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Cam York and Owen Tippett of the Philadelphia Flyers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Raz’s 2025-26 Standings Predictions: Metropolitan Division

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Raz Devraj | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 8:35 AM ET

Going back to the Eastern Conference for the last installment of my standings predictions series for the 2025-26 NHL season, we have the Metropolitan Division. When you take a look at the Metro this season, the first word that comes to mind is mid. The contrast throughout this division is really like no other. The top of the division is really good, while the bottom is very bad. Aside from a couple of teams in the middle that could be fighting for a wild card spot toward the tail end of the season, this division might be the easiest to predict in terms of who makes the playoffs and who doesn’t.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets took a big step last season, only missing the playoffs by two points, and that was largely due to their ability to score goals and mask a lot of their defensive deficiencies. Not much has changed with their roster, although they did add some center depth with Charlie Coyle. The Blue Jackets are another team that has a lot of young talent, and it’s players like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kirill Marchenko, who have the ability to put this team in a better position than expected.

The Blue Jackets could very well be in the mix for a wild card spot, but a couple of things need to happen. Their offense needs to continue to produce at a similar rate from last season, and they are going to need a lot more from their goaltenders, especially Elvis Merzlikins, who could very well lose his starting job to Jet Greaves.

Washington Capitals

Not many expected the Washington Capitals to be as good as they were last season, winning the Metro Division with 111 points. A lot of their success was due to players having better seasons and producing more than expected. Logan Thompson was phenomenal in between the pipes, giving the Capitals their best goaltending, really, since Braden Holtby. Dylan Strome decided to tally a career high 82 points, and of course, Alex Ovechkin did what he does best with 44 goals. Not much has changed with the Capitals this offseason, who are essentially running it back with the same roster, minus Andrew Mangiapane and Lars Eller. Unless they are able to garner the same amount of production as they got last season, they are bound to show some regression. That being said, they still should be in the playoff conversation.

New Jersey Devils

Right now, the biggest concern for the New Jersey Devils is the fact that defenseman Luke Hughes is still not signed. With merely days away from opening night, the Devils and Hughes have still not come to an agreement, which raises questions about how long each side is willing to hold out. Aside from that, the Devils are looking good heading into the 2025-26 season and should be competing for a top-three spot in the Metro.

Their offseason wasn’t big by any means, but a couple of solid additions in Evgenii Dadonov and Connor Brown should improve their bottom six and secondary scoring. Consistency might be the Devils’ biggest flaw, and part of that has to do with injuries. Both Timo Meier and Jack Hughes are crucial pieces of the Devils’ offense and have a history of long-term injuries. In a relatively weak-to-mid Metro Division, they shouldn’t have any issues securing a playoff spot, barring any unforeseen injuries.

Philadelphia Flyers

Hockey in Pennsylvania has been rough as of late, and that doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon. The Philadelphia Flyers are likely heading into another season where they will most likely not be anywhere near the playoff conversation, and they aren’t expected to be, as they continue to navigate their rebuild. They are trending in the right direction, though, and should take that next step after a couple more seasons, and a lot of that has to do with the young, promising core they are trying to develop. The Flyers had a decently active offseason, landing the highlight-reel-filled forward Trevor Zegras. They also signed Christian Dvorak, who will give them some much-needed center depth, especially if Zegras moves to the wing again for any reason.

The Flyers have had some major goaltending issues, and while adding Dan Vladar should improve that area, it’s most likely not going to be by a significant margin. This season is nothing but development for the Flyers, and I’m sure they will be a fun group to watch, especially with the potential Matvei Michkov and Zegras magic.

Carolina Hurricanes

In terms of having the busiest and most impactful offseason, the Carolina Hurricanes are near the top of the list. After continuing to fail at keeping game-changing talent around (i.e., Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen), the Hurricanes made one of the splashes of the offseason, landing Nikolaj Ehlers. Not only that, but they also acquired K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers, which adds to an already stellar defensive group. The Hurricanes are by far the best team in the Metro and should be the clear favorites to win the division. They are built to make the playoffs and show no signs of struggling during the regular season. It’s taking that next step in the playoffs that has been the big question for the Hurricanes over the last few seasons, but in terms of getting there, they have that formula down pat.

The only area that could slightly hinder the Hurricanes’ chances of winning the division is their goaltending and the possible regression of an injury-prone, 35-year-old Frederik Andersen. It’s why they are rumored to be in on goaltender Carter Hart, because I don’t think anyone is quite sold on Pyotr Kochetkov being the starter. Aside from goaltending, they are one of the most solid teams up and down the roster, and that will translate to the standings.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders got better this offseason, but not for the 2025-26 season. They had a phenomenal draft, which saw them with three first-round picks, which included selecting Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick, and following up on that with both Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. While the future is starting to look pretty good for the Islanders, the same can’t really be said about the present. The contrast throughout the roster is very interesting. Their forward group is super light and has nowhere near enough talent to fight for a playoff spot. Outside of Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat, this group looks rough.

Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

That being said, their defensive group and goaltending with Ilya Sorokin is what is going to keep the Islanders mediocre. They don’t look like a team that’s going to be punishing offensively, but they’re also going to be a tough team to score on. If Sorokin doesn’t have the season that’s expected of him, the Islanders could quickly fall near the bottom of the standings.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Lost, confused, identity crisis, no man’s land, are just a few ways you could describe the current state of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who can’t seem to pick a direction. This team is in no position to compete for a playoff spot, and they need to start accepting that in order to start improving for the future. Trading their veteran talent for picks and “tanking” for Gavin McKenna should be priority number one for the Penguins. While it sucks to not see Sidney Crosby competing where it matters most, they need to start planning for what their franchise looks like post-Crosby.

Arturs Silovs was a nice offseason addition and could step into a bigger role right away, depending on which version of Tristan Jarry decides to show up. Anthony Mantha was another solid add on paper, but who knows how he’s going to look after missing pretty much all of last season with a torn ACL. Anything can happen, but it’s most likely going to be a pretty brutal season in Pittsburgh.

New York Rangers

What happened to the New York Rangers last season? With all that talent and skill, they had to be the most disappointing team of the 2024-25 season. A bounce-back year is likely in the cards, and for a few reasons. Change is the biggest one, both on the ice and on the bench. J.T. Miller was named captain, and you can bet his competitiveness is going to be felt throughout that entire roster. They also hired Mike Sullivan as their new head coach, who should be able to provide some much-needed direction and stability that this group just didn’t seem to have last season. Landing Vladislav Gavrikov was huge and will undoubtedly be a defensive upgrade from K’Andre Miller.

The Rangers might have the most talented roster in the Metro on paper, but they need to put it all together. With a group like this, plus a goaltender like Igor Shesterkin, there are no excuses for the Rangers, who should finish third or higher in the Metro.

Final Rank

Carolina Hurricanes – X
New York Rangers – X
New Jersey Devils – X
Washington Capitals – X
Columbus Blue Jackets
New York Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins

X = clinched playoff spot

The top is very strong in the Metro, and the bottom is very weak. It’s most likely going to be teams like the Capitals and Blue Jackets who make the wild card race in the Eastern Conference interesting, even with a stacked Atlantic Division.