The NHL's 2026-27 season is nearly upon us, and Adam Proteau is unveiling his annual pre-season predictions. In this file, we take a look at the Metropolitan Division.
The NHL’s 2026-27 season has arrived, and here at TheHockeyNews.com, Adam Proteau is unveiling his pre-season predictions, division-by-division.
We've assembled our best guesses as to how the season will unfold, with the caveat that we never know precisely how in-season changes will shape the way the standings look by mid-April.
But after the off-season’s slew of changes in many markets, the power balance — at least, on paper — has shifted significantly in each of the league’s four divisions.
Let’s unveil how we see the Metropolitan race unfolding this season:
1st - Carolina Hurricanes
2025-26 Divisional Finish: 1st
Newcomers: None
Why They're Picked First: As the defending Stanley Cup champions, you get the benefit of the doubt in the following season's predictions.
Carolina GM Eric Tulsky could've made massive changes, but the only departures most fans will notice are goalie Frederik Andersen, who left as a free agent to sign with the Edmonton Oilers, and defenseman Alexander Nikishin, who is an RFA and has requested a trade.
Those exits may hurt the Hurricanes, but not enough to push them down the standings in the comparatively-weak Metro.
Why We Could Be Wrong: The effects of a long post-season run have more often than not derailed a team's chances at repeating as champions, and Carolina isn't immune from that type of development.
It's incredibly unlikely that the Hurricanes will miss the playoffs, but there was a 15-point gap between them and the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins last year, and that gap could be closed considerably by a few teams this season.
2nd - Washington Capitals
2025-26 Divisional Finish: 4th
Newcomers: Alex Tuch (RW), Jordan Kyrou (RW), Boone Jenner (C), Vincent Desharnais (D), Justin Holl (D)
Why They're Picked Second: The Capitals missed the playoffs by only three standings points. This summer, GM Chris Patrick spent most of his salary cap space, hitting home runs with the additions of former Buffalo Sabres star winger Tuch, ex-St. Louis Blues sniper Kyrou, and longtime Columbus Blue Jackets captain Jenner.
Combine those additions with one of the NHL's best coaches in Spencer Carbery, and you have the makings of a big bounce-back season for Washington.
Why We Could Be Wrong: The Capitals were a top-10 team when it comes to goals-scoring and goal prevention last season, yet they couldn't close the gap on the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.
That may speak to the fact this Washington team is transitioning past the Alexander Ovechkin era, but it's reasonable for expectations to be significantly higher than they were last year. The Capitals need to prove their new roster was worth the investment, and we believe they'll do so.
3rd - Philadelphia Flyers
2025-26 Divisional Finish: 3rd
Newcomers: Joseph Woll (G), Noel Acciari (RW), Simon Benoit (D)
Here’s Why They’re Picked Third: The Flyers have been steadily rebuilding for years, but GM Daniel Briere is proving he's a canny executive fully prepared to take big swings. That much was clear with the staggering offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks star center Leo Carlsson.
While it was ultimately matched, Briere has still done solid off-season work. His acquisition of former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll gives the Flyers a tandem to keep them in third place, or push them higher.
Why We Could Be Wrong: Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet is one of the league's most widely-respected bench bosses, but he still had run-ins with young star winger Matvei Michkov, and that relationship will be watched like a hawk this year.
Meanwhile, the Flyers' big weakness last season was goal-scoring and that’s not an area Briere addressed this summer. They should be at least as good as they were last year, but if Woll doesn’t perform as projected, they could slip down the Metro standings.
4th - Pittsburgh Penguins
2025-26 Divisional Finish: Second
Newcomers: Andrei Kuzmenko (RW), Nick Robertson (LW), Hendrix Lapierre (LW), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D), David Gustafsson (LW), Kaedan Korczak (D)
Here’s Why They’re Picked Fourth: The Penguins had the NHL's third-best offense last season, and the team hasn't lost its offensive firepower. They still need their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson to do the heavy lifting, but GM Kyle Dubas is also developing young talent.
However, the Atlantic Division is good enough to send five teams to the post-season. That means a fourth-place finish could leave the Penguins outside of the playoff picture.
Why We Could Be Wrong: For as good as the Penguins' offense was last season, their defense was seriously sub-par, as they had the NHL's ninth-worst goals-against average. Dubas did not address that need this summer.
Pittsburgh got younger this off-season, but not necessarily better, and there’s a very real risk the Penguins have a rougher go of it this year.
5th - New Jersey Devils
2025-26 Divisional Finish: 7th
Newcomers: Sunny Mehta (GM), David Rittich (G), Anthony Mantha (LW), Evan Rodrigues (RW), Jesper Boqvist (LW)
Here's Why They’re Picked Fifth: There's plenty of questions regarding the Devils now that they are under the new management of former Florida Panthers executive Mehta. We see New Jersey improving by a couple of standings places this season, yet still missing the playoffs.
The Devils' goaltending duo of newcomer Rittich and returning veteran Jake Allen isn’t threatening in the slightest, and Mehta's blueprint for success will almost certainly require more patience. We'll see if the Devils have more tricks up their sleeve (Connor Hellebuyck, anyone?) but as it stands, this off-season left a lot to be desired.
Why We Could Be Wrong: Despite their recent struggles, you see New Jersey’s top talent – Jack and Luke Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier – and you think there’s enough meat on the bone for the Devils. It's possible that New Jersey surprises some people, and if everyone stays healthy, the Devils could push higher in the Metro.
All their ducks would have to line up just perfectly for that to take place, but Mehta's biggest moves could still be to come, and it's probably not a good idea to sleep on this New Jersey team.
6th - New York Rangers
2025-26 Divisional Finish: Eighth
Newcomers: Pavel Dorofeyev (RW), Joonas Korpisalo (G), Marcus Pettersson (D), Sean Durzi (D), Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW), Joe Veleno (C)
Here’s Why They’re Picked Sixth: Few teams let down their fan base as much as the Rangers in the past two seasons, and GM Chris Drury is under all sorts of heat to turn his ship around right away.
We like some of his moves — Dorofeyev is a stone-cold sniper, while Pettersson and Durzi will benefit the Blueshirts' defense. But if star goalie Igor Shesterkin is injured, acquiring journeyman Korpisalo could be a move Drury comes to regret. That's aside from the fact they still need other veterans to step up their game in order to just be competitive.
Why We Could Be Wrong: When you have great goaltending, you have a chance to win night-in and night-out. If Shesterkin is his usual outstanding self, there's no way the Rangers finish in the basement.
They have a mountainous task before them, and if coach Mike Sullivan couldn't steer his team into the post-season last year, we're unconvinced the Rangers now have the depth to earn a playoff berth.
7th - New York Islanders
2025-26 Divisional Finish: Sixth
Newcomers: Matias Maccelli (LW), Mitchell Chaffee (RW), Vitek Vanecek (G)
Here’s Why They’re Picked Seventh: Islanders fans will likely go ballistic when they see where we have them finishing in the Metropolitan standings, and we get it.
A team with superstar D-man Matthew Schaefer and star goalie Ilya Sorokin is tough to bet against. However, essentially the same Isles team was third-worst in the Metropolitan last season, and the few off-season moves Islanders GM Mathieu Darche made hardly qualify as difference-makers.
Why We Could Be Wrong: The Isles have some young talent worth being excited about. Unfortunately, this Islanders team lacks in quality depth, and cutting ties with ex-captain Anders Lee feels like a self-inflicted wound. Is there a chance the Isles improve enough to be a playoff team? We acknowledge that possibility. But more likely is another building-block season ending with no post-season hockey on Long Island.
8th - Columbus Blue Jackets
2025-26 Divisional Finish: Fifth
Newcomers: Valeri Nichushkin (LW), Pheonix Copley (G), Ryan Lomberg (LW)
Here’s Why They’re Picked Eighth: In some ways, it feels like piling on the Blue Jackets by predicting that they'll plummet to the very bottom of the Metro. But when Columbus' best off-season addition is Nichushkin — a talented player who’s struggled with consistency — that tells you all you need to know about the competitive ceiling for this group.
The Jackets have talented players, most notably center Adam Fantilli and defenseman Zach Werenski, but it’s not inaccurate to note they don’t have sufficient depth to provide problems for opponents.
Why We Could Be Wrong: With virtually nobody expecting a playoff appearance out of Columbus this season, the Blue Jackets can play free-and-easy while operating under the radar. Fantilli gets signed, Werenski has another Norris Trophy-type season, the depth pieces outperform expectations, and they could find themselves in the post-season.
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