The Metropolitan meat grinder never sleeps.
The Metropolitan Division is a tough one, and every off season it seems to get harder and harder. But how did the Metro react to free agency this year?
Carolina is in win now mode, that’s no secret. And every season they add vets that they think will help push them over the top, this year was no different. They signed Dmitry Orlov for two years. The big defenseman was one of the top UFA’s on the market. They also went out and got Michael Bunting who was signed for three years. Most people knew Toronto couldn’t afford him but didn’t figure him going to the Canes. They also re-signed Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta to extensions. There are also rumors the Canes are interested in Erik Karlsson. This team wants and needs to win now.
The New Jersey Devils had a very good season and nearly won the metro. They’re not in win now mode and have years left on their window, so did they improve in free agency? They re-signed Timo Meier which was huge. They traded for Tyler Toffoli. They re-signed forward Nathan Bastian and Michael McLeod, who were both UFA’s. They also signed goalie Erik Kallgren for depth. They put a few vets around their kids.
Timo MeierThe New York Islanders are stuck in the middle of the metro. Some say they’re not good enough to compete, some say they’re not bad enough to be at the bottom. They were able to keep their UFA’s and extend goalie Ilya Sorokin. They signed Sorokin to an eight-year extension which will begin in 2024. They also signed goalie Semyon Varlamov for four years. The Devils also locked up were Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield, both for seven years.
The New York Rangers made a flurry of moves. Signing veterans Blake Wheeler, Jonathan Quick, Alex Belzile, Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash, and Nick Bonino. They also have a couple important RFA’s to take care of, Alex Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller being the most important. These two will most likely eat up the remaining cap space they have. Can the Rangers win with who they have?
The Philadelphia Flyers are rebuilding. Trading away key pieces like Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes, and shopping guys like Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny. They acquired a lot of picks through trades and drafted Matvei Michkov, Oliver Bonk and Carson Bjarnson. It’s very clear what they’re doing, and where they’ll be, the bottom of the Metro.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming to the end of their historic run with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They missed the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. They hired Kyle Dumas and Jason Spezza to run the front office. Now what? They signed a ton of vets in free agency, Noel Acciari, Ryan Graves, Tristan Jarry, Matt Nieto, Alex Nedeljkovic, Lars Eller, Joona Koppanen, Ryan Shea and Will Butcher. They also acquired Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights on draft night. Did the Penguins get better? Probably yes. Are they going to compete for the Metro title? Probably no. They can’t be counted out simply because they have Crosby and Malkin, but they have a lot of work to do if they want to win the division.
Sidney CrosbyThe Washington Capitals are in a similar spot as the Penguins. They’re aging and have a hall of famer trying to beat one the biggest records in sports. Alex Ovechkin may be older, but his shot is just as lethal as it was 15 years ago. But can they compete in the Metro anymore? With Ovechkin, anything is possible. They went out and signed Max Pacioretty and re-signed Martin Fehervary. They lost Conner Brown, Matt Irwin, Conor Sheary and Craig Smith. The Capitals won’t finish below the Flyers, but it’s possible they finish low enough to get another top 10 pick. Eventually, after Ovechkin breaks Gretzky’s goal record scoring record, the Capitals should break this thing down and start over. But until then, enjoy Ovis chase.
The CBJ have remained quiet thus far in free agency, as expected. Looking at what other teams in the Metro have done though, the strong haven’t got significantly stronger, but that could change with trades and other free agents still sitting out there. This division is going through a change in hierarchy, and it won’t be easy for any team to win it. But it will be fun to watch.