2025–26 NHL Metropolitan Division Preview: Can Carolina Finally Break Through?
The Metropolitan Division is once again set to feature a mix of top teams, playoff hopefuls, and your classic rebuild. But a new season resets everything, and the Met should once again be competitive and exciting. In this guide, we are going to break it all does, from predictions, to key players, and potential surprises to look out for.
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Introducing the Teams
New Jersey Devils
- Arena: Prudential Center
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 42-33-7
- The Devils look set to aim for another playoff appearance, which will be bolstered by the return of superstar Jack Hughes and the emergence of Jesper Bratt as a star. The Devils weren’t particularly active in the offseason and are still yet to sign RFA Luke Hughes.
Washington Capitals
- Arena: Capital One Arena
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 51-22-9
- The Capitals will remain a question mark going into the season, and their success will be highly dependent on the form of Alex Ovechkin. Emerging talents such as Alexei Protas and Ryan Leonard could provide a window to the future of this team.
Carolina Hurricanes
- Arena: Lenovo Center
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 47-30-5
- The Hurricanes finally broke their streak of games lost in the conference finals and will look to build on their success. Their core of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov will lead the way while the additions of Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller will only strengthen this Hurricanes team.
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Arena: PPG Paints Arena
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 34-36-12
- It looks like it’s set to be yet another rebuild campaign in the twilight years of Crosby and Malkin. They don’t have much depth outside their first line and will likely struggle much like last season.
Philadelphia Flyers
- Arena: XFinity Mobile Arena
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 33-39-10
- Another team in rebuild mode, but perhaps a more positive outlook for the future. The Flyers have exciting talents such as Matvei Mitchkov and Jamie Drysdale, while the addition of center Trevor Zegras adds some intrigue to this Flyers team. We should have a better picture of the Flyers’ future after this season.
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Arena: Nationwide Arena
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 40-33-9
- After the disappointment of just missing out on the playoffs, the Blue Jackets will have a chip on their shoulder going into 2025 and feature a roster full of exciting players such as Zach Werenski and Adam Fantili.
New York Rangers
- Arena: Madison Square Garden
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 39-36-7
- Just a year removed from the conference finals, the 2024 season was just short of a total disaster for the Rangers, failing to live up to expectations and underperforming for the whole year. They will look to bounce back and will require consistent performances from the likes of Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox.
New York Islanders
- Arena: UBS Arena
- 2024/25 Record (W-L-OT): 35-35-12
- The Islanders find themselves in a predicament of being too good to rebuild but not good enough to make the playoffs consistently. The arrival of number one overall pick Matthew Schaefer provides some excitement for the future and this team still features good players, but expect another year in purgatory.
Whichever of these Metropolitan Division teams is your favorite, you’ll find their full NHL Schedule and Broadcast information on the Live Sports on TV website.
Looking Back: 2024–25 Highlights & Low Points
The Metropolitan remains a division with teams at the very top and teams closer to the bottom. The Capitals finished with the highest point total in the entire Eastern Conference but were unable to translate that into playoff success. The Hurricanes and Devils had solid regular seasons and made the playoffs, with the latter suffering from injuries to their star player Jack Hughes. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the Flyers, Penguins, and Islanders were among the worst teams in the league, and the Rangers had an extremely disappointing 2024 season for their standards.
In the playoffs, the Hurricanes proved themselves to be the strongest in the division, facing both of their divisional rivals in the Devils and Capitals, and dispatching them with relative ease, beating both 4-1 before falling to the same fate against the eventual champion Florida Panthers in the conference finals.
Expectations for the Metro This Season
Favorites to Watch
Despite how dominant the Capitals were in the East, the Hurricanes seem best placed to take over the division and maybe even the conference. They have kept their core intact with their franchise player Aho leading the way, and sniper Seth Jarvis is only getting better. The addition of Nikolaj Ehlers should have a positive impact on the offense and could allow Aho to unlock another level and have a career year. They remain one of the best defensive units in the league anchored by Jaccob Slavin who will be joined by trade acquisition K’Andre Miller. There have been question marks surrounding head coach Rod Brind’Amour and his ability to get the team over the conference final hump, but the results speak for themselves and the Hurricanes should be in contention to get to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Potential Surprise Teams For the 2025-26 Season
The team to watch in the division this year is the Columbus Blue Jackets. They just missed out on the playoffs in the 2024-25 season and will use that as motivation going into 2025. Last season, they saw two breakout seasons from Zach Werenski and Adam Fantili and if they continue on the same trajectory, the Blue Jackets will be a force to be reckoned with. Around these cornerstones, they have some quality in the form of Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson but one wonders if their depth is enough to really push for a playoff spot. With some of the other teams expected to return to form, it will be competitive but the Blue Jackets will be determined to come out on top.
Key Offseason Moves That Could Shape the Metro
The Capitals had a relatively quiet offseason but will have a new face in the form of rookie Ryan Leonard. Leonard featured in the final few games of the 2024-25 season following the completion of his college career but he will be a rookie to keep an eye on this season.
The Devils were similarly quiet in the offseason aside from some depth additions and resigning players with one notable addition being forward Connor Brown. But the biggest story in New Jersey this offseason has been the contract impasse with Luke Hughes. The rumors are Hughes is looking for more money than the Devils can currently afford but this is a deal that they will surely look to get done one way or another.
The Hurricanes big additions were the aforementioned Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller moves. They also gave an extension to Logan Stankhoven who was acquired in the infamous Mikko Rantanen trade and also gave an extension to upcoming forward Jackson Blake.
The Blue Jackets also added some depth by acquiring center Charlie Coyle and Isaac Lundestrom in the offseason and have kept their core group together.
In New York, the Rangers fired head coach Peter Laviolette and focused on resigning depth players. They traded Miller to the Hurricanes and, in return, got some picks and Scott Morrow. They also traded away Chris Kreider to the Ducks.
The Islanders had their biggest move come in the draft, selecting highly-touted defenseman Matthew Schaefer. It remains to be seen whether he will go right into the lineup or whether he will continue to develop with the Erie Otters of the OHL. They also traded away Noah Dobson right before the draft to the Canadiens for two first round picks and Emil Heineman.
Pittsburgh acquired promising goalie Artur Silovs from the Canucks and Matt Dumba from the Stars while remaining quiet otherwise.
Finally, the Flyers made some big moves in acquiring Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks, while they also drafted forward Porter Martone, who will join the Michigan State Spartans to play his college hockey.
What Channels Do You Need?
This season’s Metropolitan Conference action will be pure sporting drama. Games will be available for viewing on broadcast channels such as ESPN, TNT, and ABC, with streaming options that include ESPN+, Hulu, and Max. The most comprehensive coverage, as well as out-of-market games, comes with the NHL Center Ice package, available for purchase through most cable providers.
It looks like it is going to be another superb year of tense hockey for these fascinating teams, which means you’ll want to keep an eye on the Live Sports on TV Website to make sure you catch all Metropolitan Division matchups.
Written by: Venuse, Inc. (Sports Content Creator)
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