With NHL preseason beginning later this month, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the rest of the Metropolitan Division are getting ready for another season. Most of the big offseason moves have already happened so where do the Penguins currently stand among the other teams in the Metro?
1. New York Rangers
Last season, the New York Rangers went all the way to the Eastern Conference Final where they were eliminated by the Florida Panthers. They are still the strongest team in the Metro, however, they could be challenged this season. For the most part, they had a pretty quiet offseason adding Reilly Smith from Pittsburgh at 75 percent of his contract. They lost defenseman Erik Gustafsson to free agency but will more than likely fill his spot with Zac Jones.
The most noteworthy thing about the Rangers’ offseason was the lack of extension for goalie Igor Shesterkin, whose contract expires after this season. At this point, the general consensus is that both sides will come to an agreement, however Shesterkin will be looking for a big raise. New York has a good group in the top six, but their depth may struggle. Filip Chytil battled injuries most of last season and only played in 10 regular season games. Kaapo Kakko only had 19 points in 61 games last season. There is a good chance that the Blueshirts will be challenged for the number one spot in the Metro this season.
2. Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes lost some key players over the offseason including Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei. Forwards Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis both signed extensions to remain in Carolina this season. Jordan Martinook also re-signed a three-year deal as did defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.
Carolina performs well during the regular season, winning 50 or more games the last three years in a row. However, the postseason is where they seem to struggle. Last year, they lost to the Rangers in Round 2 in six games and in 2022-23 they made it all the way to the conference finals only to get swept by the Florida Panthers. Their turnover in the offseason was extremely high, so now the question is, did they do enough to remain competitive?
3. Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals made a brief postseason appearance last year losing to the Rangers 4-0 in Round 1. They have had a very productive summer adding players like Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun to their defense. Roy played for the Los Angeles Kings last season and had five goals and 20 assists in 81 games. He was also a powerhouse on the Kings penalty kill unit, which ranked second in the NHL.
Chychrun played in 82 games with the Ottawa Senators last season and recorded 14 goals and 27 assists. He averaged 22:23 of ice time per game and recorded 16 power play points. He is a powerful left-handed defenseman with a strong offensive game. The Capitals definitely upgraded their roster over the offseason and they could be a dark horse in the Metro this season.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have missed the playoffs the last two years in a row and have pretty much been written off and not expected to do much. However, president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas has been making moves all summer in an effort to make the team younger and still be competitive this season. Perhaps his biggest move of the offseason was the acquisition of forward Rutger McGroarty, who is one of the league’s top prospects. At 20 years old, there is a strong chance McGroarty will make the top-six in his first training camp with Pittsburgh.
Owen Pickering is another promising young player who could also make the opening night roster and be a huge contributor on defense. Dubas also strengthened the bottom six adding Kevin Hayes, Cody Glass and Blake Lizotte. If the Penguins can get good goaltending from their starter Tristan Jarry this season they may just surprise some people.
5. New York Islanders
Somehow the New York Islanders got into the playoffs last season and always seem to be that team that just keeps hanging around. Goalie Ilya Sorokin may just be the best player on the team with a .908 save percentage (SV%) last season. The Islanders stayed pretty quiet over the summer with the exception of the Anthony Duclair signing. Duclair signed a four-year, $14 million contract on July 1. He is a reliable depth player who can make a difference no matter where he is on the ice. He will definitely be a weapon for New York heading into the season.
6. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils had an off year in 2023-24 dealing with injuries for most of the season. Dougie Hamilton missed 62 games and Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat and Nico Hischier all missed more than ten games. Combine that with a head coach in Lindy Ruff who severely mismanaged the roster until he was fired in March and we all saw the results. If they can get better goaltending this season out of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, and stay healthy, then they may just return to their former glory.
7. Philadelphia Flyers
The biggest move for the Philadelphia Flyers this summer was the signing of their 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov. Last season, the Flyers looked really good until the month of March when everything fell apart. They went 7-11-4 over the final 22 games of the year. Michkov is projected to slip right into their first line and give them a huge boost this season. They also brought back defenseman Erik Johnson and re-signed Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula. There were not many other changes to the lineup, and many are wondering if they did enough over the offseason to get back into the playoff mix.
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
It is just about impossible to think about playing hockey after the sudden passing of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew. This season will be long and extremely difficult for Columbus and their fans. New head coach Dean Evason has an impossible task ahead of him as he tries to understand the situation and lead the Blue Jackets at this time. There is no doubt that Gaudreau’s brothers-in-arms will be playing for him this season.
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One thing Blue Jackets fans can be optimistic about is the team’s farm system. They have some seriously good talent waiting in the wings, and if it is developed properly they could find themselves getting competitive at exactly the right time.
Who Will Be the Top Contenders in the Metro?
At this point, there are several teams in the Metro who will be competing for the top spots. It will be interesting to see if the Devils can bounce back after last season and the Penguins will be a team to watch with a lot of new, young talent. With preseason kicking off at the end of the month, fans do not have much longer to wait to see their favorite teams in action.
