With less than one week left until the 2025-26 season, it's time to ramp up the previewing. This second part of my 2025-26 NHL division previews will focus on the Metropolitan Division.

Unlike the Atlantic Division, which I covered in the previous edition, the Metropolitan Division could be a lot more hotly-contested; based on my projections, only three teams are set to represent the Metropolitan Division in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Not only that, but this is one of the divisions in the league where I see the most change-over in terms of the final standings.

Below are my final projections for this division, including indicators for wild card teams or other statuses.

1. Carolina Hurricanes (President’s Trophy Winners)

This has to be the year for Carolina … right? 

After making it to the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three seasons, which saw them fall to the Florida Panthers in five games, it feels like this season is do-or-die for Carolina's Stanley Cup ambitions.

And they clearly treated the offseason as such. Not only were the Hurricanes able to sign Nikolaj Ehlers, who is coming off of his second-consecutive 60+ point season, in free agency, but they were also able to acquire K'Andre Miller via trade with the New York Rangers.

The loss of veteran defenceman Brent Burns could hurt the team's defence, but the Hurricanes did a good job reinforcing their depth throughout the offseason. Therefore, it's possible the impact of his loss could be limited.

If everything goes right for Carolina and they get off to a strong start, the Hurricanes could find themselves in contention for the league's best record. More importantly, they could put themselves in a very strong position to go a deep playoff run.

But really, it's not a question of if this Hurricanes team will make an impact. In a Metropolitan Division that may end up sending just three teams to the playoffs, Carolina is clearly the best team of the eight.

It's rather a question of can this team finally break through and go on the run many have predicted for years.

2. New York Rangers

After winning the President's Trophy in 2023-24, one would expect the New York Rangers to once again be a contender to make it out of the Eastern Conference the next season.

Oh how wrong one would be.

An almost-30 point dropoff would see the Rangers fall from the league's best down to six points out of the playoff picture altogether.

Heading into 2025-26, it's clear that the team doesn't want a repeat of last year. New head coach Mike Sullivan will look to bring his winning ways from Pittsburgh to Manhattan, while the roster will look to adjust after losing K'Andre Miller to Carolina via trade. That said, the additions of Matt Rempe and Scott Morrow should provide this Rangers team with some offensive depth.

While the change in atmosphere in the Rangers locker room could be a boon for a team looking to get to their third Conference Final in five years, it could also lead to struggles, especially as the roster looks to adjust to a new system. It might take a while, but I can see this Rangers team getting back into the playoff picture.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets

My breakout team for 2025-26? Columbus.  I say this as I feel very optimistic about the offence and its production. Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski both had 50+ point seasons in 2024-25, with the former putting up 80+, while Adam Fantilli could see himself enjoying a breakout season in 2025-26. Add on the fact that Columbus was able to acquire bona-fide veterans like Charlie Coyle, and you have the recipe for a top-half offence.

Let's not forget that Columbus, despite a late surge, was the last team out of the playoff picture, just losing out to the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot. The team therefore has another reason to keep pushing and to accelerate their retool.

With all of the above considered, if Washington takes a step back as projected, and others like New Jersey struggle out of the gate, then Columbus has a chance to pounce. I think Columbus will take advantage of a weak Metropolitan Division and take on the role of the NHL's surprise playoff team.

4. Washington Capitals

Like the Penguins, who I will talk about later on, the Capitals find themselves within a retool phase while also straddling the playoff-no playoff line.

Unlike the Penguins, not only are the Capitals successfully undergoing their retool while taking on the role of playoff contender, but they are also in a much better position standings-wise than their longtime rival.

That said, the Capitals may find themselves much further down in the playoff ladder in 2025-26. Alex Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky's career goalscoring record late last season, should continue to produce; whether it's at a strong rate like last year or not will play a role in influencing the outcome of Washington's season.

Elsewhere, the likes of Nicklas Backstrom and T.J Oshie, longtime teammates of Alex Ovechkin, officially became free agents after long stints on the roster, while others like Andrew Mangiapane and Lars Eller left to sign with Edmonton and Ottawa, respectively. These losses should be felt throughout the season, however there is a strong chance Washington's youth movement, led by the likes of Connor McMichael, fills the gap quickly.

I think Washington is still a top-four team in this division, however they will fall well short of a third-consecutive playoff berth.

5. New Jersey Devils

Another big shock in my division predictions? The Devils falling out of a playoff spot.

Yes, the same Devils team that is getting key players like Jack Hughes back from injury.

I'm not making this prediction for the sake of making it. I look at the Devils' opening-season schedule and, woof, it's a tough one. Not only do they open against Carolina and Tampa Bay (both on the road), but they also have to play Florida, Edmonton, Toronto, and Colorado (twice) before October is out. While November brings a bit of a lighter stretch, they do have to play Washington, Tampa Bay, and Florida in consecutive games at the month's halfway mark.

That 25-game stretch, which basically takes up a third of New Jersey's season, will take the Devils to December. If they can win 10-13 of those games, they should find themselves in a decent spot heading towards the season's second half.

That all depends on how the likes of Jack Hughes look coming off of injury. If Jack Hughes looks like his old self, this dismal projection could easily be moot.

If not? The Devils will find themselves in a big hole early and it might just be a long way to mid-April.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

2023-24 was Rick Tocchet’s first full season as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. That year saw the Canucks finish with a 50-23-9 record and in the league's top ten in terms of scoring.

While this Flyers team will most likely fall well short of that benchmark, Tocchet had a winning record with the Vancouver Canucks and is more than capable of turning a team's fortunes around. And like in Vancouver, Tocchet will have a potent Flyers offence, led by the likes of Matvei Michkov, to work with.

I have no doubt that Tocchet can do to the Flyers offence what he did to Quinn Hughes and Co back in Vancouver. He should be able to truly unlock Matvei Michkov's talents, something that previous Flyers' coach John Tortorella wasn't able to do to great effect, which should have an effect on the rest of the offence.

For Philly, the real question is one of goaltending. The acquisition of Dan Vladar, who is coming off of a good-but-not-great 12-11-6 campaign as Calgary's second netminder, should bring some experience to the Flyers' crease. So long as Samuel Ersson has a decent season, my concerns will somewhat be nullified.

At this rate, the Flyers will have a strong chance at the playoffs in 2026-27. However, I can see them being in the playoff picture until mid-to-late March.

7. Pittsburgh Penguins

Not-so-hot take: the Penguins don’t finish last in the Metropolitan Division.

Hot take: Sidney Crosby is not a Pittsburgh Penguin at the deadline. 

Another hot take: Sidney Crosby is at the centre of Pittsburgh’s season. 

To clarify, the Penguins are somewhat in the middle of a rock and a hard place. While they still have the talent to go on a run to the playoffs, that talent is getting older as we speak. Sidney Crosby is 38, Erik Karlsson is 35, and Evgeni Malkin is 39 (and very likely in his last season with Pittsburgh).

These are all still very good players, and I have no doubt they will have solid seasons in the Steel City.

The reason why I have this team so low isn't necessarily because of the on-ice product, but the off-ice results. All three players that I just listed have trade rumours of some kind swirling; Florida's injury situation with Aleksander Barkov should free up some cap space to go after Evgeni Malkin, Crosby is open to leaving Pittsburgh but wants to stay, and Erik Karlsson could also be on the trade block.

Even if one of Pittsburgh's veterans ends up leaving town, there is nonetheless going to be a significant impact felt on the roster. While the veterans should step up in an effort to make this team competitive and to bolster their own trade value, the Penguins should falter as the season goes on.

8. New York Islanders

At least the Islanders won their offseason.

Yay?

Despite drafting Hamilton, Ontario native Matthew Schaefer with the first-overall pick, the Islanders really didn't make any other acquisitions for their roster outside of Emil Heineman being the return for the Noah Dobson trade.

Even when considering the lack of offseason transactions, we are still talking about a deep Islanders roster here. Matthew Barzal and Jonathan Drouin are some of the names in the Islanders forward group, and Ilya Sorokin is one of the league's better goalies.

That said, the Islanders' scoring isn't anywhere close to the division's best scoring units, and I can't see Sorokin's impact being felt if the defence is set to go through some growing pains.

Considering the Islanders' depth, I will say there is a chance the Islanders significantly exceed my expectations. However, I think they will be condemned to the bottom of the division for much of the season.