Not too long ago, the Metropolitan Division was considered arguably the strongest in the NHL, with the Pittsburgh Penguins led by Sidney Crosby and the emerging Carolina Hurricanes at the forefront.
Now things have taken quite a turn, with our Alex Chauvancy recently making the argument that the division is in its weakest spot in years going into this season. This plays into the New York Rangers’ advantage, who are looking to rebound after a disastrous 2024-25 without having to deal with the mammoth two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
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That said, the Blueshirts will have competition this season, with the biggest threats to them ranked in order.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are in an interesting position to start this season. On one hand, it feels like a rebuilding year, with the team poised to finish near the bottom of the standings, especially after trading their number one defenseman, Noah Dobson.
But then you take a deeper dive into the unknowns – and that’s where things get interesting. A major reason is having arguably the league’s best prospect pool, which includes 2025 first overall pick Matthew Schaefer. It’s fair to expect him to make the roster out of training camp. Then there’s Calum Ritchie, who also has a chance to make an impact this season at the NHL level. Moreover, the Islanders signed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) star Maxim Shabanov. Plus, would the Islanders strike a deal to sign Cole Eiserman to play near the end of 2025-26, who could very well contend for the Hobey Baker in his upcoming college season?
Then you look at some of the players currently at the NHL level. Mathew Barzal is, of course, an elite talent. Bo Horvat is a solid top-six player, as is recent free agent signing Jonathan Drouin. The blue line includes steady options like Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech. But the biggest question lies in the net. Will Ilya Sorokin bounce back to his elite form? If he does and some prospects boom this season, the Islanders could be a problem. But think more as a pesky wild card team – rather than a contender to win the Metro.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are coming off an impressive 2024-25, finishing first in the Metro. Still, the reason we rank them so low on the list? Nothing scares you enough about them to think of them as a true powerhouse in the Metro. A big reason for their success last season was the play of Logan Thompson between the pipes, who saved a lucrative 26 goals above expected in 43 regular-season games in 2024-25, according to MoneyPuck. Throughout much of his career, in his first few seasons, Thompson has been featured as a backup goaltender and has saved around a goal above expected each season. Maybe 2024-25 is a sign of things to come for the 28-year-old – but history tells you Thompson will regress to some degree, which would likely significantly impact the Capitals in the standings.
Additionally, the Capitals lack elite talent up front. Some of their highest-paid players, including Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson, only mirror the play seen in their prime years. However, younger roster players with high upside, including Alexei Protas, Connor McMichael and Ryan Leonard, could add an interesting dynamic to the Capitals this season. To sum it up, the Capitals are a good team, but they bring nothing to the table to scare top contenders in the division. But they will bring the Rangers competition without question for a wild card position or the third spot in the Metro.
New Jersey Devils
After getting competent goaltending last season, it was no surprise to see the New Jersey Devils back in a playoff position after a disappointing 2023-24 season. Jacob Markström and Jake Allen seem like great short-term options for the Newark-based team.
One worry is Jack Hughes’ health. He has been forced to miss a significant amount of time in his NHL career due to several injuries, including multiple significant shoulder injuries (one of which cost him to miss the rest of last season). The other issue is that outside of Hughes and Jesper Bratt, there’s not a lot of explosive forward talent. Nico Hischier, who has been hovering around a point per game, is an elite second-line center – but that’s really it. Timo Meier has been a major disappointment since the Devils traded for him two years ago, and once promising Dawson Mercer has seen his scoring decline since posting 56 points in the 2022-23 regular season.
But as long as one of Allen or Markström can handle No. 1 goalie duties this season and Hughes plays the majority of 2025-26, I see no reason why they won’t finish as one of the top three teams in the Metro. Plus, there’s too much talent on the blue line from veterans like Dougie Hamilton to younger players like Luke Hughes. The Devils have strength on the backend and down the middle – it’s just a matter of whether goaltending can continue to provide stability.
Carolina Hurricanes
For years now, the Carolina Hurricanes have been the model of consistency in the NHL. Led by Rod Brind’Amour, the organization has led the NHL in expected goals for percentage from 2022-25 (57.63 percent), according to Natural Stat Trick.
The coaching combined with depth makes it hard to find a hole on the entire roster. However, what holds the Hurricanes back every season from winning a Stanley Cup is two things: goaltending and another game-changing star forward. Nikolaj Ehlers will, without doubt, make the Hurricanes better – but there’s a good chance he isn’t the latter piece the Hurricanes have been searching for.
In between the pipes, Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov might not be good enough to win a Stanley Cup, but have proven they can hold down the fort during the regular season. The Hurricanes are probably the safest pick to win the Metro Division this season if you had to bet on it. Should the Rangers return to Presidents’ Trophy contention (though unlikely), it’s fair to expect the Hurricanes right there in the race with them.
Outside of the Hurricanes, powerhouses don’t really exist in the Metro. The Devils are talented enough, but have questions about their biggest star’s health. The Capitals will likely regress after overachieving last season, while the Islanders might be up and coming, but likely won’t be ready to compete head-on with the top teams in the Metro. Abysmal goaltending will probably cause the Penguins to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.
Where the Rangers finish in the Metro remains unknown. But after making some changes in the past year, it’s fair to at least expect them back in the playoffs, and a weaker division could make that hope much more likely.
