The Metropolitan Division is the best division in hockey. There isn’t too much to deliberate about. While there is no team in the division that seems like a “lock” to win it annually, like some would argue with Vegas or Boston, but the Metropolitan Division teams are so deep and so competitive anything can happen. Almost every team in the division can finish first. And it will be a fun, but stressful race to watch for the next five to ten years.

In this article, we will briefly break down all eight Metropolitan Division team’s present and future situations. It is quite scary if you are a fan of one of the teams in the division, as no one is guaranteed a playoff spot.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have built quite the team in Raleigh. Near the end of the 2018-19 season, the Canes started heating up out of nowhere and grabbed a wild card spot. They then found themselves in the Eastern Conference Final. It was from that moment on everyone knew the “Bunch of Jerks” were the real deal.

Relatively, the 2019-20 season was disappointing as they were supposed to be Cup contenders. It ended in an underwhelming regular season and early playoff exit. Not only does this team have a good prospect pool, but their core is relatively young- with Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Jaccob Slavin to name a few.

They are already one of the deepest teams in the league, but the main question currently lies between the pipes. Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are not good enough to carry a team to a Cup run. Expect the Canes to try to reel in a big fish in free agency or make a trade for a new goaltender. A couple names that have been thrown around include Matt Murray and Brayden Holtby, who have both struggled as of late.

Now, for Carolina, the foundation is there. The question is if or when they take the next step from becoming a very solid team who is in playoff contention to a dominant force in the league who is in Cup talk every year. It could take one year, it could take three. This team is too good, too energetic, and too exciting to stay in that “good but not great” category forever.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus is like a gnat that doesn’t want to go away to the rest of the Eastern Conference. On paper, especially considering their competition, it is almost mind-boggling that they made the postseason and won a round.

Even without much talent, a gritty, defensive, and resilient John Tortorella coached team is not one to be messed with. A lot of fans and writers count Columbus out every year, but they have as good of a chance as anyone in the Metro, especially if they continue to get elite goaltending from Elvis Merzlikins and/or Joonas Korpisalo.

They have some young talent, obviously between the pipes and up front with the likes of Pierre-Luc Dubois (who needs a contract), Alexandre Texier, and Liam Foudy. But do they really have the firepower needed to stay competitive in this division? This question is one many Jackets fans ask themselves, and they might try to land a big forward in free agency like Mike Hoffman or Tyler Toffoli.

This team always finds a way to create problems for its competitors, but they will likely be one of the odd men out for the next decade. They don’t have the same caliber core as the rest of the Metropolitan Division teams do, and it will likely be hard to keep up.

New Jersey Devils

Out of all of the Metropolitan Division teams, New Jersey is in the worst situation by a country mile. However, it’s not like they don’t have talent. Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri are excellent forwards, Nikita Gusev and Jack Hughes will likely break out, MacKenzie Blackwood is a fantastic young goaltender, and even P.K. Subban has been a top defender in the league for years before.

But nothing is seeming to click. A coaching change took place this offseason, and Lindy Ruff will be taking charge in Newark. This last season, New Jersey played some of the worst team defense in the NHL and the Devils were supposed to be playoff contenders. That statement seems like a joke now, and it is evident a shakeup was needed.

The reality is the Devils likely won’t stay competitive with the defense they have and without some more offensive depth. There is still a LOT to be done for the Devils to even sniff the playoffs, unless a Cinderella story emerges. The present is a disaster, the future is questionable, and things aren’t looking great in Jersey. Back to the drawing board.

New York Islanders

This organization is in its best state since the 1980s. With UBS Arena on the way, a young core, some high-end prospects, and Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello in charge, this team’s future is brighter than the sun.

The main problem for the Isles right now is cap space. Lamoriello will have to get creative in the offseason, pick and choose which unrestricted free agents to sign, and trade some players to clear up cap space, as RFAs Mathew Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews are all due for a contract extension.

The Islanders’ prospect pool isn’t very deep, but some talents such as Noah Dobson, Oliver Wahlstrom, Bode Wilde, and Kieffer Bellows have the potential to be top players in this league. The most important piece to all of this is Ilya Sorokin, who is supposed to be all that and then some. If Sorokin lives up to what he is hyped up to be, working with Mitch Korn and in Barry Trotz’s defensive system, this team will simply not allow many goals.

As time progresses, and young players get more and more comfortable playing a defensive style, there is no reason this team should regress from where they are now, which is already a very good spot. The Islanders are certainly one of the handful of Metropolitan Division teams that can compete for first place and a Stanley Cup every year.

New York Rangers

The Rangers will be one of the most interesting teams in the NHL to watch this upcoming season. By adding Artemi Panarin, Kaapo Kakko, Jake Trouba, Adam Fox, and goaltending phenom Igor Shesterkin to the lineup, their rebuild happened rather quickly. They also have the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, projected to be Alexis Lafreniere. Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, and Chris Kreider are still with the team, and it is clear that this team has their core for years to come.

The Rangers have an incredible prospect pool, but even with all of this, have left defense and forward depth out to dry in the present. As of this very moment, the Rangers are a fringe playoff team whose talent can bring them to the postseason, but they don’t play the brand of hockey suited for long-term success just yet.

That being said, the foundation is already there. If the Rangers can add a couple defensive defensemen and depth forwards, the team goes from a “C’ to an “A’ really quickly. Are the Rangers in a position where they can hoist the Cup as soon as next year? No, probably not, but this core is LETHAL. And it can be built around.

Here’s to amplifying the Islander-Ranger rivalry again!

Philadelphia Flyers

Out of nowhere, in the 2019-20 season, a Flyer team with little to no expectations turned into a top team in the NHL, and why it happened is not a mystery.

Alain Vigneault turned this team around in a heartbeat, and implemented a brand new system for a brand new era of Flyers hockey. Players such as Ivan Provorov, Sean Couturier, and Travis Konecny had career seasons under Vigneault, and there are a lot of reasons for optimism in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Flyers have consistently been a decent team for the past couple decades, but never really had the goaltending to back it up. They finally have found the answer in Carter Hart. Ideally, he will be the starting goaltender in Philadelphia for the next decade, maybe more.

The Flyers are already a deep team as is, and have one of the league’s best prospect pools. When considering both present and future, it is hard to argue that there are many better Metropolitan Division teams than the Philadelphia Flyers. However, it is possible they will come back down to earth next season and not be as dominant as they were this past year.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Let me begin by saying the Penguins are the most accomplished team in the NHL since the 1990s. But now, to put it nicely, it is the beginning of the end. This team is going downhill fast.

There seems to be a lack of motivation in Pittsburgh, the defense has crumbled, and prospects are very very minimal. GM Jim Rutherford has tried many things to bring the Pens back to glory, including acquiring a surplus of middle-six forwards like Conor Sheary, Jason Zucker, Kasperi Kapanen, Patrick Marleau, and Nick Bjugstad.

This team looks stacked on paper but was not a well-oiled machine on the ice, especially come playoff time. The fact that a power play with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang (who are all getting significantly older) on it was ranked near the middle of the league, that shows something isn’t right.

By trying to bring in middle-six forwards, trading a boatload of high picks, and wrecking chemistry, there is a good chance the Penguins can miss the playoffs as soon as this year. And the future is questionable at best. After making the playoffs 13 straight seasons, it seems as if the ‘Burgh has finally cooled down.

Washington Capitals

Like Pittsburgh, Washington’s glory days are more than likely over. However, in the short-term, the Caps will likely have more short-term success than the Pens. After losing in five games in the first round to the New York Islanders, Washington fired Todd Reirden and brought in an excellent coach in Peter Laviolette. As Islander fans know, a great coach can change everything.

This team, on paper, can still contend for a Stanley Cup. It will be interesting to see what Laviolette can do with these guys. Their top-six forward group is still as good as any with John Carlson producing offensively on the back end. While the team defense isn’t the greatest, Washington seems to make up for it by scoring a lot of goals.

Most notably, like a lot of other Metropolitan Division teams, it appears as if the Caps have their goaltender of the future secured in Ilya Samsonov. Braden Holtby will likely test the free agent market.

In terms of prospects, Washington has one of the worst if not the worst prospect pool in the NHL. With the core aging, Washington would have to win a Cup in the next year or two if they were to win another one with this core. A few years down the road, it is difficult to see teams like Washington and Pittsburgh compete with other younger, fresher teams in the Metro.