As the calendar turns to October and teams across the NHL get ready for the puck to drop on their seasons, the Metropolitan Division is undoubtedly full of drama as the players’ talent and general parity of the division teams should make for a compelling season.
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Last season was a roller coaster in the Metropolitan Division as it saw one of the preseason favorites, the New Jersey Devils, fall to seventh, and the Pittsburgh Penguins also missed the playoffs for the second straight season after making it 16 straight. The division’s vanguard of the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Islanders each secured a playoff appearance and had notable offseasons, the New York teams as much for what they did not do and Carolina for the marquee players it lost. The division’s wild card is the Washington Capitals, who will be the focus of much attention following Alexander Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record. Combined with one of the best young coaches in the league, they will again look to surprise people and find their way back to the playoffs despite a lack of depth and unproven goaltending.
John Tortorella’s Philadelphia Flyers were a Jekyll and Hyde team all last season. Breaking out early and taking the league by storm before injuries, trades, and the loss of Carter Hart diminished the team. They are the most overlooked team in the division, bursting with talented players, though legitimate questions about depth remain. The final team is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who suffered an unimaginable tragedy this offseason with the death of Johnny Gaudreau. The team also jettisoned Patrik Laine and did not improve its goaltending. The Blue Jackets have a good core of talent, but this season is set to be complicated.
With 2023-24 in the rearview mirror, the focus is now on the upcoming season. Here are predictions for each individual team, followed by predictions for the division in full.
Carolina Hurricanes – 2023-24 Finish: 2nd Place, 111 Points
The Hurricanes went all-in last season. They loaded up at the trade deadline, most notably acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Penguins. Unfortunately, they could not advance past the second round, and the Rangers eliminated them four games to two. The offseason was a mixed bag. The team was able to retain Martin Necas but could not keep Guentzel. They watched veterans Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce leave big holes to fill in the defense.
Prediction #1 – Seth Jarvis Breaks Out
On Nov. 15, 2023, 21-year-old Seth Jarvis tore his labrum and rotator cuff in a game against the Flyers. He endured the pain and discomfort to deliver 33 goals in 81 games. He then scored nine points in 11 playoff games despite a broken finger. He then signed a $63 million extension to keep him in Carolina for the foreseeable future. With an entire offseason to heal, Jarvis is primed to improve on his stellar 2023-24 campaign and challenge the Hurricanes’ season goal record of 45. With the loss of Guentzel, Jarvis will be counted on to continue to grow into the franchise goal scorer role.
One of the league’s best-kept secrets, this is the season Jarvis becomes a household name league-wide and the first time he scores 40 goals.
Prediction #2 – Standings Slide
Granted, coming off of a 111-point season, there is little room to improve. This season, though, is a significant step back for the Hurricanes. The losses of Skjei and Pesce, the team’s second pair for four straight seasons, tops the list of departures. Add in Stefan Noesen, Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, and the loss of Jesper Fast for the season, and the team isn’t the same. They are primed for regression. The Hurricanes will have the most significant negative point differential of any team in the division year over year.
Prediction #3 – Trade Deadline Sellers
The Hurricanes had the opportunity to lock up some of their players long-term this offseason. They inked Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin to eight-year deals, but most of their other signings were short-term. Should the team falter in the first half of the season, they are set up to be major sellers at the deadline with many assets that will be coveted by teams fighting for the playoffs. Eight of their initial 23 roster players are on expiring contracts, including two of their three goaltenders and defenders, Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns. Necas will also be attractive at the deadline since he signed a two-year deal at a reasonable $6.5 million per season. Should the Hurricanes falter early, look for new general manager Eric Tulsky to sell at the deadline to clear cap space, accumulate assets, and allow him to remake the team around cornerstones like Slavin, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Jarvis.
Columbus Blue Jackets – 2023-24 Finish: 8th Place, 66 Points
After an unfathomable offseason, no team is more challenging to evaluate and forecast than the Blue Jackets. A team steeped in young talent and beset by profound tragedy in the death of Johnny Gaudreau just three years after the death of goaltender Matīss Kivlenieks. The team sought a fresh start by bringing in a new head coach, Dean Evason, and a general manager, Don Waddell, who was behind the sustained success in Carolina. The NHL announced earlier this week that the Blue Jackets could begin the season below the cap floor with an opportunity to become compliant as the season continues. With a mandate to now add salary, it will be interesting to see whether Waddell tries to take a big swing to fundamentally alter his team as the season opens or if he opts for more incremental additions.
Prediction #4 – Five Different 25 Goal Scorers
The Blue Jackets did not add much offensive firepower in the offseason, not because they couldn’t but because it was unnecessary. The club is teeming with offensive weapons in its top nine and has an opportunity to have at least five players end the season with 25 goals or more.
Last season, no player in Columbus scored more than 23 goals. That changes this season. If they can remain healthy, the Blue Jackets have at least seven players who could score 25. Five of those seven will reach that mark. New addition Sean Monahan, a close friend of Gaudreau, will play the season with a heavy heart and strong motivation and will likely be one of the five to break through 25. The others will be Adam Fantilli, Yegor Chinakov, Kiril Marchenko, and Boone Jenner.
Prediction #5 – Damon Severson Career Year Incoming
Often, players thrive in their second year after changing teams. Damon Severson has a chance to have a huge year this season, his second in Columbus. Severson is a unique two-way defenseman who will provide the secondary scoring and puck-moving that a quick-strike team like the Blue Jackets will need to thrive.
Evason can also rely upon Severson’s defense to help cover for his young forwards. In his final year in New Jersey, Severson proved he could be relied on defensively as his partners, from veteran Brendan Smith to rookie Kevin Bahl, had their best numbers alongside him. That versatility will be a huge boon for the Blue Jackets and allow them to continue to bring along young defensemen like David Jiricek.
New Jersey Devils – 2023-24 Finish: 7th Place, 81 Points
Injuries and goaltending caused the Devils to plummet more than 20 points from the season before. The falloff cost Lindy Ruff his job and led general manager Tom Fitzgerald to a reckoning that he needed to get bigger, stronger players with more snarl and a proven starting goaltender. Alluding to locker room issues last season, he vowed that his mantra this offseason was “no dickheads”.
This offseason, he executed that mission. The Devils acquired players with a focus on size and snarl in Paul Cotter, Brenden Dillon, and Stefan Noesen, and talented two-way players with a history of winning hockey, like Brett Pesce and Tomas Tatar. Fitzgerald finally found his goaltender, trading for Jacob Markstrom. Infusing a legitimate Vezina-caliber goalie has already given the team more confidence. Add in new head coach Sheldon Keefe’s three-zone, high-pressure system, which looks to be a good fit for the Devils’ team speed, and the team is well-positioned for a rebound season.
Prediction #6 – Dougie Hamilton Norris Trophy Finalist
Dougie Hamilton is a proper top-pair offensive defenseman and, when healthy, shapes the entire defense corps of the team. He has a unique ability to get his heavy shot both through traffic and on the net in the most critical moments. This was reflected best in 2022-23 when he was in the top one percent in the NHL of both shots on goal and goals coming from shots at long range. That season, the average NHL defenseman had 35 shots from long range, and Hamilton managed 130 shots on goal from that distance. His eight long-range goals were equally impressive, eight times as many as the NHL average. A healthy Hamilton is a unique weapon.
His success in 2022-23 merited more consideration for the Norris Trophy than he ultimately received. While San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson was the runaway favorite after scoring over 100 points, Hamilton deserved a better fate than finishing sixth in the voting. He finished the season second in goals (22), fourth in points (74), tied for the league lead in power-play goals (eight) and home goals (14), and was the outright leader in game-winning goals by a defenseman with seven. He compiled all these stats while playing 21 minutes a game and ending the season in the top 20 of plus/minus, posting a plus-23. With the new additions to New Jersey, there is no reason he cannot be counted on to improve on these numbers while anchoring one of the most complete defensive corps in the NHL which would merit serious consideration for the Norris Trophy.
Prediction #7 – Jack Hughes Eclipses 100 Points
Jack Hughes’ talent is undeniable. He is the most gifted home-grown forward in the Devils’ over 40-year history. His elite skating, stick handling, and high hockey IQ are matched only by his competitiveness. Hughes’ competitive drive likely worked against him last season as he pushed through a significant shoulder injury to will the Devils to the playoffs before ultimately choosing to shut it down in April and undergo season-ending surgery. He appears to have a healthy shoulder for the first time in probably three years and is set to deliver on his unbounded promise.
For the first month of the season, Hughes was the best player in the NHL. Arenas held their collective breath every time the puck was on his stick. His wizardry led the team to the top of the power play standings. At the time of his initial injury, he was leading the league in points and assists and ranked second in the league in power-play points, just one behind teammate Jesper Bratt. He was on pace for a staggering 180 points. After a difficult opening three games, the team was riding a three-game winning streak and had won five of six, including two in a row without Nico Hischier, until Hughes went down and the team never fully recovered. Two seasons ago, Hughes seemed poised to become the first Devil to reach the 100-point mark in a season but finished just shy, setting a franchise record with 99 points. Should he remain healthy, he will be the first Devil to reach 100, and it happens this season.
Prediction #8 – Timo Meier Scores 45
Timo Meier’s tenure as a Devil has been mired in inconsistency due to several severe injuries and curious deployment by the coaching staff. Despite playing through two knee injuries, Meier still topped out in the 92nd percentile in the entire NHL for top speed (per NHL Edge). He averages 31 goals and 143 hits per 82 games for his career. Add those skills with his speed, and you will have a tailor-made forward to play in the fast-paced, high-pressure system Keefe is looking to install. Meier is an underrated play driver who can skate pucks out of trouble through the neutral zone, enter the offensive zone, and immediately become a threat to score. He is one of New Jersey’s best forwards around the net, both as a screener and at corralling loose pucks and putting them home before the defense and goalie can react.
Meier is due for a season of health. Should he play 75 to 80 games, he could flirt with the 50-goal mark. In some ways, he may be the biggest beneficiary of the coaching change. Keefe has been known to coax huge seasons out of his stars and find ways to put goal scorers in a position to exploit their skill. Finding a way to utilize Meier on the power play better should be one of Keefe’s top priorities and net 45 goals.
New York Rangers – 2023-24 Finish: 1st Place, 114 Points
Coming off a Presidents’ Trophy, the New York Rangers spent the offseason looking to run it back again mostly. They did move Barclay Goodrow to the San Jose Sharks and attempted to move captain Jacob Trouba. The captain said this is the last run for this core, and as Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and others creep deeper into their 30s, Father Time is bound to catch up with them. The team possesses talent, experience, and world-class goaltending on par with anyone in the league. There are questions about secondary scoring and quality depth, but they have overcome these issues before. Last season, the team immediately took to head coach Peter Laviolette and tore their way through the regular season. It remains to be seen if Laviolette can command the same performance from his enigmatic players. Should they remain healthy, they will be in the mix for the division and have a real chance to end their 31-year Stanley Cup drought.
Prediction #9 – Alexis Lafreniere Will Lead the Rangers in Goals Scored
The former first-overall draft pick had a breakout season in 2023-24 and is poised to improve on that this season. Finding himself on a line with hard-charging center Vincent Trocheck and assist machine Panarin will provide Lafreniere with myriad opportunities to surpass his career-high of 28 goals. He will also get opportunities on the vaunted Rangers power play. With the attention that will be paid to Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, and Adam Fox, he should be the beneficiary.
Last season, 26 of his 28 goals came at even strength, with room to grow on the power play. He should be in the 35-40 goal conversation this season, and he is only 22. He further announced his ascendance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring 14 points in just 16 games, putting the entire NHL on notice that he was prepared to reach his lofty potential.
Prediction #10 – Kappo Kakko Will Not Be on the Playoff Roster
Unlike his fellow high draft pick Lafreniere, Kappo Kakko has not yet broken through. This offseason, he was the subject of much trade speculation. Instead, the Rangers signed him to a one-year deal, hoping it motivates him to achieve his potential. He is a year older than Lafreniere, selected by the Rangers one spot after Jack Hughes was taken by New Jersey, and has never lived up to his pre-draft hype. Kakko is an enigma. A big, strong winger with good touch around the net but tends to fade. After five seasons, he has settled into a middle-six role and remains a victim of high expectations. He has yet to score 20 goals in a season and would benefit from a fresh start on a team that doesn’t view him as someone they used such a valuable asset to acquire. He is forever linked to Hughes, and in the New York market, that is a comparison he cannot win. For all these reasons, both sides would benefit from trading Kakko before or at the deadline.
Prediction #11 – The Rangers Will Be Major Trade Deadline Players
It is no secret that general manager Chris Drury wants to continue to remake his team on the fly and find ways to get younger. The team does have good, young talent in the American Hockey League (AHL) and on the cusp of the NHL in Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perrault, and Zac Jones. Still, it also has several players staring down both restricted free agency with arbitration and unrestricted free agency. With the need to lock up Igor Shesterkin long-term or risk losing the most prized free agent in a decade, look for Drury to shave future salary at the deadline while looking to infuse the team with talent for a playoff run. Players poised to be on the block include Kakko, Jimmy Vesey, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, and Trouba. Moving a player like Trouba could be a controversial decision in the locker room, but clearing out his salary, considering that he has dipped to a third-pair defenseman, may just be good business for the Rangers.
New York Islanders – 2023-24 Finish: 3rd Place, 94 Points
The Islanders are another enigma. General manager Lou Lamoriello operates below the radar but has assembled impressive talent. He quietly turned over his roster while infusing it with young talent and speed and scrapping some of his older, slower players. The additions of Bo Horvat, Anthony Duclair, and others have transformed this team from one that can beat you by playing old-school, physical, grinding hockey with great goaltending to one that may outscore teams on a given night.
Last season, the Islanders began to fade as the play of stellar goaltender Ilya Sorokin dipped. Just before training camp began, it was made known that Sorokin had a back injury, received offseason surgery, and had an unclear timetable for a return to full health. Much of what happens with this team will hinge on getting a healthy Sorokin back to playing at a high level as soon as possible.
Prediction #13 – The Islanders are a Playoff Team
Far too many people are overlooking the Islanders this season. With the addition of Duclair and a healthy Sorokin, there is no reason to think the team should fall off. They will make the playoffs, not as a wild card entry. The team boasts excessive offensive talent, with the aforementioned Horvat and Duclair being joined by Mat Barzal, Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, and Anders Lee. An entire season of head coach Patrick Roy, coupled with one of the most complete defensive units in the league, should allow the Islanders to win in multiple ways, which is a recipe for sustained success.
Prediction #14 – The Best Defensive Unit in the Metro
The Islanders’ top six defensemen can match up with any team in the division and the NHL. Putting the offense aside momentarily, this defensive unit makes every night a problematic game for opponents. Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Noah Dobson, Alexander Romanov, and Scott Mayfield all blocked over 100 shots last season. The unit is young, fierce, and fearsome, averaging only 27 years old while not being afraid to drop the gloves and play physically, as led by Romanov’s 157 hits and Pulock’s 99 hits in only 58 games.
Dobson is a budding superstar. Breaking out last season with 70 points at just age 24, he gives the Islanders the bonafide offensive defenseman they had been lacking and has made the power play much more formidable. He was on the ice for 35 of the team’s 47 power-play goals last season. He also played to a plus-12, second on the team behind fellow defenseman Romanov’s plus-23. They may not be the flashiest unit, but none in the division are more consistent and versatile.
Prediction #15 – Simon Holmstrom and Maxim Tsyplakov will Combine for 50 Goals
Don’t look now but the Islanders are getting an infusion of young talent. Last season Simon Holmstrom broke out with 15 goals in 75 NHL games. The 22-year-old Swede is a pending RFA and poised to add to that career high. Fellow pending RFA Maxim Tsyplakov took a different route to the NHL having played last season across the Atlantic in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). There Tsyplakov put up gaudy numbers, scoring 31 goals in just 65 games. He is older at 26 but has already demonstrated his game will translate from the KHL to the NHL. Like Holmstrom, he is physically imposing at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and in the preseason has shown his ability to skate is not out of place in the NHL game. Time will tell, but Islanders fans should be excited about the influx of talented RFAs joining the roster this season.
Philadelphia Flyers – 2023-24 Finish: 6th Place, 87 Points
Last season’s version of the Flyers was difficult to predict. The team was in a fight for playoff position much of the season before injuries and trade deadline losses slowed their progress, yet they finished the season only four points out of a playoff spot. Philadelphia played with an edginess that John Tortorella teams are accustomed to playing with.
They were certainly physical and never backed down from a challenge, but the team showed it could skate with teams and sometimes outscore them. It built an identity on getting pucks to the net and finishing fourth in the NHL in shots on goal. Now, they face the challenge of building on last season’s successes without taking the step back teams often do after a quick step forward. They improved 12 points in one season; should they be able to do even half that this season, they would be in contention for a playoff bid. The talent is there to succeed, but in a division devoid of easy wins, the talent alone isn’t enough.
Prediction #16 – Flyers Make the Playoffs
The Flyers are a difficult team to play against. They have size, speed, snarl, and scoring. In possibly the last stop of his career, Tortorella has painstakingly built a bold and brutal team in his image. Last season was not a fluke. Had they not suffered injuries and the loss of goaltender Carter Hart, the Flyers would likely have made the playoffs. With a healthy team and the infusion of Matvei Mitchkov this season, they are ready to take the small jump needed to make the postseason.
Prediction #17 – Owen Tippett Breaks Out
Owen Tippett is a problem. He is a volume-shooting blur of a power forward. The 25-year-old is listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, but plays bigger. Last season, he was in the 99th percentile for top speed and speed bursts over 22 mph, the 98th percentile for shots on goal, and the 94th percentile for shot speed (Per NHL Edge). Further, he averages 131 hits per 82 games in his career, boasting 309 in his 176 games in Philly.
His skating stats don’t do him justice. Out of all NHL forwards, the average number of speed bursts above 22 mph is three; Tippett did that 46 times last season. With his speed and aggression, he needs to find a way to score more on the power play if he wants to reach the 30 or even 40-goal mark, which are both attainable. Last season, he only potted five power-play goals. Suppose he were to add three more as he did the season before; he would have been at 31 goals. Tippett has the potential to play the role Chris Kreider did for Tortorella’s Rangers, which had so much success just over a decade ago. In a division full of young, talented forwards, Tippett is one built for the modern game and has as bright a future as any Flyers forward in recent memory.
Pittsburgh Penguins – 2023-24 Finish: 5th Place, 88 Points
The Penguins are a team in transition, but their commitment to their core players is unwavering. General manager Kyle Dubas has sought to rebuild the team around its legendary core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. One casualty of that rebuild was star winger Jake Guentzel, who was moved at last season’s trade deadline and signed this summer by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Otherwise, they return the same team from last season that missed the playoffs. The team’s biggest splash, other than extending Crosby, was trading with the Winnipeg Jets for disgruntled prospect Rutger McGroarty. He is a talented forward and instantly improves the Penguins prospect pool – and will likely have an opportunity to make and stay with the NHL club this season.
Prediction #18 – Penguins Will Miss the Playoffs Again
After making the playoffs for 16 straight seasons, the Penguins have now missed the playoffs for two in a row. It is difficult to see how the team actually got better this offseason. Perhaps one could imagine that Erik Karlsson returns to his Norris Trophy ways and puts up another 100-point season, but the depth and talent don’t seem to be there for Pittsburgh. Betting against Crosby is usually a fool’s errand as the star center has continued to play at an elite level even as he enters his 20th NHL season. Crosby can’t do it alone and the team failed to add enough secondary scoring to overcome the loss of Guentzel and haven’t fixed the defense or goaltending issues that reared their head last season.
Prediction #19 – This is Mike Sullivan’s Final Year in Pittsburgh
Head coach Mike Sullivan has had unprecedented success at the helm of the Penguins. Last season was his first leading the team to a winning percentage below .550. He is a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach and will have plenty of opportunities, but his time in Pittsburgh appears to have run its course.
Most coaches have a shelf-life in a locker room, and a time comes when a team needs a new voice. Now is the time for Pittsburgh. Dubas is smart, having been through battles in Toronto, and he will not embarrass Sullivan and will give him the respect he is due.
Prediction #20 – Busy Deadline for Pittsburgh
The Penguins have six players on expiring contracts and five with two seasons left on their contracts – all without restriction on movement. Dubas would be wise if the team underperforms to leverage these players to gain assets to give him one more chance to win a Cup with Crosby.
A player like Lars Eller could be an attractive piece to a contender in March with his size and experience. Similarly, the team could bring back a good return for players like goalie Alex Nedeljkovic or Noel Acciari who could each play for two playoff runs for an acquiring team. A player like Kevin Hayes, who also has two years remaining, could resurrect his career in Pittsburgh and then command assets from a playoff team.
Washington Capitals – 2023-24 Finish: 4th Place, 91 Points
The Capitals were the surprise of the division last season. Inexplicably, they played rejuvenated hockey and made it into the postseason. It is virtually unheard of for a team with a minus-37 goal differential to make it into the playoffs, but the Capitals made it work. Eventually, they found a way to win close games and not sweat losing big.
Many predicted the season would devolve into solely being about Ovechkin’s chase of Gretzky’s scoring record. Instead, rookie head coach Spencer Carbery brought the team together and forged a path to the playoffs. Washington did not rest on its laurels, instead choosing to make big, bold offseason moves beginning with the acquisition of Pierre-Luc Dubois. They fortified the forward group with a trade for Andrew Mangiapane and an under-the-radar signing of Brandon Duhaime, whose speed and aggressive style will instantly make the Capitals more difficult to play against. The biggest moves though happened on the back end. Finding a way to add Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun to Rasmus Sandin and future Hall of Famer John Carlson makes them a threat to join the play on every shift. Add in an influx of young talent in Hendrix Lapierre and Connor McMichael, and this is a team that will surprise people this season and is set to sustain itself beyond being a goal-chasing sideshow.
Prediction #21 – Ovechkin Will Finish the Season Still Behind Gretzky
Ovechkin enters the season 41 goals away from the all-time record held by Gretzky. Last season after a slow start, he finished with 31 goals and 65 points. That matched the lowest full-season point output of his career and was the fewest goals he has scored in a full season. This may be the new normal for the Capitals captain. He just turned 39 and continues to play a physical, demanding game. Over the past two seasons, he has been credited with over 350 hits. He may be slowing down and potentially susceptible to injury as he ages since he plays such a physical game, but he has shown no signs of not being able to reach and eclipse Gretzky’s coveted record.
Prediction #22 – The Capitals will Lead the Division in Points From Defensemen
Washington took big swings this offseason after losing both T.J. Oshie and Niklas Backstrom for the season. Establishing a defensive top four of Carlson, Chychrun, Roy, and Sandin will cause opponents fits. The first three would be on top pairs and most teams’ top defensemen. To have three players at that level, coupled with a third pair of Trevor van Riemsdyk and Martin Fehervary, the Capitals could reasonably expect 170 to 200 points from their defense. Last season, the Rangers and Hurricanes led the division with 201 and 199 points, respectively. Each team has taken a step back on their defense, and the Capitals should be the beneficiaries.
Division-Wide Predictions
Prediction #23 – Special Teams and Faceoff Domination
Last season, the Hurricanes and Rangers finished in the top five in power play percentage and penalty kill. The Devils lurked just outside those positions, finishing 13th in power play and tenth in penalty killing. They were leading the league in power play percentage when Hamilton went down for the season. This season, they should climb back into the top five on the heels of a healthy Hamilton and a new scheme. With better goaltending and a fortified defense, they also should compete for a spot in the top five in penalty killing, joining the Rangers and Hurricanes.
The division is stacked at the faceoff dot with players like Nico Hischier, Crosby, Erik Haula, Sebastian Aho, Trocheck, and now Hayes. Based on last season’s numbers and offseason acquisitions, it is reasonable to believe that five of the top ten teams in faceoff percentage will come from the Metropolitan Division.
Prediction #24 – And the Award Goes to … A Metro Player or Coach
Undoubtedly, the division will have its share of successful players. The prediction is that the winners of the Vezina, Norris, and Jack Adams Trophies will come from the Metropolitan Division. There are many great candidates from within the division for each award. The Vezina will go to Sorokin, Shesterkin, or Markstrom. Jack Adams will go to Carbery, Roy, or Tortorella. And the Norris will go to Hamilton, Dobson, or Fox.
Prediction #25 – Division Winner and Playoff Teams
In reverse order, the teams will finish: Penguins, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, Flyers, Capitals, Rangers, Islanders, Devils.
The offseason moves by the Metro teams have made it the most competitive division in the NHL, top to bottom. Predicting the unpredictable is inevitably fraught with danger, but hopefully, these 25 predictions are a good guide to the teams and properly set expectations for the upcoming season. As last season showed, all it takes are injuries to the wrong players and a team that buys into a system, and anything can happen.
