2026–27 NHL Metropolitan Division Preview & Predictions
Updated September 21, 2026
Updated September 21, 2026
The Metropolitan Division produced the Stanley Cup champion last season, and the Carolina Hurricanes enter 2026–27 as the team everyone else is chasing.
Carolina remains the class of the division, while Washington made several major additions after narrowly missing the playoffs. After those two, however, the Metro becomes much harder to predict.
The Islanders are my pick to make the biggest jump, Philadelphia will look to build on last season's playoff run, and New Jersey remains talented enough to make the postseason despite some major concerns. Pittsburgh, Columbus and the Rangers make this one of the deeper divisions in hockey.
Division Winner: Carolina Hurricanes
Best Value: New York Islanders
Surprise Team: New York Islanders
Biggest Concern: New Jersey Devils
Here is how I see the Metropolitan Division playing out in 2026–27.
| Rank | Team | 2025–26 Points | Our Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | 113 | Division winner |
| 2 | Washington Capitals | 95 | Division contender |
| 3 | New York Islanders | 91 | Playoff team |
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 98 | Wild-card contender |
| 5 | New Jersey Devils | 87 | Wild-card contender |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 98 | Wild-card contender |
| 7 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 92 | Outside looking in |
| 8 | New York Rangers | 77 | Outside looking in |
2025–26: 53-22-7, 113 points — Stanley Cup Champions
There isn't much reason to move Carolina from the top.
The Hurricanes finished eight points clear of everyone else in the Metropolitan Division last season before finally breaking through in the playoffs and winning their first Stanley Cup since 2006.
More importantly, most of that championship roster remains together.
Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake give Carolina plenty of offensive depth, while Jaccob Slavin continues to anchor one of the league's better defensive groups.
There are some questions entering the season.
Seth Jarvis underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason and will miss the beginning of the year, while Frederik Andersen's departure leaves Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as Carolina's goaltending tandem.
Bussi was excellent when called upon during the Stanley Cup Final, but asking him to handle a larger role over an 84-game regular season is different.
Still, Carolina has made the playoffs in every season under Rod Brind'Amour and returns most of the roster that just won the Stanley Cup. Until someone knocks them off, the Hurricanes remain the team to beat.
Prediction: 1st in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 43-30-9, 95 points — Missed Playoffs
Washington might be the most improved team in the division.
The Capitals missed the playoffs despite finishing with 95 points and responded with an aggressive offseason, adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner to an already experienced forward group.
Tuch scored 33 goals and 66 points for Buffalo last season, while Kyrou gives Washington another legitimate scoring threat alongside Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas.
Jenner isn't the offensive centerpiece, but he adds another experienced center who can play throughout the lineup.
There is risk here. Ovechkin is entering his 22nd NHL season, while Rasmus Sandin is recovering from ACL surgery.
But Washington doesn't need Ovechkin to carry the offense the way it once did.
The supporting cast is deeper, Logan Thompson provides stability in goal, and the Capitals now have enough scoring depth to roll several dangerous lines.
After narrowly missing last season, I expect Washington to comfortably return to the playoffs.
Prediction: 2nd in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 43-34-5, 91 points — Missed Playoffs
The Islanders are my surprise team in the Metro.
New York missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, but there are enough pieces here to believe that changes in 2026–27.
It starts with Ilya Sorokin. Having an elite goaltender gives the Islanders a floor that many of the teams competing around them simply don't have.
Then there is Matthew Schaefer.
After an outstanding rookie season, Schaefer already looks capable of becoming the centerpiece of the Islanders' blue line for years to come. Another step forward would give New York a legitimate difference-maker on defense to go with Sorokin in goal.
The Islanders also still have Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, while Matias Maccelli adds another playmaking option and prospects such as Victor Eklund could provide some much-needed youth.
However, there are concerns. The Islanders finished 30th on the power play last season at 16.5%, and that has been a recurring problem rather than a one-year anomaly. They need more offense, particularly with longtime captain Anders Lee gone.
But I like the combination of Sorokin, Schaefer and enough established talent up front to make New York one of the Metro's biggest bounce-back candidates.
This is my boldest call in the division.
Prediction: 3rd in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 43-27-12, 98 points — Second Round
Philadelphia was one of last season's biggest surprises.
The Flyers surged late in the regular season, finished third in the Metro and then eliminated Pittsburgh in the opening round before losing to Carolina.
Now comes the difficult part: doing it again.
There are legitimate reasons to believe Philadelphia's improvement is sustainable. Matvei Michkov remains the centerpiece of the offense, while the Flyers have accumulated an intriguing group of young players around him.
Goaltending should also remain competitive.
Dan Vladar established himself last season, and Philadelphia acquired Joseph Woll from Toronto to give the Flyers another legitimate option in net. Playing behind a team that allowed the fourth-fewest shots in the NHL last season should help Woll as well.
I'm still slightly cautious about projecting another 98-point season.
Philadelphia needed an enormous late-season run to reach that total, and several Metro teams should be stronger this year.
I don't see the Flyers disappearing. I see them spending most of the season fighting for either third place or one of the Eastern Conference wild cards.
Prediction: 4th in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 42-37-3, 87 points — Missed Playoffs
New Jersey might have the widest range of outcomes of any team in this division.
On paper, the Devils have enough talent to finish considerably higher than fifth.
Jack Hughes is one of the NHL's most dynamic offensive players when healthy, while Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt give New Jersey an excellent foundation around him. Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista should provide additional scoring depth.
The problem is that "when healthy" has become an important qualifier with Hughes.
Hughes played only 61 games last season, and durability has been a recurring issue throughout his career. New Jersey's offense looks completely different without him, and projecting him to remain available for most of an 84-game season requires some faith.
But this season, the Devils might have a bigger problem. The goaltending. Jacob Markstrom is gone, leaving 36-year-old Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich as the primary options. Allen can still play, but asking him to carry a substantial workload at this stage of his career is risky. Was it fantastic last season? Far from it. Can it be better this year? Maybe, but it's a gamble.
If Hughes stays healthy and New Jersey gets league-average goaltending, the Devils could easily finish in the top three.
I'm not confident enough in either assumption.
I expect New Jersey to remain in the wild-card race deep into the season, but ultimately fall just short of the playoffs again.
Prediction: 5th in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 41-25-16, 98 points — First Round
Writing off Sidney Crosby has historically been a bad idea.
I'm not doing that here.
I'm questioning whether Pittsburgh can reproduce everything that went right last season.
The Penguins returned to the playoffs after a three-year absence and finished second in the Metro with 98 points. Crosby remains an elite player, while Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson give Pittsburgh an extraordinary amount of experience.
But the core is another year older.
Anthony Mantha's departure also matters after he led Pittsburgh with 33 goals last season. Andrei Kuzmenko and Nicholas Robertson should replace some of that offense, but the Penguins will once again be asking a veteran-heavy roster to survive a long regular season.
There was substance behind last year's success, so I don't expect Pittsburgh to suddenly collapse.
But in an 84-game season and an improved Metropolitan Division, the margin for error is becoming increasingly small.
The Penguins should remain in the wild-card conversation. I'm just not convinced they get in.
Prediction: 6th in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 40-30-12, 92 points — Missed Playoffs
Columbus might be better than seventh place suggests, but this is an unforgiving division.
There is plenty to like about the Blue Jackets' young core. Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko give Columbus two legitimate offensive building blocks, while Zach Werenski remains one of the NHL's best defensemen.
Valeri Nichushkin is also an intriguing addition. He brings size, two-way ability and another potential 20-goal scorer to the top six.
However, one offseason departure shouldn't be overlooked.
Boone Jenner left Columbus for Washington after spending all 13 of his NHL seasons with the Blue Jackets, including the last five as captain. Jenner was never the flashiest player or the biggest point producer, but he did a lot of the small things that made Columbus deeper and more difficult to play against.
Faceoffs are a good example. Jenner won 52.6% of his draws last season and had won at least half of his faceoffs in 11 consecutive seasons. He could play throughout the lineup, contribute physically and handle difficult situations.
Columbus still has capable centers, but removing a player like Jenner pushes more responsibility onto everyone else. His departure may be felt more in the overall depth of the lineup than in the scoring column.
The Blue Jackets also need their special teams to improve after finishing 22nd on the power play and 28th on the penalty kill last season.
There is enough talent here to remain competitive, and Columbus could absolutely prove this ranking too low.
In a Metro where I see six teams with stronger playoff cases entering the season, however, somebody has to get squeezed out.
Prediction: 7th in Metropolitan Division
2025–26: 34-39-9, 77 points — Missed Playoffs
The Rangers are the wildcard at the bottom of this division.
Last season was a disaster. New York finished last in the Metro with 77 points, and the response was a substantial roster overhaul.
Pavel Dorofeyev, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen arrive up front, while Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson help reshape the defense.
That should make the Rangers better.
The question is how much better.
Igor Shesterkin still gives New York one of the best possible foundations in goal, and there is enough established talent remaining for a rebound to be realistic.
But this is also a team attempting to integrate a large number of new pieces after finishing 36 points behind Carolina last season.
The Rangers could outperform eighth place, particularly if Shesterkin returns to his best and the new additions click quickly.
In a division where nearly every team has a plausible argument for improving, however, somebody has to finish last.
For me, that's still the Rangers.
Prediction: 8th in Metropolitan Division
Carolina is the only team I feel particularly comfortable placing.
The Hurricanes enter 2026–27 as defending Stanley Cup champions with most of their roster intact. Until someone knocks them off, they remain the standard in the Metro.
Washington is the strongest challenger after adding Tuch, Kyrou and Jenner to a team that narrowly missed the playoffs last season.
After that, things get much more interesting.
The Islanders are my biggest departure from the consensus. I'm betting on Sorokin, another step forward from Schaefer and enough offensive improvement to push New York into the top three.
Philadelphia, New Jersey and Pittsburgh could finish in almost any order. All three have legitimate playoff cases, but all three also have enough questions that I wouldn't consider any of them safe.
For the Devils in particular, the difference between finishing third and missing the playoffs again could come down to two things: Jack Hughes' health and whether their goaltending holds up.
Columbus is talented enough to make this prediction look pessimistic, while the Rangers have arguably the best goalie in the division and enough new pieces to rebound.
That may ultimately define the Metropolitan Division in 2026–27.
There is one clear favorite at the top, but very little separating much of the rest of the division.
And with the NHL moving to an 84-game schedule that includes four meetings against every divisional opponent, those head-to-head games will matter even more.
