When it comes to making the NHL playoffs – and doing something once you’re there – an outsized factor at play is the division you’re in.
The top three teams in each league division make the playoffs along with two wild cards in each conference, meaning the squads you do battle with most are also the ones you’re competing with for valuable spots in the standings. Twenty-six of 82 games are against division foes, and these are the squads you must do well against to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So how does the Metropolitan Division stack up as the Blue Jackets enter their 25th season and hope to snap a five-year playoff drought?
It was a busy offseason across the Metro as teams looked to improve their squads, and more than half of the teams were trying to rebound from missing the postseason a year ago. The Atlantic Division claimed both wild card spots in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25, meaning just three Metro teams (Carolina, New Jersey and Washington) made the postseason, with Columbus taking fourth place in the standings and missing the playoffs by two points.
The Blue Jackets have a young core that hopes to make the franchise a consistent contender for years to come, but others are in varying states of either trying to get over the hump or building to their next run of success.
The Metropolitan Division was the class of hockey in the mid-2010s, as Pittsburgh won Cups in both 2016 and ‘17, with Washington following a year later. However, a Metro team hasn’t made it to the Stanley Cup Final since the Capitals won it all.
Is this the year Carolina finally gets over the hump? Can New Jersey and Washington sustain or even build on last season’s playoff appearances? Will the Rangers, Islanders, Penguins or Flyers move up the standings? And how do the Blue Jackets fit into all of this?
We try to answer some of those questions as we look at how the offseason has gone for Metro squads.
Carolina Hurricanes
2024-25 record: 47-30-5 (second place; lost to Florida in Eastern Conference final)
Notable additions: F Nikolai Ehlers, D K’Andre Miller, D Mike Reilly
Notable departures: F Jesper Fast, D Brent Burns, D Scott Morrow
Notable draft picks: G Semyon Frolov (second round, 41st overall), C Charlie Cerrato (second round, 49th overall), C Ivan Ryabkin (second round, 62nd overall)
Vs. CBJ: at CAR Dec. 9, at CBJ March 17, at CBJ March 31, at CAR April 1
Outlook: The Carolina train keeps on rolling, as Rod Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes have made it to the playoffs in each of his seven seasons and won at least a series in six of them. Getting over the hump has been the issue, though, as for all of that success, the Canes have yet to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. With a large budget of cap room this offseason, Carolina was active, signing one of the top free agents on the board in Ehlers and adding Miller along the blue line in a trade with the Rangers. Playing their trademark smothering style and with a new offensive weapon up front, the Canes will once again be favored to be one of the top teams in the Metro and a Stanley Cup contender.
New Jersey Devils
2024-25 record: 42-33-7 (third place; lost to Carolina in first round)
Notable additions: F Thomas Bordeleau, F Connor Brown, F Evgenii Dadonov, F Arseniy Gritsyuk
Notable departures: F Nathan Bastian, F Erik Haula, F Daniel Sprong, F Tomas Tatar, D Brian Dumoulin
Notable draft picks: F Conrad Fondrk (second round, 50th overall), F Ben Kevan (second round, 63rd overall)
Vs. CBJ: at CBJ Oct. 13, at NJD Dec. 1, at CBJ Dec. 31, at NJD Feb. 3
Outlook: Led by such standouts as No. 1 overall picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, New Jersey looked like a team on the rise two seasons ago, as a 49-point jump in the standings vaulted the team into the playoffs. The last two years have been plagued by injuries, though, and without Hughes, the Devils were unable to keep pace with Carolina in the opening round a season ago. If Hughes can stay healthy, he’s one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league and leads a capable bunch up front that also features Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. This remains a team that should be in the playoff hunt with the possibility of being elite, especially if dynamic young defenders Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec take the next step.
New York Islanders
2024-25 record: 35-35-12 (sixth place)
Notable additions: D Ethan Bear, F Jonathan Drouin, F Emil Heineman, G David Rittich, F Maxim Shabonov
Notable departures: F Hudson Fasching, D Noah Dobson, D Mike Reilly
Notable draft picks: D Matthew Schaefer (first round, 1st overall), F Victor Eklund (first round, 16th overall), D Kashawn Aitcheson (first round, 17th overall), F Daniil Prokhorov (second round, 42nd overall)
Vs. CBJ: at NYI Nov. 2, at CBJ Dec. 28, at CBJ Feb. 28, at NYI March 22
Outlook: The Islanders hung around the playoff race for much of last season but didn’t have the offense (28th in NHL in scoring) or special teams (31st in power play and penalty kill) to keep pace by the end of the season. A new management crew led by GM Mathieu Darche was welcomed by the prize of receiving the No. 1 overall pick, and Schaefer headlined a strong draft class that could start providing dividends sooner rather than later. The trade of Dobson – who reached 70 points two years ago – hurt the blue line, but a return to health from standout forward Mat Barzal (limited to 30 games) should boost the forward group. Not many will pick the Islanders to be a playoff team this upcoming season, but the future looks bright after this draft.
New York Rangers
2024-25 record: 39-36-7 (fifth place)
Notable additions: D Vladislav Gavrikov, D Scott Morrow, F Taylor Raddysh
Notable departures: F Nicolas Aube-Kubel, D Zac Jones, F Arthur Kaliyev, F Chris Kreider, D K’Andre Miller
Notable draft picks: F Malcolm Spence (second round, 43rd overall)
Vs. CBJ: at CBJ Nov. 15, at NYR March 2, at CBJ March 19
Outlook: So what will the Rangers be in 2025-26? After conference finals appearances in 2022 and ‘24, New York was off to a solid start (12-4-1) this past season before a bevy of distractions – including the trades of captain Jacob Trouba and forward J.T. Miller – sent the team into a funk it could never really get out of. The Rangers went 4-15-0 after the first 17 games, righted the ship a bit, then won just eight of their last 21 games with a potential playoff spot within reach. The offseason has been similarly turbulent with the trades of key pieces Kreider and Miller, though the moves were offset by the signing of Gavrikov to boost the blue line. Any team with talents like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin is dangerous, and the Rangers are hoping new coach Mike Sullivan can calm the waters and get the best out of the squad.
Philadelphia Flyers
2024-25 record: 33-39-10 (eighth place)
Notable additions: F Christian Dvorak, D Noah Juulsen, G Dan Vladar, F Trevor Zegras
Notable departures: F Jakob Pelletier, F Ryan Poehling
Notable draft picks: F Porter Martone (first round, 6th overall), F Jack Nesbitt (first round, 12th overall), D Carter Amico (second round, 38th overall), F Jack Murtagh (second round, 40th overall), F Shane Vansaghi (second round, 48th overall)
Vs. CBJ: at CBJ Jan. 28, at PHI March 14, at PHI March 24
Outlook: John Tortorella is out in Philadelphia, replaced by Rick Tocchet, who hopes to work a turnaround in the City of Brotherly Love similar to his start in Vancouver a few seasons ago. The Flyers have gone five seasons without playoff hockey, largely because of a lack of stars up front (24th in NHL in scoring a season ago) and shaky goaltending (a league-worst .872 save percentage last year). The additions of Zegras and Vladar should help in those regards, and Matvei Michkov looks like a burgeoning star up front to join the ever-consistent Travis Konecny. Time will tell if Philly can make a big jump this upcoming season, but there are some pieces there – particularly among the forwards – that could make this a team on the rise sooner rather than later.
Pittsburgh Penguins
2024-25 record: 34-36-12 (seventh place)
Notable additions: D Alex Alexeyev, F Justin Brazeau, D Connor Clifton, D Mathew Dumba, F Anthony Mantha, G Arturs Silovs, D Parker Wotherspoon
Notable departures: D Matt Grzelcyk, D Pierre-Olivier Joseph, G Alex Nedeljkovic
Notable draft picks: F Ben Kindel (first round, 11th overall), F Bill Zonnon (first round, 22nd overall), F Will Horcoff (first round, 24th overall), D Peyton Kettles (second round, 39th overall)
Vs. CBJ: at PIT Oct. 25, at CBJ Nov. 28, at CBJ Jan. 4, at PIT Jan. 17
Outlook: After consecutive fifth-place finishes in the Metro in 2023 and ‘24, Pittsburgh fell to seventh a year ago amid its third straight campaign without playoff hockey. It hasn't been because of any drop-off in Sidney Crosby’s play, as the all-time legend again topped a point-per-game pace at age 37, but the supporting cast is far from it once was. The Pens also finished tied for 29th in the league in team defense thanks in part to a revolving door in net, one the team hopes to fill either with a return to form from Tristan Jarry, the addition of Silovs or the development of youngster Joel Blomqvist. Pittsburgh tried to fill in some around the edges this offseason, turned the page from Sullivan to new head coach Dan Muse, and made three first-round draft picks. Discount Crosby at your peril, but the eyes appear to be largely on the future in the Steel City.
Washington Capitals
2024-25 record: 51-22-9 (first place; lost in second round to Carolina)
Notable additions: D Declan Chisholm, F Justin Sourdif
Notable departures: D Alex Alexeyev, F Lars Eller, F Andrew Mangiapane, F Taylor Raddysh
Notable draft picks: F Lynden Lakovic (first round, 27th overall), F Milton Gastrin (second round, 37th overall)
Vs. CBJ: at CBJ Oct. 24, at WSH Nov. 25, at WSH Dec. 7, at CBJ April 14
Outlook: Washington had one of the more memorable regular-season campaigns of all-time, racing out to a 21-6-2 start and pacing the Metro for the entirety of the season. Oh, and Alexander Ovechkin made history, breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record to set off a leaguewide celebration. But it seemed the Caps extended quite a bit of energy throughout those accomplishments and petered out in the postseason, falling 4-1 to the Canes in the second round. The 51-win season was a big jump after the Caps averaged 39.7 wins the previous three campaigns, and it was also a successful turning of the page from such franchise legends as Niklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. The Caps lost some depth and may come back to the pack some after such a charmed campaign, but they should continue to be in the mix thanks to the continued presence of Ovechkin as well as the emergence of such youngsters as Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael.
