The puck drops on the 2024-25 NHL season in less than two weeks as the Sabres and Devils play a two-game set at O2 Arena in Prague. Here's a preview of the eight teams that reside in the Metropolitan Division, in no particular order.
Pittsburgh Penguins
There were whispers regarding Sidney Crosby's future in Pittsburgh leading up to the trade deadline last March. Crosby doesn't seem to have any interest in playing anywhere other than Pittsburgh, however, as he re-upped with the Penguins during the offseason. A rebuild never seems far off in the Steel City even if pieces of the original core (Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang) remain on board. There weren't a ton of big offseason moves, although the draft day deal to acquire Kevin Hayes and signing of Matt Grzelcyk could pay dividends. A time-share isn't off the board in goal with the capable duo of Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic. Depth remains thin across the board for the Pens and another campaign on the edge of postseason play is the most likely outcome.
New York Rangers
The Blueshirts fell two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final last Spring, bowing out at the hands of the eventual champion Panthers. As expected, the Rangers more or less stood pat during the offseason, feeling that keeping the core together was the best path forward to another run at the Cup. Alexis Lafreniere took a big step forward last season and especially in the playoffs and New York is hoping Kaapo Kakko is next in line to blossom in 24-25. You'd be hard-pressed to find many holes in this roster and with all-world goaltender Igor Shesterkin once again serving as the last line of defense, the Rangers should be top of conversation when it comes to Stanley Cup contenders.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Perhaps no team will be playing with heavier hearts than the Blue Jackets following the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in late-August. The hockey community as a whole is hurting.
Columbus had a fairly productive offseason, dealing away troubled veteran Patrik Laine to Montreal in exchange for blue-line prospect Jordan Harris. Sean Monahan and James van Riemsdyk were added to provide some veteran leadership. This is still a very young team with the hope being that Adam Fantilli, who had his rookie campaign cut short by a freak injury, and Kent Johnson take another step forward. The Jackets boast an underrated defensive corps led by Zach Werenski and fast-improving David Jiricek. It's going to be difficult for Columbus to gain much ground in the ultra-competitive Metropolitan but any move northward from last place would be considered a positive.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes seem to be stuck in a bit of a 'groundhog day' cycle, re-living the same season (and playoff exit) over and over again. Changes were needed in the offseason and as a result, this is a new-look team entering 24-25. Gone are the likes of Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen and Antti Raanta. While big name signings weren't in the cards, the Canes did add quality depth pieces including William Carrier, Jack Roslovic, Tyson Jost and Shayne Gostisbehere among others. Few teams are deeper than Carolina - a big reason it was able to let so many players walk in the offseason. In goal, the Canes are depending on the healthy of Frederik Andersen who is likely to be pushed by backup Pyotr Kochetkov.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils were a massive disappointment last season after making such great strides the year previous. Shoring up their goaltending situation was job one over the Summer and New Jersey did just that by acquiring Jacob Markstrom in a trade with Calgary. The Devils are hoping some of the Hurricanes past success can rub off with the arrival of Brett Pesce and Stefan Noesen. However, Pesce will start the season on the shelf, as will young blue line standout Luke Hughes. There's no question New Jersey is still counting on plenty of young players to lead the charge but that has worked in the past. The injury bug bit the Devils hard last season but if their key cogs, particularly up front, can stay healthy they could turn out to be a Metropolitan Division sleeper.
New York Islanders
Patrick Roy will get his first full season behind the bench with the Islanders following a third-place finish in the Metropolitan last season. The offseason losses were minimal, but so were the additions. New York did do some tinkering, most notably adding Anthony Duclair, who it hopes can provide a scoring boost. Many of the familiar faces including Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson will be asked to shoulder the load offensively. The blue line is solid led by the terrific Noah Dobson. In goal, a bounce-back campaign should be in order for Ilya Sorokin who was once thought to be one of the best in the NHL but had a down 23-24 season. He did undergo offseason back surgery so we'll see if he's ready for puck drop in October. Semyon Varlamov serves as a capable veteran backup.
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia isn't exactly known for having a patient fan base so it's understandable that the Flyers are in win-now mode under the guidance of head coach John Tortorella. If nothing else, the Flyers should be exciting to watch with Matvei Michkov coming over from Russia after being drafted in June 2023. There's plenty of talent behind Michkov, at least in the top-six. After that, offensive production wanes. Last season's big move was the trade of Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim in exchange for Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale will be asked to take on a more prominent role on the blue line this season, likely eating 20-25 minutes per game. Philadelphia has a crowded crease with no fewer than four goaltenders capable of earning time. The duo of Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov are most likely to stay on with the big club come October.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals were one of the biggest surprises to reach the postseason last Spring and much like the Penguins, made moves to bolster their roster rather than begin a rebuild in the offseason. Veterans T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom won't be on the ice any time soon and could miss the entire season. That makes the acquisition of guys like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane all the more important. In a quiet trade that could pay big dividends, Washington added Jakob Chychrun from Ottawa after the defenseman struggled to fit in north of the border. In goal, Darcy Kuemper was dealt while Logan Thompson was added by way of Las Vegas. Thompson could earn a time-share with Charlie Lindgren, who put forth a terrific 23-24 campaign. The main reason to watch the Caps this season will be to see if Alex Ovechkin can hunt down Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record but don't be surprised if they earn playoff-viewing as well.