Everyone knows that the NHL's Metropolitan Division is an absolute meat grinder. Every year, people wonder when teams like the Capitals, Penguins, and Hurricanes will take a step back.
The 2024-25 season was a mixed bag. The Capitals re-tooled on the fly and won the division going away, the Hurricanes were the Hurricanes, and the Devils floundered at the end. The Pens look to be finally taking that big step down off of the perch they've been on, and the Rangers had an atrocious year.
The Columbus Blue Jackets made major strides with youngsters like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Dmitri Voronkov, having the best years of their young careers. Don Waddell didn't make too big of a splash in free agency other than getting his own UFAs and RFAs signed.
So, what did they all do in free agency? The players listed either signed in free agency, or re-signed, thus taking them off the market.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Cap Space $16.34M - 89 points - 4th in the Metro
- Mathieu Olivier - 6 Years
- Dante Fabbro - 4 Years
- Ivan Provorov - 7 Years
- Owen Sillinger - 1 Year
- Christián Jaroš - 1 Year
- Isac Lundeström - 2 Years
- Dmitri Voronkov - 2 Years
Washington Capitals - Cap Space $4.13M - 111 points - 1st in the Metro
- Declan Chisholm - 2 Years
- Calle Rosen - 1 Year
- Graeme Clarke - 1 Year
- Louie Belpedio - 2 Years
- Martin Fehérváry - 7 Years
- Anthony Beauvillier - 2 Years
- Hendrix Lapierre - 1 Year
Carolina Hurricanes - Cap Space $10.64M - 99 points - 2nd in the Metro.
- Taylor Hall - 3 Years
- Frederik Andersen - 1 Year
- Logan Stankoven - 8 Years
- K'Andre Miller - 8 Years
- Mike Reilly - 1 Year
- Cayden Primeau - 1 Year
- Tyson Jost - 1 Year
- Nikolaj Ehlers - 6 Years
- Amir Miftakhov - 1 Year
New Jersey Devils - Cap Space $6.91M - 91 points - 3rd in the Metro
- Cody Glass - 2 Years
- Evgenii Dadonov - 1 Year
- Connor Brown - 4 Years
- Jake Allen - 5 Years
- Nathan Légaré - 1 Year
- Juho Lammikko - 1 Year
- Angus Crookshank - 2 Years
- Marc McLaughlin
- Dennis Cholowski
- Calen Addison
New York Rangers - Cap Space 778k - 85 points - 5th in the Metro
- Matt Rempe - 2 Years
- Matthew Robertson - 2 Years
- Adam Edstrom - 2 Years
- Vladislav Gavrikov - 7 Years
- Will Cuylle - 2 Years
- Taylor Raddysh - 2 Years
- Derrick Pouliot - 2 Years
- Trey Fix-Wolansky - 1 Year
- Brenden Brisson - 1 Year
- Justin Dowling - 2 Years
New York Islanders - Cap Space $3.88M - 82 points - 6th in the Metro
- Adam Boqvist - 1 Year
- Kyle Palmieri - 2 Years
- Alexander Romanov - 8 Years
- Tony DeAngelo - 1 Year
- David Rittich - 1 Year
- Jonathan Drouin - 2 Years
- Simon Holmstrom - 2 years
- Emil Heineman - 2 Years
- Maxim Shabanov - 1 Year
- Marc Gatcom - 1 Year
Pittsburgh Penguins - Cap Space $15.82M - 80 points - 7th in the Metro
- Filip Hallander - 2 Years
- Bokondji Imama - 1 Year
- Joona Koppanen - 1 Year
- Parker Wotherspoon - 2 Years
- Connor Dewar - 1 Year
- Philip Tomasino - 1 Year
- Justin Brazeau - 2 Years
- Caleb Jones - 2 Years
- Anthony Mantha - 1 Year
- Phillip Kemp - 2 Years
- Rafael Harvey-Pinard - 1 Year
- Alex Alexeyev - 1 Year
Philadelphia Flyers - Cap Space 370k - 76 points - 8th in the Metro
- Tyson Foerster - 2 Years
- Noah Cates - 4 Years
- Christian Dvorak - 1 Year
- Noah Juulsen - 1 year
- Dan Vladar - 2 Years
- Dennis Gilbert - 1 Year
- Lane Pederson - 1 Year
- Cam York - 5 Years
Who do you think did the best in free agency?
My pick is the Carolina Hurricanes. They were able to trade for K'Andre Miller last week and signed Logan Stankoven to a long-term extension after trading for him during the season. They were able to lure Nikolaj Ehlers to Raleigh and also signed Taylor Hall to an extension.
The Philadelphia Flyers quietly made a few moves to get better. Locking up Cade York for five years is certainly a win for them, as well as Noah Cates for four.
The New York Islanders look to be making a big move in the standings in the next year or two. With what they did in the draft and then locking down a few guys in free agency, look for the Islanders to make a push towards the top in a few years.
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't sign anyone of substance. Even though they seem to be holding on to Sidney Crosby (for now), the Pens are seemingly about to take a big dive. Evgeni Malkin reportedly won't be offered a new contract, and Kris Letang is virtually untradeable due to factors that include his contract and his health. Their fans are begging for a rebuild and could very well land Gavin McKenna in next year's NHL Draft.
As for the rest of the division, the New York Rangers will be back, the Washington Capitals are going to try to squeeze every last game out of Alex Ovechkin, and the New Jersey Devils will try to find a way to stave off the up-and-coming teams like Columbus.
The Metro is a wild place, and it never gets any easier.
Let us know what you think below.
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