Unlike the Central Division, which can be found here, the Metropolitan Division is extremely top heavy. The top three teams are elite and the bottom four through eight teams are either bad, or extremely mediocre. Lets dive into the Metropolitan Division.
8th | Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets should once again be in the basement of the Metropolitan Division. The Jackets received some devastating news this offseason, when star forward, Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew tragically passed away at the hands of a drunk driver in a senseless act. Now, the Jackets are forced to move on without their best player. Rest in Peace Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
On the hockey side of things, Columbus also traded away 2016 second-round pick Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug 19th. They have no real star power in their lineup. Their top line will probably consist of Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko, and newly acquired Sean Monahan. They do have youngsters in Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson ready to take that next step. However, Columbus is in full rebuild mode and won’t see the postseason for many years. They should be in last by a wide margin.
7th | Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers had a terrific start last season. They saw themselves in third place for a large portion. They eventually fell off and finished sixth, ahead of the Devils and Blue Jackets. Philadelphia lost their number one goalie in Carter Hart due to his involvement in the 2018 Canadian World Junior scandal. Therefore, the Flyers needed to rely on 24-year old Samuel Ersson between the pipes. He had a 2.82 goals-against average (GAA), and a .890 save percentage (SV%) in 51 games last year. He will be relied on heavily this season.
Philadelphia locked up Travis Konecny to an eight-year extension this offseason. They also have 19 year old Russian phenom, Matvei Michkov poised to make an immediate impact. If they continue to draft well and make smart decisions, they will compete for a playoff spot in the coming years. However, they are not there yet, especially in this division.
6th | Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in limbo. They are trying to win now with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang on their payroll. Crosby just inked a two-year extension, and Letang is signed for four more seasons. He will be 41 years-old at the end of his deal. They also acquired 34 year old defenseman, Erik Karlsson to help that aging core. However, they traded star player, Jake Guentzel at last years trade deadline. The Penguins need to consider a full on rebuild if they want to get back to the playoffs.
This team is old, and do not have the right supporting pieces in place. They will not be able to compete with the elite teams in the division. They are not winning with this current group, and should trade their core pieces while they still have value. This will be difficult since Crosby, Malkin, and Letang all have no movement clauses (NMC). Maybe these players waive those clauses at a chance for another Stanley Cup. Either way, the Penguins are in a tough spot and probably won’t make the playoffs for many years, unless they expedite a rebuild. They should finish no better than sixth this season.
5th | New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are always in the mix despite their lack of top end talent, and that shouldn’t change this year. They have solid depth on the blue line led by Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock, Alexander Romanov, and Adam Pelech. They also have arguably the best goalie tandem in the league with Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlomov.
Their big question is who will put the puck in the net? They have Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, but outside of that, their forward depth is incredibly thin. They have serviceable National Hockey League (NHL) players, but on elite playoff teams, the islanders basically have a second line, two third lines, and a fourth line. That shouldn’t be enough for a playoff spot, but the Islanders have surprised many people in the past.
4th | Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals aim to remain competitive this season. They added forwards, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane, defenseman Jacob Chychrun, and goaltender Logan Thompson through trades. They still have future Hall of Famer, Alex Ovechkin chasing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record. Overall, the Capitals did improve their lineup from last season and will most likely be chasing a wild card spot and Gretzky’s goal record.
3rd | New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils had a very disappointing season last year, finishing seventh in the division. However, expect a major bounce back from them this season with new head coach, Sheldon Keefe behind the bench. In the 2022-2023 season, they finished second in the Metro with 112 points. They defeated the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs before ultimately falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in round 2. The Devils are poised to get back to their winning ways this season with another playoff berth.
They solidified their goaltending by acquiring Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. They also improved their blue line by adding Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon through free agency. The Devils have a potent lineup. They are quick, and skilled, so they shouldn’t have a problem handling the slower, weaker teams in the division. However, Jack Hughes, and Dougie Hamilton’s health is a major concern. Hughes had 74 points in only 62 games last season. A healthy Jack Hughes can easily put up 100 points this season. If these players can stay healthy, the Devils will undoubtedly make the playoffs.
2nd | Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes lost some important pieces this off season, including Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei. They tried to compensate for those departures by adding defensemen, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Sean Walker through free agency. The Hurricanes still have an extremely deep blue line with Jaccob Slavin, Dmitry Orlov, and Brent Burns still on the roster.
However, their goaltending is a major concern. They have Frederik Andersen who can never stay healthy. Andersen can also be inconsistent at times. If Andersen gets hurt, they will have to rely on Pyotr Kochetkov which is not ideal. Their elite blue line should help mitigate some of their problems in net. This team is still good enough to secure home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
1st | New York Rangers
The defending Presidents’ Trophy winning New York Rangers are once again at the top of the class in the Metropolitan Division. The blue shirts are led by former Vezina Trophy winner, Igor Shesterkin between the pipes. They also have a Norris Trophy winner in Adam Fox on the blue line, as well as Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba and K’andre Miller back there. This defense core is extremely mean and tough to play against.
Their forward group has loads of talent with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Vincent Trocheck leading the charge. They also added Reilly Smith to their forward depth. Their forwards are well balanced, and have a great mix of skill and toughness in their lineup. This team is great on paper, and should repeat as Metropolitan Division winners.
Lastly, we will take a look at the Atlantic Division which is arguably the hardest division to predict. Keep it locked to Area 51 Sports Network throughout this NHL season.
Pacific / Central / Metropolitan / Atlantic (Oct. 2)