We’re less than a week away from the start of the National Hockey League’s 2025-26 season and today, it’s time for the third of my four divisional previews – the Metropolitan Division.
While the Washington Capitals had a solid offseason in 2024, no one could’ve predicted them to win the division last season and did so in emphatic fashion, winning 51 games, including 26 of 41 home games, which was not only good enough for first in the Metropolitan, but also in the Eastern Conference and second in the NHL’s overall standings.
Washington will have a tough time trying to repeat as Metropolitan Division champions this year. The majority of the division improved this summer and we could be in for a treat later on in the season with a number of these clubs vying for a top-three spot and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Carolina Hurricanes
Starting us off are the Carolina Hurricanes, who for the third time in the last seven seasons, lost in the Eastern Conference Final and this year, are hoping to finally get over the hump and into their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006.
General Manager Eric Tulsky was quite active this summer, making two major additions to his teams roster. Firstly, he acquired K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers in exchange for Scott Morrow, a conditional first-round pick, along with a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Miller then signed a long-term eight-year deal with the Hurricanes and will play a key role in their top-four.
A few days later, Tulsky landed one of the big fish on the league’s free agent market – Nikolaj Ehlers, who brings 674 games of experience to the Hurricanes and more importantly, will help the club offensively, with eight seasons of at least 20 goals under his belt.
If everyone remains healthy, there’s no reason why the Carolina Hurricanes can’t make a push for their first Metropolitan Division title since 2023.
Notable Additions: K’Andre Miller (D), Nikolaj Ehlers (F), Cayden Primeau (G), Mike Reilly (D).
Notable Subtractions: Dmitry Orlov (D), Brent Burns (D), Jack Roslovic (F), Spencer Martin (G).
Player To Watch: Alexander Nikishin.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:30 p.m. ET.
Columbus Blue Jackets
After barely missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have their sights set on returning to the postseason for the first time since 2020, but it’s going to be a tough task.
The Blue Jackets weren’t overly active in free agency, with their most notable move being the re-signing of pending UFA defenseman Ivan Provorov to a seven-year deal before he could hit the market. Aside from Provorov, the Blue Jackets did manage to add some nice depth pieces to their group, signing Isac Lundestrom and Dysin Mayo.
However on the trade front, that’s where General Manager Don Waddell got most of his business done. Columbus beefed up their forward group by adding Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood in a deal with the Colorado Avalanche, while also bringing in some goaltending depth last month, acquiring Ivan Fedotov from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Notable Additions: Charlie Coyle (F), Miles Wood (F), Ivan Fedotov (G), Isac Lundstrom (F).
Notable Subtractions: James van Riemsdyk (F), Luke Kunin (F), Sean Kuraly (F), Justin Danforth (F).
Player To Watch: Adam Fantilli.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th at Nashville Predators @ 8 p.m. ET.
New Jersey Devils
One team to keep an eye out for in the Metropolitan Division this season is the New Jersey Devils, if, and it’s a big if, key players such as Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier are able to stay healthy for the full year.
New Jersey Devils fans haven’t had an easy time for the last 13 seasons, with just three appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and a collective six wins. Since their appearance in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, the Devils have had a total of eight top-ten picks including the aforementioned Jack Hughes & Nico Hischier – both of whom were selected first overall, along with Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.
This summer, the Devils added some more scoring punch to their lineup by signing forwards Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov. New Jersey also managed to re-sign Jake Allen to a five-year deal, which will keep last year’s tandem of him and Jacob Markstrom intact.
We’ll have to wait and see how the season unfolds in The Garden State, but it’s hard to envision the Metropolitan Division standings next April without the New Jersey Devils as one of the top-three teams.
Notable Additions: Connor Brown (F), Evgenii Dadonov (F), Calen Addison (D), Thomas Bordeleau (F).
Notable Subtractions: Erik Haula (F), Tomas Tatar (F), Nolan Foote (D), Nathan Bastian (F).
Player To Watch: Dawson Mercer.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th at Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:30 p.m. ET.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders finished tenth-last in the National Hockey League’s overall standings during the 2024-25 season and while it looked like the club was destined to pick 10th overall in the 2025 Entry Draft, the club ended up winning the Draft Lottery and got the first overall pick, which they used to select defenseman Matthew Shaefer.
With a potential franchise defenseman in tow, the Islanders are hoping to build towards being a contender once again after coming within one win of the Stanley Cup Final back in 2021 and in order to do so, rookie General Manager Mathieu Darche was busy this summer.
Darche was able to land one of the top free agents out of Russia – Maxim Shabanov, while also bringing in former top-three pick Jonathan Drouin and some goaltending depth in David Rittich on July 1st. The Isles GM was also involved in one of the biggest trades this offseason, shipping Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for two first round picks – used to select Victor Eklund & Kashawn Aitcheson – as well as forward Emil Heineman.
Notable Additions: Emil Heineman (F), Jonathan Drouin (F), Maxim Shabanov (F), Matthew Shaefer (D), David Rittich (G).
Notable Subtractions: Noah Dobson (D), Scott Perunovich (D), Mike Reilly (D).
Player To Watch: Simon Holmstrom.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th at Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7 p.m. ET.
New York Rangers
It’s a big year in Manhattan as the New York Rangers celebrate their Centennial season with a new Head Coach behind the bench – Mike Sullivan, as well as a new captain , as J.T. Miller will wear the ‘C’ for the club after returning to The Big Apple in January following a trade with the Vancouver Canucks.
Last season didn’t go as the New York Rangers would have hoped, missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs one year after taking home the Presidents’ Trophy. New York has seen a lot of change on and off the ice in the last ten months, with Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider now members of the Anaheim Ducks, while defenseman K’Andre Miller shipped to the Carolina Hurricanes as he couldn’t agree to terms on a new deal with the Rangers.
Rangers General Manager Chris Drury had a nice offseason, landing one of the top free agent defensemen available – Vladislav Gavrikov, inking him to a seven-year deal. Drury also signed Taylor Raddysh to a two-year contract and former first-round pick Brendan Brisson to a one-year deal.
Notable Additions: Vladislav Gavrikov (D), Brendan Brisson (F), Taylor Raddysh (F), Scott Morrow (D).
Notable Subtractions: K’Andre Miller (D), Chris Kreider (F), Calvin De Haan (D), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (F).
Player To Watch: Will Cuylle.
First Game: Tuesday, October 7th vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 p.m. ET.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off their fifth consecutive season without playoff hockey and under new Head Coach Rick Tocchet – someone the fans are very familiar with from his 11 years with the club as a player – the organization is poised to take a step forward.
Flyers General Manager Danny Briere was looking to add to his top-six heading into the summer and a few days before the NHL Entry Draft in June, he was able to do exactly that. Philadelphia was able to land Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks, someone who was hoping for a fresh start after a difficult last couple of years in Southern California.
Along with Zegras, the Flyers added some depth down the middle, signing Christian Dvorak to a one-year deal, along with bottom pairing defenseman Noah Juulsen. The club also signed goaltender Dan Vladar, who will now form a tandem with Samuel Ersson to start the season after Briere dealt Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Notable Additions: Trevor Zegras (F), Christian Dvorak (F), Noah Juuslsen (D), Dan Vladar (G).
Notable Subtractions: Ryan Poehling (F), Jakob Pelletier (F), Cal Peterson (G).
Player To Watch: Matvei Michkov.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th at Florida Panthers @ 7 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Penguins
On the other side of Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins are more than likely going to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the Metropolitan Division’s playoff picture next spring. Quite frankly, the organization is in need of a retool, but as long as their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still around, that won’t happen.
This summer, General Manager Kyle Dubas focused on depth, signing forwards Anthony Mantha, Rafael-Harvey Pinard and defenseman Alexander Alexeyev to one-year contracts for the 2025-26 season, while acquiring blueliner Matt Dumba in a deal with the Dallas Stars. One area the Penguins struggled in last season was goaltending, with Tristan Jarry not looking like his self at all and while there’s a good chance he’ll bounce back, Dubas took a proactive approach, landing 2025 Calder Cup MVP Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks.
With a rookie Head Coach behind the bench in Dan Muse, the Penguins are hoping that they can at least remain competitive within the division, at least until the trade deadline, when they’ll have a big decision to make with the aforementioned Evgeni Malkin, who is set to become a UFA next summer, with reports suggesting that this may be his last season in the NHL.
Notable Additions: Alexander Alexeyev (D), Matt Dumba (D), Arturs Silovs (G), Anthony Mantha (F), Connor Clifton (F).
Notable Subtractions: Vladislav Kolyachonok (D), Alex Nedeljkovic (G), Conor Timmins (D), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (D).
Player To Watch: Filip Hallander.
First Game: Tuesday, October 7th at New York Rangers @ 8 p.m. ET.
Washington Capitals
The final team in our Metropolitan Division season preview is the Washington Capitals, who took the division crown last year amid Alexander Ovechkin’s chase to become the greatest goal scorer in National Hockey League history.
Washington was one of the quietest teams in the National Hockey League during the offseason, so there isn’t a ton to talk about, but did a pretty good job at keeping their core together this summer. The Caps lost Lars Eller (Ottawa), Andrew Mangiapane (Edmonton), Taylor Raddysh (New York R) and Alexander Alexeyev (Pittsburgh) to free agency, while picking up defenseman Calle Rosen and forward Justin Sourdif (trade w/ Florida).
If the Capitals can get the same goaltending they did last year from Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren and are able to be inside the top-five in ‘goals for’ once again, then not only will they have a chance at making back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive season, but perhaps they can make a push towards back-to-back Metropolitan Division titles.
Notable Additions: Justin Sourdif (F), Calle Rosen (D), Louie Belpedio (D).
Notable Subtractions: Nicklas Backstrom (F), TJ Oshie (F), Taylor Raddysh (F), Andrew Mangiapane (F), Alexander Alexeyev (D), Lars Eller (F).
Player To Watch: Ryan Leonard.
First Game: Wednesday, October 8th vs Boston Bruins @ 7:30 p.m. ET.