2022-2023 NHL Season Preview: Metropolitan Division

As already mentioned, there are three teams that I don’t see as threats to win this division or even challenge for a playoff spot.

In eighth place, I’m looking at the Flyers, just like last season. John Tortorella is behind the bench this year, and while he will bring NHL experience and a commanding personality to Philadelphia, I think that his coaching style is outdated and relatively ineffective.

Overall, Philly just doesn’t have the skill necessary to be a strong team, and being forced to go without forward Sean Couturier at the start of the season will not help the cause.

In seventh place, I’m anticipating the Islanders to continue their descent. I know it wasn’t long ago that the Isles were making back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Final, but having fired head coach Barry Trotz, this will be a much different team.

Yes, New York hired from within, so in theory, Trotz’s system will still be alive and well. However, Lane Lambert has never been an NHL head coach, much less won the Jack Adams Award or the Stanley Cup.

Of course, the Islanders don’t have much offensive weaponry, and they made no efforts to change that this offseason. As a result, this team will meet a fate similar to the one they met a year ago.

Finishing in sixth but not anywhere close to a playoff spot are the New Jersey Devils. Ondrej Palat signed in free agency after two Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and goaltender Vitek Vanecek will now man the crease for New Jersey.

If any of these three teams have the potential to challenge for a playoff spot, it’s the Devils. If their young stars can get going, there’s a chance that this group could surprise people, but I don’t see them making large enough strides.

The two teams in this section absolutely have an opportunity to qualify for the postseason. Unfortunately, with only three getting in automatically per division, and the overall improvements made by the Atlantic Division, I’m projecting both of these clubs to watch the playoffs from home.

The first should not come as much of a surprise. The Columbus Blue Jackets stole the show in July when they announced the signing of forward Johnny Gaudreau, but that won’t quite be enough to get them to the playoffs.

Coming off of a 115-point campaign with the Calgary Flames, though, Johnny Hockey is primed to find success in Ohio’s capital, even if he doesn’t have the same lethal line mates that he had in Calgary.

The Jackets also re-signed forward Patrik Laine, who Gaudreau should play with, after he tallied 56 points in 56 games last season.

The idea of Laine, who has 176 career NHL goals, teaming up with Gaudreau fresh off of his 75-assist season should be enough to make each Metropolitan Division team take the Blue Jackets seriously.

Plus, if one of this team’s young centers can play with Laine and Gaudreau, the offensive attack in Columbus will become even more dangerous.

Unfortunately, the competition in the Metro and in the East is fierce, so the Jackets may still be a player or a year (or both) away from returning to the postseason. They will finish fifth in the division.

My choice for fourth place will not sit well with some fans. The New York Rangers had an incredible year last season, and I do believe that their run to the Eastern Conference Final is the first of many exciting years for this core.

With that said, the pieces that New York lost over the summer cannot be ignored. I love Vincent Trocheck, and the Rangers did well to sign him, but let’s not pretend that he can account for the departure of two 50-point scorers plus two of their other top-ten scorers.

The Blueshirts desperately need the “Kid Line” to step up this year after combining for 71 points in 189 games last year. Yes, they were better in the playoffs, but they still only contributed about one point per two games individually.

If that is all that they can muster this year, no amount of great coaching or elite goaltending will help the Rangers overcome their lack of depth at forward.

For as much as I love seeing teams that are young or have recently been bad get into the playoffs, it feels strange sticking with the Metropolitan Division’s elder statesmen here, but that’s what I’m going to do.

In third place, I have the Washington Capitals. The Caps deserve a ton of credit for landing goaltender Darcy Kuemper over the summer and therefore addressing the position that has been a weakness for this team since the departure of Braden Holtby.

Washington will also welcome Connor Brown and Dylan Strome to the lineup this season in the hopes that they can fill the gaps left by injured players on the top two forward lines.

Overall, I like this roster, and I feel much better about its goaltending situation, but the injuries are concerning. Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and Carl Hagelin will all be unavailable to start the season, and that may not change anytime soon. Still, I’ll give the Caps the benefit of the doubt.

Just above the Capitals are the Pittsburgh Penguins. People may scoff at the idea of the Pens finishing in second this year, but they’re the only Metropolitan team listed so far that is healthy and didn’t lose any significant pieces during the offseason.

To me, the question with Pittsburgh is about its ability to win in the postseason. I’m not sure that this team has done enough to be considered a top contender for the Stanley Cup, but by bringing key players back, they’ve done enough to be a playoff team again.

With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang showing no signs of slowing down, Pittsburgh comes into this regular season with fewer questions than many of its division rivals.

That brings us to the 2023 Metropolitan Division champion: the Carolina Hurricanes. Jordan Staal and company won this division last year, and they are far and away the best team in the Metro again this year.

The defense, which was among the NHL’s best a season ago, will only be stronger this year, and there is no area on the Canes’ roster that I consider to be a weakness.

Carolina has the talent, depth, and coaching necessary to end the regular season with the best record in the Metro, Eastern Conference, and maybe even the NHL.

Without a doubt, there will be at least one playoff-worthy team from this division that doesn’t qualify for the postseason. With that level of competition, you’ll want to pay close attention to the Metropolitan Division all season.