Metro Mash-Up: Projecting Where All 8 Teams Finish

The debate over which NHL division reigns supreme is a never-ending one, and if you've ever tried to settle it, you know how passionate the arguments can get. When it comes to the Metropolitan Division, the conversation heats up even more. Known for its fierce competition and consistently strong teams, the Metro Division is always a force to be reckoned with. From seasoned powerhouses to rising contenders, this division promises an exciting and unpredictable season.

1. New York Rangers

With no major losses this offseason, I expect the Rangers to repeat last seasons success and finish amongst the top 3 across the league; which of course means that they will most likely finish #1 in the Metro. The team did lose Barclay Goodrow by placing him on waivers so that the Sharks could get him (after Goodrow vetoed a trade to the Sharks, yikes). Apart from that though, the team still has all of its top players in Kreider, Panarin, Fox, Trocheck, Shesterkin, etc. which means there aren’t many reasons to argue that this team won’t find the same success that they did last year. The rumours surrounding Jacob Trouba are interesting, since if he is to leave, then the team will have $13,000,000 in cap space - and still a very competitive roster. I like the off season addition of Rielly Smith for his additional scoring. He is currently projected on the first line, per DailyFaceoff, but I could see Lafrenière sliding up in the lineup. In that case, I expect Smith to take the spot on the second line, unless Kapo Kakko can really take a huge step over the summer. Regardless, This team has offensive stars, forward depth, size, strong defence and GREAT goaltending - everything (and more) you need to be a contender.

2. New Jersey Devils

I’ll admit it, I thought that New Jersey last year was going to be great, but the tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid should have been a huge red flag (it tanked my fantasy season). This time around, I am much more confident in the abilities of this team and the way that I expect them to bounce back from last year’s disaster. Their biggest worry last year was goaltending, which is now a tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen - what an improvement; as well as a few question marks surrounding their d-core following a substantial injury to Dougie Hamilton. This year, Hamilton will be back and healthy, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec will (hopefully) continue to take steps in their progression, but the additions of Brett Pesce AND Brenden Dillon? Wow. For the forward group, I hope to see Jack Hughes stay healthy, and if he can stay healthy, lock him in to break the 100 point mark for the first time in his young career. Jesper Bratt is coming off of his best season of his career, and might be able to take another step alongside Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat on the first line (unless Meier slides up). Speaking of Timo Meier, it would be huge for this team if he could get back to his 2021 self, where he posted 76 points through 77 games for the San Jose Sharks. With new head coach Sheldon Keefe behind the bench, the team will definitely have a few different structural looks, but Keefe is going to look like a coaching god in comparison to Lindy Ruff, but all because of the major updates made on the defensive side of the puck. This will be the best defence/goaltending that Keefe has coached so far, yet still a young, talented forward group that he has plenty of experience with. Devils fans, get ready for a much better season than the last…

3. Carolina Hurricanes:

Despite losing many big names this offseason (Pesce, Skjei, Guentzel), etc., the Canes still have a decent forward group, strong defense and an acceptable(?) goalie tandem of Andersen and Kochetkov. The reason I believe they have any chance of still finishing at the top of the Metro comes down to the fact they still have Sebastian Aho down the middle, with Rod “The Bod” Brind’Amour manning the bench. These two have been with Carolina since 2018, and finished 4th, 4th, 1st, 1st, 1st & 2nd within their division since his hiring as Head Coach. With these two trying to find the same success, coupled with an above average d-core, I could see them doing some damage. A part of me still really does believe that the Caps might have something to prove, so this team should watch their backs.

4. Washington Capitals: 

This was a team I was thinking of maybe, possibly putting at #3 (I wrote an entire 350 words on it and then realised I didn’t fully agree with myself), but this team deserves some credit for the legitimate improvements that they made. I think that in between President of Hockey Ops (and ex-GM) Brian MacLellan and current General Manager, Chris Patrick, they have done a really good job of putting this team in a position to improve upon last year without mortgaging the future. I think the swap of Kemper for Pierre Luc-Dubois was interesting to say the least, but the trade bringing in Logan Thompson made it all make sense. I love them adding a 2C behind Dylan Strome, with Backstrom unfortunately (likely) not playing another game due to injuries. As well, the goalie tandem of Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson is a huge improvement on the inconsistency that this team saw last year in the Caps goalie tandem. So, with this team having improved a FAIR amount, I expect them still in a wild card spot, but that is only because of the competition in the top half of the East - this team is a lot better than last year and they’re going to prove that. 

5. New York Islanders

This team is maybe not the most interesting to watch in the league, but they do have Patrick Roy behind the bench which adds a little flair. As far as upstairs goes, Lamoriello certainly has brought a unique culture to this team, but along with that he has built a roster that will never be bad and never be good. This team has been the definition of a middle-of-the-pack team, having averaged an intra-division ranking of 4.1/8 over the past decade (see, I wasn’t lying about “middle of the pack”). That being said, this team has a few great names like Matthew Barzal, Noah Dobson, and Ilya Sorokin looking to drag this team to the postseason to once again, only to lose to the Hurricanes. Okay, I am done bullying Islanders fans, it probably isn’t easy being the 3rd best team within 35 miles of you. I am actually done now. 

6. Pittsburgh Penguins

Hello, Kyle Dubas, welcome to your performance evaluation (he is definitely reading this). Changes have definitely been made within the Penguins organisation with Dubas at the helm, all the way from management, down to the players on the ice, but will it be enough? No, it just won't be. Anyways, this team has a few traits that I really like, starting with their centre depth. Crosby is a player I can’t make jokes about, as he is the identity of this team since he first put the jersey on. He always shows up when it matters, and will not be pleased with another year of not making the playoffs. On the second line, Evgeni Malkin centres Bunting and Rakell, and newly-added Kevin Hayes on the third with Beauvillier and Puustinen. Although the average age of 35 isn’t ideal amongst those 3, it provides structure down the middle with experience that might provide some stability throughout the season. As far as the defence goes, I like the structure that Dubas has provided, with a few puck-movers in Letang and Karlson, with Ryan Graves and Marcus Petterson looking to lock-down the pairs. Graves may not be the exact player they were expecting to get during last year's free agency, but the real concern lies in the third pair of Matt Grzelcyk and Jack St. Ivany. Anyways, I can’t see a world where this team makes the playoffs, and as much as I respect Crosby’s loyalty to this team, I’d be lying if I said I would be mad to see him end up in Colorado somehow with his buddy Nathan McKinnon. 

7. Columbus Blue Jackets

Time for my favourite NHL team from Ohio! This team has been on quite the cold streak over the last several decades, only having finished as high as 3/8 within the division just twice, since 2000-2001. So, yeah, not ideal. Anyways, I like the addition this offseason of Sean Monahan,  but this team is still several pieces away from doing any damage within their division. Goaltending definitely needs to see some improvements over the next few years, but a highlight within this franchise are the names of Kent Johnnson, Adam Fantilli, David Jiricek and Zach Werenski (unless 26 is too old?). I can say I look forward to watching the progression of these players over the season & the reuniting of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, but that is about it for points of optimism within Columbus. Something that does give me hope for this team moving forward is Don Waddell joining the organisation, who was able to find a good amount of success down south with the Hurricanes. I don’t really know what else to say about this team so let’s go talk about #8.

8. Philadelphia Flyers

Penguins fans, I am sure you didn’t appreciate my words in your section, but hopefully seeing the Flyers at 8 is some sort of consolation for you? Philadelphia has a few players that could be really impactful on a contending team such as Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, and Garnett Hathaway; with a great prospect in Matvei Michkov, who is set to join the team this season and will make an immediate impact (and is my favourite for the Calder). Apart from that, there are a few other young players with definite potential like Owen Tippett, Jamie Drysdale, and Morgan Frost (again I don’t know if 25 counts as young?). The Flyers had a surprisingly good start to the season last year, (I still am not sure how) with a record of 19-11-4, pushing half way through the season. The team did see a major shift in performance when Carter Hart was playing vs. no longer with the team, and unfortunately Samuel Ersson just wasn’t ready to take over the starter position. With Ersson still in place to be the starter, and a less than ideal d-core, AND a forward group with some holes, I see Philly ending up at the bottom of the Metro and maybe selling a few pieces at the trade deadline such as Scott Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen, to help build around a future of Michkov and Tippett.