The Metropolitan Division is shaping up to be the most competitive division in the NHL this season. For each team is going to reach their goal of the playoffs, it will (likely) require a young player taking the next step in their career. Here is a potential breakout player for every team in the division.
Carolina Hurricanes
Andrei Svechnikov
The 19 year-old had a strong first NHL season after being drafted second overall by the Hurricanes in the 2018 Entry Draft. Some can argue that Svechnikov has already “broken out” after a great rookie season, but after a year of experience and having high quality talent alongside him, there’s reason to believe Svechnikov could take a step towards being one of the top forwards in the NHL. A 30+ goal season is well within reach.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Alexandre Texier
If the Blue Jackets are going to have any success in the Metropolitan Division this season they are going to need several players who didn’t have a major role last season to step up. A top candidate for that is winger Alexandre Texier. Texier has shown promise across several leagues in his young career after being taken 45th overall in the 2017 Entry Draft. With several voids in the Blue Jackets lineup from losses in the offseason, the Blue Jackets will likely expect the 20 year-old to play alongside either Pierre Luic-Dubois and Cam Atkinson or Alexander Wennberg and Oliver Bjorkstrand in the top-six. He’s still an unproven player, but a full season in the NHL alongside talented players will likely go a long way in Texier developing as a piece for the future.

New Jersey Devils
Nikita Gusev
This one is tough to write. This offseason Gusev was traded to the Devils for a 2020 third-round pick and 2021 second-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights, a price I believe the Islanders should have taken solely on his potential. The 26 year-old is set to begin his first NHL season after dominating the KHL in recent years. In 2018-19, Gusev scored 82 points in just 62 games in the KHL, the second most in KHL history. His 82 points were more than that of NHL studs who played in the KHL such as Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Radulov, Evgeny Dadonov, Artemi Panarin, Evgeni Malkin and more. Gusev will likely play on the Devils second line with Jack Hughes and Wayne Simmonds this season and while it may take time for three players who never played together before to gel, Gusev is likely set to have a strong NHL rookie season.

New York Islanders
Anthony Beauvillier
The New York Islanders surprised everybody last season with their postseason run, after many hockey “experts” predicted them to be a bottom-five team. If the Islanders are going to continue their success they will likely need a better season out of Anthony Beauvillier. After a 36-point year in 2017-18, many pinned Beauvillier as a staple of the Islanders future. However, after a 28-point season as a member of the top-six last year, there are questions about Beauvillier’s potential. As the roster currently stands, it seems likely Beauvillier will be going into the season as a top forward and the Islanders will need more production if they are going to improve their pedestrian offensive output. Imagine where the Islanders could be in the Metropolitan Division if they could get a 25+ goal season out of Beauvillier.

New York Rangers
Adam Fox
The Rangers have a plethora of new talent joining the club this season, and an obvious answer for a breakout player could be the second overall pick Kaapo Kakko. However, one young player they will likely lean on is defenseman Adam Fox. The Long Island native has shown offensive promise from the blue line in the NCAA for Harvard and in International Play for the United States. Fox has yet to appear in an NHL game, but with their thin defensive corps and no money left to spend, the Rangers seem very likely to have Fox in a top-six, if not a top-four defenseman role going into the season. Fox will likely receive a fair share of playing time, potentially even time on the powerplay for his passing ability.

Philadelphia Flyers
Carter Hart
Is this one cheating? To be fair, much of the Flyers young talent (that I believe will have strong seasons) has been established in the league for some time. The Flyers top prospect Carter Hart came bursting onto the scene last year with an impressive 16-13-1 record with a 2.83 goals against average and .917 save percentage his rookie year. Hart almost led the Flyers to a Metropolitan Division playoff run on his own and the Philly faithful will be thrilled to have him in net for a full season. Don’t be surprised with a year of experience and with the Flyers strong defensive core if Hart makes a run for the Vezina Trophy.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Dominik Kahun
Anybody with the opportunity to skate alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel is going to have an opportunity to produce and it seems that Kahun will be their linemate to start the season. Kahun spent 2018-19 with the Blackhawks and posted 13 goals and 24 assists across the full 82 game season. Kahun was acquired in the trade that sent Olli Maata to the Blackhawks and at 23 years old, Kahun has a great chance to improve upon his numbers with better teammates alongside him. The speedy skater is also set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, so he will be plenty motivated to perform and get himself a good deal.

Washington Capitals
Jonas Siegenthaler
With changes in the offseason, 22 year-old Jonas Siegenthaler will likely have a top-six defenseman role for the Capitals this upcoming season. Siegenthaler has been in the Capitals system since 2015 when they took him with the 57th overall pick in the NHL Draft. He got minimal NHL experience last season, having played 26 games and accumulating four points (all assists), but that’s the type of player he is. A big-bodied defenseman, Siegenthaler is not known to light up the stat sheet, but should be very serviceable for the Capitals blue-line with his physicality and great shot-blocking ability.

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