BY MIKE RIFKIN
Puck drop is officially upon us for the 2026-27 NHL season. Most teams have the expectation to win the Stanley Cup, but there can only be one winner. In this article I will talk about how the division played out last season, and with key moves how I expect it to play out this season. Let’s get into the Metro.
2025-26 METRO STANDINGS
- HURRICANES
- PENGUINS
- FLYERS
- CAPITALS
- BLUE JACKETS
- ISLANDERS
- DEVILS
- RANGERS
KEY MOVES
HURRICANES : PO JOESPH, MIKE REILLY, JORDAN STAAL (RE-SIGN)
BLUE JACKETS : VAL NICHUSKIN, COLE SILLINGER (EXT), ADAM FANTILLI (RE-SIGN), JET GREAVES (EXT), COLE SILLINGER (EXT), CAM TALBOT
DEVILS : LUKE EVANGELISTA, ANTHONY MANTHA, EVAN RODRIGUES, JESPER BOQVIST, DECLAN CHISHOLM, COLIN WHITE
ISLES : ETHAN BEAR
RANGERS : PAVEL DOROFEYEV, JOE VELENO, MARCUS PETTERSSON, SEAN DURZI, JOONAS KORPISALO, OLIVER BJORKSTRAND
FLYERS ; TREVOR ZEGRAS, JAMIE DRYSDALE, NIKITA GREBENKIN (RE-SIGN ALL)
PENGUINS : NIC ROBERTSON, HENDRIX LAPIERRE, TOMMY NOVAK
CAPS : ALEX TUCH, JORDAN KYROU, ALEX OVECHKIN
ONE BURNING QUESTION FOR EACH TEAM
HURRICANES : CAN THEY REPEAT AS CUP CHAMPS? : Simple answer is yes they can repeat. The Canes play an up tempo style and are very aggressive. The biggest question is how will Brandon Bussi handle the load, last year he was sensational, now he has to do it again.
BLUE JACKETS : WHAT DIRECTION ARE WE HEADING? : Late in the season Rick Bowness called out the team for lack of heart to say the least. There were rumors Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski was on the market, and they took a while to get Adam Fantilli signed. This can go one of two ways, one is they’re good and fighting for a playoff spot or two this thing goes south quick.
DEVILS : WHAT’S UP SUNNY’S SLEEVE? : The Devils have a lot of talent especially up front. Led by Jack Hughes that group is fantastic, but are the Devils seriously comfortable with Jake Allen, David Rittich and Nico Daws in goal? They traded Jacob Markstrom, are the Devils in on Connor Hellebuyck or is something else up their sleeve.
ISLANDERS : WHO STEPS UP? : Matt Barzal will miss the first few weeks of the season with injury. The big question is who will step up in his absence. Can Emil Heineman score 20 again? What about Simon Holmstrom? Kyle Palmieri is coming off injury, we all know how great Ilya Sorokin was last season, now he needs some run support.
RANGERS : DID THEY DO ENOUGH? : Let me be honest as a Ranger fan I thought Chris Drury actually did well this summer. Let’s be fair about the 2025-26 Rangers they were in the race until Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox got hurt. But with those guys healthy and with the moves Drury made the Rangers should be back in playoff contention.
FLYERS : CAN THEY DO IT AGAIN : The Flyers shocked the world by making the playoffs last year. This year they won’t be sneaking up on opponents and they’ll need their great mix of veterans and young players to do the trick.
PENGUINS : LAST DANCE? : Ok, we’ve said that one a lot, but with the trio of Crosby, Malkin and Letang this does feel like this should be the last time. I don’t think Kyle Dubas can be judged on what he does until he gets out from under Malkin and Letang, I don’t say that to be disrespectful, but it’s time for some younger players to get a look.
CAPS : WILL THE AGGRESSION PAY OFF? : I loved what the Caps did this summer with the additions of Kyrou and Tuch. The Caps now have a much deeper forward group and they have a tremendous goaltending tandem, will it pay off with a raising of another Cup?
PREDICTIONS
- HURRICANES
- CAPS
- RANGERS
- DEVILS (WC)
- PENGUINS
- ISLES
- FLYERS
- BLUE JACKETS
