After the condensed 2020-21 season and the addition of the newly formed Seattle Kraken, the NHL divisions have been rearranged similar to how they looked back before the pandemic. With the season starting back up shortly, we wanted to predict where each team would land in their respected divisions, starting with the Metropolitan Division, which once again seems like the most competitive division heading into this new season. 

 

8. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets had the upset of the century back in 2019, after sweeping arguably the greatest team put together being the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, they have had little success attempting to make deep runs in the playoffs and even missed out last year in the temporary central division. Columbus still has one of the better goaltending duos in the division but lost a lot of key players this off season.

Cam Atkinson was sent over to Philadelphia for veteran Jakub Voracek, which was a bit contradictory, since Atkinson said he liked playing in Columbus. They also lost Seth Jones in a trade with Chicago and Michael Del Zotto to free agency. However, they still have Laine, Werenski, Jenner, and Texier who all resigned with the team this off season. The Jackets may be able to compete in the division, but the Metro is the toughest in the NHL. 

 

7. New Jersey Devils

New Jersey is definitely on the rise, but once again, a tough division will be the reason they are at the bottom of the Metropolitan. Signing Dougie Hamilton in free agency was huge, as the Devils needed to restructure their defense. They also picked up Ryan Graves and drafted Luke Hughes to add to their D-core. They also signed Jonathan Bernier, who will play alongside Mackenzie Blackwood and add a veteran presence in the crease. Tomas Tatar also joins the squad by signing during free agency. Also, the Devils lost a lot of players, the signings this off season show steps in the right direction. It would not be surprising if the Devils made a push for the playoffs this season. If guys like Nick Hischier and Jack Hughes have huge seasons, there may be a fighting chance for this up-and-coming Devils team.

 

6. Washington Capitals

The next few spots are definitely toss-ups, but next up in the division predictions is the Washington Capitals. Goaltending may be an issue for the Capitals this year. Even though Samsonov and Vanecek are good, young goaltenders, they lost the veteran presence of Craig Anderson and missed out of having Henrik Lundqvist fill the pipes this season. Resigning Ovechkin was probably their biggest move, as long as Ovi can keep scoring. Their bottom six does not seem intimidating and Kuznetsov needs to have a bounce-back season. Defense looks good on paper, but not having Chara and Dillon could hurt Washington, regardless of injury or depth. They will compete as always, but this year seems to be the year they miss out of playoffs for the first time since 2014.

 

5. New York Rangers

The Rangers are a potential playoff team this upcoming season. Mikah Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin were superstars for this team last season and have potential to put up 100-point seasons. Not a whole lot of movement in the big apple, but the team did sign Barclay Goodrow to a six-year contract, adding to the Rangers’ lethal offense. They also signed Ryan Reaves to add grit and Sammy Blias. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin signed a four-year deal as a solidified starter protecting the net. Their biggest loss was Pavel Buchnevich, who went to the St. Louis Blues. 

The Rangers are a similar team to the Devils, as they have a young core growing close to breaking out and becoming stars in the NHL. New York, however, has more superstar power now compared to New Jersey. Young stars in the making like Kaapo Kakko and Lafreniere will continue to develop and get better and add to the offensive depth. Adam Fox is proven to be a Norris caliber defenseman and is surrounded by a solid defensive group. The only issue can be goaltending, as Alexandar Georgiev requested a trade a little over a month ago, as he is hoping to break out from being Shesterkin’s backup. If he stays with the team, the Rangers can definitely be a threat with strong depth in all three positions.

 

4. Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina had a wild offseason, but seems to be falling off in hype, after having solid playoff runs the past few seasons, just to lose to the Bruins back to back years and the Lightning last year. Two new faces will back the canes, with Anderson getting a new start with a new team and Antti Raanta as a new duo. Controversy arose after trading Calder caliber goaltender Nedeljkovic to Detroit and losing Petr Mrazek to free agency. Too add to the controversy, the team did not resign Dougie Hamilton and let his explore free agency, where he signed with the Devils. Recently, the team signed Jasperi Kotkaniemi for a one-year, $6.1 million deal, which added to the controversy, as some of that money could have been used to keep Hamilton. However, they did bring in veteran Derek Stepan and defenseman Ian Cole which are good acquisitions, given the type of offseason the Hurricanes had. 

The Hurricanes still look like a competing playoff team; maybe not a cup contender anymore but will definitely push for a wildcard spot. Guys like Aho and Svechnikov will more than likely have great seasons. Carolina has a lot of depth with their forwards and defensemen. Goaltending may be an issue as Raanta is injury prone and Anderson needs a good season to shake off a lot of criticism he faced while he was a Maple Leaf. 

 

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins had more losses than acquisitions this offseason. Losing Tanev to Seattle lost Pittsburgh their only grit on the team. Jared McCann went to Toronto for essentially nothing, just to be selected by Seattle in the expansion draft. Losing Ceci may be a blessing in disguise, even though Ceci did not have a horrible year in Pittsburgh. 

The additions the Penguins did have were not large additions. Brock McGinn was signed to fill in Tanev’s shoes. The guys that got signed, like Dominik Simon and Evan Rodrigues were poor moves. Louis Domingue will act as a third-string goaltender behing Jarry and DeSmith. The Penguins also recently invited Bryan Boyle and Matt Bartkowski to training camp.

Not having Malkin or Crosby to start off the season, both due to surgery, is going to hurt the pens tremendously. Crosby may miss the first few games of the regular season but will be back in the lineup only a few games into the season. Jarry also needs a bounce-back year, after his poor playoff performance last year against the Islanders, to prove he is capable of being the starting goaltender. They may not be favorites, but potentially can be a dark horse come playoffs. This group still has what it takes to continue the longest active playoff streak in the NHL, looking to make 15 consecutive years into 16.

2. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers are revamped for the new 2021-22 season, being the most active team regarding trades and signings. If the team can figure out how to work together, the Flyers will definitely be cup favorites. One of the largest trades of the season included Ryan Ellis, a star defenseman for the Predators for the past few seasons. They also added Keith Yandle from free agency and traded for Rasmus Ristolainen to build up their defensive core. Adding Cam Atkinson adds a bit of youth to their top offensive talent. Martin Jones will back up Carter Hart after being picked up from the Sharks after free agency. The Flyers also gave long extensions to Joel Farabee and Sean Couturier.

With the additions comes the subtractions. Brian Elliott became an unrestricted free agent and did not resign with the Flyers. They also lost Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers in the Ellis trade. Shayne Gostisbehere was also traded to the Coyotes, after a few seasons where he did not live up to expectations. Overall, the Flyers are ready to get back into a winning groove after a disappointing season last year, as they were favorites to go deep, but choked to sixth in the East Division. 

 

1.     New York Islanders

The Islanders are extremely close to raising Lord Stanley for the first time since 1983, and probably would have either of the past two seasons if it wasn’t for the Tampa Bay Lightning. There was very little movement of personnel, but a lot of resignings. The isles lost Jordan Eberle to Seattle, who was a big part of the Islanders’ offense, along with forward Michael Dal Colle and Nick Leddy on the blue line. Richard Panik joined the team as part of the Nick Leddy trade. Casey Cizikas and Kyle Palmeri signed as free agents and agreed to long term contracts. Beauvillier had a great playoff run this past season and signed a three-year extension. Adam Pelech is locked in for eight years, ensuring the lethal duo of Pelech and Pulock to return this upcoming season. Sophomore goaltender Ilya Sorokin also signed an extension for three years this off season. 

The isle is looking scary this year, and no doubt will be a favorite to win the cup this year. Offense is not what they are known for, but guys like Barzal, Pageau, and Palmieri can fill the net. Their defense is back for another season, aside from Leddy, but will be one of the most dominant in limiting shots and breaking up plays. Varlamov and Sorokin are back as one of the top goalie duos in the league. They may have been looked as sleepers the past few seasons but not this year. With Barry Trotz leading the charge again, expect the New York Islanders to go all the way.