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out:  Andrew MacDonald, Radko Gudas, Jori Lehtera, Ryan Hartman, Cam Talbot, Michal Neuvirth First Key Game:  October 9th, 2019 vs. New Jersey Devils Odds to win the division 8:1 (6th overall) (via Betway) Is this a bet worth taking? WinRead More →

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We’ve seen rebuilds go horribly wrong and teams crumble before our eyes. But what happens when we see a rebuild go horribly right? The New York Rangers seem to be knocking this rebuild out of the park, but what exactly are we in for? Let’s preview the Rangers’ upcoming season: Notable Players In: Kaapo Kakko, Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Neal Pionk, Kevin Shattenkirk First Key Game: Washington Capitals – October 18th. This game will be the first big challenge for the growing Rangers. They play a few divisional rivals beforehand but a road game against a recent StanleyRead More →

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Following up an impressive 2018-19 season, the upcoming edition of the New York Islanders looks much the same, with little improvement on paper, and some certain question marks surrounding their ability to follow up an appearance in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with similar success. Notable Players In: Semyon Varlamov, Derick Brassard Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Robin Lehner, Valtteri Filppula, Stephen Gionta First Key Game:  October 4, 2019 vs. Washington Capitals Odds to win the division 5:1 (t-3rd overall) (via Betway) Is this a bet worth taking? Considering the Islanders came out of nowhere last season, surprising the NHLRead More →

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The 2018-19 season was a season of misfortune in Newark. From Cory Schneider‘s nagging injury troubles and Keith Kinkaid‘s early inability to prove his worth as a starting goaltender, to Taylor Hall‘s mysterious injury which left Devils fans playing an impossible-to-win game of “Where’s Hall-though?” (which can only be described as a sick and twisted version of Where’s Waldo?), New Jersey had a number of excuses to turn to for such a poor season. The summer months, however, saw a number of reasons for optimism entering the 2019-20 campaign. Notable Players In:  P.K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, John Hayden, Nikita Gusev, Jack Hughes Embed from GettyRead More →

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Just a bunch jerks… after the team that became the target of Don Cherry made their run to the Eastern Conference finals will they be able to rock the league again this season? Notable Players In: Erik Haula, Ryan Dzingel, Anton Forsberg, James Reimer, Patrick Marleau (aka a 1st round pick) Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Calvin de Haan, Patrick Marleau First Key Game: 10/5/2019 vs. the Washington Capitals Odds to win the division 5:1 (t-3rd overall) (via Betway) Is this a bet worth taking? No, I’d stay away. While the 5:1 odds may seem tempting to be in a division with theRead More →

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“Don’t fix what isn’t broken” is a timeless saying. We apply it to the radical change of person, thing, or idea where it’s entirely unnecessary. This case is up for debate as the Carolina Hurricanes have gone a very different route with their newest incarnation of their away jersey. Let’s take a look at this fresh out of the oven piece. Enemies, take warning ⚠️ @CanesNHL are bringing their name in bold to rival territory this season. #NHL #adizero #adidashockey pic.twitter.com/4110Nks1Ec — adidas Hockey (@adidashockey) August 20, 2019 Background The Carolina Hurricanes have hyped this jersey up for weeks now on social media, and weRead More →

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Over the past three seasons, the New York Rangers have put together an incredible pool of prospects. Through a very confusing, accelerated rebuild, they’ve been given some top picks and have made plenty of smart selections. It’s time to take a dip into the Rangers’ prospect pool! Kaapo Kakko, F Starting off this review will be the second overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kaapo Kakko. Kakko seemed to be penned in as the set-in-stone 2nd overall pick for most of last season. As draft time came around, quite a lot of the general public realized just how good Kaapo Kakko is andRead More →