By Peter Baugh, Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, Kevin Kurz, Vince Mercogliano, Aaron Portzline and Josh Yohe

The Carolina Hurricanes have made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, the third-longest active streak in the NHL. A quick survey of assembled The Athletic writers predicts the Canes will not only make it eight straight, they’ll also return to the top of the Metropolitan Division.

Boosted by the offseason additions of winger Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman K’Andre Miller, the Hurricanes received six out of eight possible first-place votes as the top team in the Metro, even though the Washington Capitals (2024-25) and New York Rangers (2023-24) have won the last two division crowns.

With training camps around the NHL heading into the second week, it’s a good time to take a look at how the Metro shifted over the offseason.

Carolina was the runaway favorite, with New Jersey and Washington regarded as playoff teams but division also-rans. Upstart Columbus and the New York Rangers are part of the mushy middle, while Philadelphia and the New York Islanders — both in transition — are in a battle near the bottom.

One club looks out of place, though. Pittsburgh, which hasn’t finished last place in a division in 20 years (2005-06), was the clear pick to inhabit the basement. Teams are ranked in order of predicted finish, with eight points given for a first-place vote, seven for second place, etc.

1. Carolina Hurricanes (62 points, 6 first-place votes)

Who’s new?: F Nikolaj Ehlers, F Bradly Nadeau, D K’Andre Miller, D Alexander Nikishin, G Cayden Primeau

Who’s gone?: F Jack Roslovic, D Brent Burns, D Dmitry Orlov, D Scott Morrow, D Riley Stillman

Reason for optimism: The Hurricanes are a regular-season juggernaut, and every summer they make substantive moves in an attempt to get over the hump in the playoffs. This summer was a prime example. They added one of the biggest names on the free agent market in Ehlers, who should bolster an already-strong forward group and could pop offensively if he gets the ice time he should have gotten in Winnipeg. The other big add is Miller, who fell out of favor with the Rangers but gets a fresh start with a club that plays his style of game. Carolina is also expecting a big boost from Jackson Blake. The Hurricanes have the third-longest playoff streak in the league (seven seasons). It will be a shock if they don’t make it eight, and they’re heavy favorites to win the division.

Reason for concern: For all of the talent at forward, there’s a soft spot in the middle of the second line. Jesperi Kotkaniemi would fit perfectly as a third-line center on a contending club, but he’ll likely be the second-line center in Carolina. Does he have the offensive chops to hang with his wingers?

The other problem area is nothing new. For years, the Hurricanes have banked on average to below-average goaltending from Fredrik Andersen and others, and here we are again. At times, Pyotr Kochetkov has looked like the answer, but then other times not. Cayden Primeau’s .884 save percentage in 55 NHL games is not reassuring. This won’t bite them in the regular season, of course.

Bold prediction: This may be something less than bold, but Bradly Nadeau, the Canes’ first-round pick (No. 30 overall) in 2023, seems ready for an NHL spot. He lit up the AHL last season with 32 goals and 58 points as a 19-year-old pro. It won’t be an easy top six to crack, but Nadeau will carve out a role. —Aaron Portzline

2. New Jersey Devils (55 points, 2 first-place votes)

Who’s new?: F Connor Brown, F Evgenii Dadonov, F Arseniy Gritsyuk, F Juho Lammikko, F Thomas Bordeleau

Who’s gone?: F Erik Haula, F Tomáš Tatar, F Nathan Bastian, F Justin Dowling, F Curtis Lazar, F Daniel Sprong, D Brian Dumoulin

Reason for optimism: Jack Hughes is healthy, and so is Luke Hughes. And though Luke Hughes is still a restricted free agent, that should get resolved before the season. With the Hughes brothers, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier and captain Nico Hischier, New Jersey has a young core capable of contention. GM Tom Fitzgerald has bolstered the supporting cast the past two summers, acquiring the likes of Brett Pesce, Stefan Noesen and Connor Brown. Goaltender Jacob Markström had a solid first season with the club, most notably in the playoffs, and coach Sheldon Keefe has young talent to foster. Šimon Nemec will look to take a step, and rookie Arseniy Gritsyuk should contribute right away. When not depleted by injuries, as was the case in the 2025 playoffs, this is a legitimate roster. And surely that amount of injuries won’t happen again this year, right?

Reason for concern: There’s no guarantee injuries won’t derail another season. They’ve been the team’s downfall each of the past two seasons. Jack Hughes has suffered season-ending shoulder injuries both years. Those might be freak accidents more than a chronic concern, but the Devils can’t afford another. Markström will turn 36 in the middle of the season, and the team is relying heavily on him. Will he be able to carry the load through a long season and a potential deep playoff run? If not, the Devils will be in trouble. Jake Allen is a solid No. 2, but the Devils didn’t acquire him to be the main backstop. And, like with most rosters in the league, it could probably use another top-nine forward option.

Bold prediction: Jack Hughes will play more than 75 games, score 100 points and finish higher in Hart Trophy voting than he did in 2022-23 (eighth). The reasoning is simple: He’s really, really good and is 24, a feasible age for him to have a huge season. He’s due for a healthy year and when he’s healthy, there’s not much to dislike. —Peter Baugh

3. Washington Capitals (46)

Who’s new?: F Justin Sourdif, D Declan Chisholm

Who’s gone?: LW Andrew Mangiapane, C Lars Eller, RW Taylor Raddysh, F Ethen Frank, D Alexander Alexeyev

Reason for optimism: The Caps are bringing back virtually every relevant piece from last season’s Metro Division champion, for one. That’s a good baseline reason to believe in them for 2025-26. They can run back one of the very best blue lines in the NHL and continue to rely on a productive group of forwards, led by the greatest goal scorer of all time in Alex Ovechkin. Also, in two seasons as head coach, Spencer Carbery has shown a knack for putting his players in a position to succeed. He knows how to get the most of his rosters, and there’s every reason to believe he’ll continue being a difference-maker. “How are the Caps so successful?” has turned into a standard question, and Carbery is an enormous part of the answer.

Reason for concern: Ovechkin is a year older, which never helps. Beyond that, there should be some level of concern that too many individual Caps hit their peaks last season. How much more can they expect from Tom Wilson? Is it fair to imagine Pierre-Luc Dubois, already an impressive reclamation project, turning into a legit 1C? Does Aliaksei Protas have another 30-goal season in him? Can Dylan Strome continue producing enough points to wallpaper issues with his own game and Ovechkin’s? Who is the real Logan Thompson? Washington loved the answers to all those questions in 2025-26, but running it all back is a tough ask.

Bold prediction: To that end, nothing would be bolder than saying that the Caps do, indeed, mount a successful follow-up. Connor McMichael anchoring a productive, substantive third line would help, as would someone such as Ryan Leonard or Andrew Cristall filling McMichael’s previous role on the Dubois-Wilson line. So too would a top-10 goaltending season, front to back, for Thompson. Let’s go with that. —Sean Gentille

Will Alex Ovechkin be all smiles again this season? (Scott Taetsch / Imagn Images)4. Columbus Blue Jackets (40)

Who’s new?: F Charlie Coyle, F Miles Wood, F Isac Lundestrom, G Ivan Fedotov

Who’s gone?: F Sean Kuraly, F James van Riemsdyk, F Justin Danforth, D Jack Johnson, D Jordan Harris, G Daniil Tarasov

Reason for optimism: The tremendous growth shown by the Blue Jackets’ swell of young players last season — Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson, Dmitry Voronkov, etc. — has boosted confidence in a room that is now stocked with productive and revered veterans such as Zach Werenski, Sean Monahan and Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets finished seventh in the NHL in scoring last season, despite long-term injuries to Jenner, Monahan and others. There were nights when they outscored their own defensive lapses and goaltending. After surprising the league last season and missing the playoffs by two points, the Jackets feel like their five-year postseason drought (the second-longest in franchise history) will end this season.

Reason for concern: The Blue Jackets have been one of the NHL’s worst defensive clubs for five seasons now, and the offseason upgrades many had hoped for — especially in goal, but also on the blue line — never came to fruition for GM Don Waddell. Remarkably, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is back for another season, despite three straight seasons with a sub-.900 save percentage. There’s a strong chance Jet Greaves, finally an NHLer after consistent improvement in the AHL, will push Merzlikins for starts and even the No. 1 role. The Blue Jackets gave Ivan Provorov a massive contract (seven years, $59.5 million) to keep him from free agency, so the blue line has barely changed.

Bold prediction: Yegor Chinakhov made quite possibly the least effective trade request in hockey history this summer. Waddell didn’t hear any offers that made him consider moving the 24-year-old winger, and the two sides — Chinakhov and coach Dean Evason — had a clear-the-air meeting before camp started. Chinakhov was the only member of their young, skilled core who hasn’t yet popped, but that’s coming this year. Look for Chinakhov to have 20-plus goals and 50-plus points. —Aaron Portzline

5. New York Rangers (37)

Who’s new?: D Vladislav Gavrikov, F Taylor Raddysh, D Scott Morrow

Who’s gone?: F Chris Kreider, D K’Andre Miller, D Zac Jones

Reason for optimism: It can’t get worse, can it? Seemingly everything that could have gone wrong for the Rangers last season did, but they believe a full season with new captain J.T. Miller, the addition of Gavrikov to stabilize the defense and bounce-back performances from a core that’s only a year removed from winning a Presidents’ Trophy will propel them back into playoff contention. They’re also banking a first-year-coach bump from Mike Sullivan, whom team president Chris Drury has coveted for years and finally lured to New York in May. These Rangers have responded well to changes behind the bench, posting a combined 107-47-10 record (.683 points percentage) in their first seasons under previous coaches Gerard Gallant (2021-22) and Peter Laviolette (2023-24). Did I mention they still have Igor Shesterkin in net?

Reason for concern: On second thought, maybe it can get worse. The Rangers will rely heavily on a group of veteran forwards who are all coming off down statistical seasons and will enter the season age 32 or older: Miller, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad. They’ve struggled to develop young, affordable players to ease their burden, and their defensive corps has major questions beyond an expected top pair of Gavrikov and Adam Fox. Team defense is of particular concern. Shesterkin has masked their deficiencies for years, but the walls came crumbling down around him last season. New York ranked 29th with an average of 12.2 high-danger scoring chances against per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick, which was exacerbated by a penchant for senseless turnovers, poor net-front protection and issues breaking pucks out of their own zone. Sullivan wants to run a system that’s predicated on a swarming forecheck, but the Rangers are short on effective defensive players and may not have the horses to pull it off.

Bold prediction: Fox will establish a new career high in points and make the final Olympic roster for Team USA. The 27-year-old defenseman has been a focus of criticism, particularly in the aftermath of a subpar 4 Nations Face-Off showing. But as Sullivan put it, “It’s provided a lot of motivation for him to train as hard as he did.” —Vince Mercogliano

The Rangers will need Igor Shesterkin to be masterful again. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)6. New York Islanders (19)

Who’s new?: F Jonathan Drouin, F Maxim Shabanov, F Emil Heineman, D Matthew Schaefer, G David Rittich

Who’s gone?: F Hudson Fasching, D Noah Dobson, D Mike Reilly

Reason for optimism: It’s already a new era of Islanders hockey under Mathieu Darche, who is well on his way to implementing a much-needed retool. The Islanders’ pipeline was depleted at the end of the Lou Lamoriello era, and Darche got off to a strong start, adding a lot of promising skill through the draft. So if the Islanders aren’t in the playoff race this season, it’s not a disappointment because at least there is a big-picture plan to strive for. With Matthew Schaefer in the fold, a healthy Mathew Barzal and new assistant coaches to run special teams, the Islanders should at the very least show signs of progress from last year.

Reason for concern: The Islanders aren’t a bad enough team to be a basement dweller — not with Ilya Sorokin between the pipes — and this doesn’t project to be a playoff-caliber roster, either. So that could mean a finish in the dreaded middle. The Islanders landed the No. 1 overall draft pick last year, despite a 12th-place finish in the East, but no one should expect lightning to strike twice. That means management has to be creative this year to time this retool correctly. Another reason for concern could be Barzal’s shift back to center, since the team doesn’t have that same depth since Brock Nelson’s departure. While the results don’t matter this year, the Islanders don’t want their retool to have shaky cornerstones at its foundation.

Bold prediction: Patrick Roy doesn’t make it to December as the Islanders’ head coach, and Bob Boughner takes over behind the bench. Sorokin bounces back with stellar numbers post-coaching change and shows what a difference-maker he can be, no matter his workload. —Shayna Goldman

7. Philadelphia Flyers (17)

Who’s new?: F Trevor Zegras, F Christian Dvorak, D Noah Juulsen, D Dennis Gilbert, G Dan Vladar

Who’s gone?: F Ryan Poehling, F Jakob Pelletier, G Ivan Fedotov

Reason for optimism: On paper, the Flyers look like a better team. Zegras was acquired at a bargain and will have a chance to play center again, where he was such an offensive force in his first two years. Vladar, while not the sexiest name, should still be a huge upgrade over the team’s two backup goaltenders last season. Dvorak gives them more depth down the middle and on the penalty kill, while young players such as Matvei Michkov and Tyson Foerster should keep improving. Others, such as Sean Couturier and Cam York, could do well free of John Tortorella after they were often the target of the former coach’s ire.

Reason for concern: This is still a team that had the league’s worst goaltending and the 30th-ranked power play last season, the two biggest reasons they finished in the Eastern Conference basement. In goal, it’s not only Vladar who will have to be serviceable, but Samuel Ersson, who had an .883 save percentage and a 3.13 goals-against average last season. Rick Tocchet knows how to coach a power play, but whether there’s enough skill on the roster for that part of the Flyers’ game to drastically improve is debatable.

Bold prediction: Michkov will score 40 goals. The power play was so bad under Tortorella and Rocky Thompson for three seasons that it really has nowhere to go but up. Michkov will be the primary beneficiary of that, as a player who can both open up the ice and get to the front of the net. If the Flyers had even an average power play last season, Michkov (26 goals in 80 games) would have almost certainly eclipsed 30 goals. —Kevin Kurz

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (12)

Who’s new?: F Justin Brazeau, F Anthony Mantha, D Connor Clifton, D Matt Dumba, D Parker Wotherspoon, G Arturs Silovs

Who’s gone?: G Alex Nedeljkovic, D Matt Grzelcyk

Reason for optimism: In Sidney Crosby, there is always hope. He remains among the greatest players in hockey, and he returns with a couple of dynamic linemates in Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. Throw in the recently acquired Anthony Mantha, along with a couple of talented young forwards in Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, and it’s easy to imagine this team scoring pretty consistently. Also, sometimes playing for a new coach gives a team and a franchise a certain amount of juice. Perhaps Dan Muse is the guy who can add some energy to a team that has looked stagnant for many years. He will have his work cut out for him, but early returns from everyone — from Crosby on down — are very positive.

Reason for concern: The Penguins are almost certainly primed to allow among the most goals in the NHL. The blue line is woefully bad and their goaltending is probably worse. There is no easy solution here. This is one of the NHL’s worst overall defensive teams and while they still remain somewhat potent offensively, maintaining leads and playing professional defensive hockey has been a trying experience for this team dating back to 2022. Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are likely to see the most minutes on the blue line, and both players were objectively horrible last season as they inch closer to the end of their respective careers. It’s not a pretty picture.

Bold prediction: The Penguins will finish the season with a top-five draft pick, something they haven’t had since drafting Jordan Staal in 2006. It’s just the natural progression of things. Maybe it will be presumed No. 1 overall pick in 2026 Gavin McKenna at the end of the rainbow for a franchise that knows a thing or two about landing the greatest prospects in the history of the sport. —Josh Yohe

(Top photo of Carolina’s Jordan Staal and New Jersey’s Nico Hischier: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)