The Metropolitan Division might not be the NHL’s cleanest race next season, but it could be one of its messiest.
At the top, the picture looks fairly settled. Carolina and Washington are the teams everyone keeps circling, and the Capitals catching the Hurricanes may end up being the least surprising outcome in the division.
FanDuel Sportsbook has Carolina at -900 to make the playoffs, the best odds in the league, while Washington sits second in the Metro at -310. Even with Carolina running into its usual postseason wall, the Hurricanes have still been a playoff machine.
The Capitals, meanwhile, are being viewed through the lens of a major offseason overhaul and what looks a lot like a “Last Dance” for future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin.
But after those two, things get crowded fast.
The New Jersey Devils are essentially the front of a muddled second tier, sitting at -132 to make the playoffs. The rest of the division is in plus-money territory, which tells you plenty about how the betting markets see the gap.
Philadelphia is coming off a playoff series win and still checks in at +118. Pittsburgh made the playoffs, yet the Penguins are right there with the Islanders as the only teams in the division at +200 or worse.
Bettors clearly aren’t sold on either Pennsylvania club repeating last season’s success, and that skepticism is tied in part to whether Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can keep delivering late-career production at the same level.
Still, none of these teams is tearing it all down.
There’s plenty of difference in how they’re building, but no one in this division is operating in full retreat. The Rangers and Blue Jackets have made it obvious they don’t want to spend 2026-27 on the outside looking in.
The Devils, who could be the favorite for the third automatic playoff spot, may not need to push all their chips in under new GM Sunny Mehta, but a team with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier is not in any kind of rebuild. Philadelphia took a big swing this offseason that didn’t work out, yet there’s no sign the Flyers plan to step backward.
Pittsburgh and the Islanders probably have the shortest leashes, and either front office could pivot if the season goes sideways, but neither roster looks built to tank.
The most interesting twist in this division might be in goal.
Every team has a goalie situation worth watching, and several of them are loaded with uncertainty. Logan Thompson in Washington, Ilya Sorokin with the Islanders and Igor Shesterkin for the Rangers all graded out among the top goalies in hockey last season by goals saved above expected, yet all three missed the playoffs.
Carolina, Pittsburgh and New Jersey are headed toward committee-style setups. The Devils are expected to use a three-goalie tandem, while the Hurricanes are likely to lean heavily on Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov to start the season.
There’s pressure on Columbus and Philadelphia too, and it starts in net. Jet Greaves signed a three-year extension in Columbus this offseason, while Dan Vladar got a five-year extension. For both teams, the margin for error is thin, and a drop-off in goaltending could be costly in 2026-27.
The Islanders and Devils will be first out of the gate in division preseason play on Sunday, Sept. 20.
In Other News...
Hurricanes Quietly Added A Forward Prospect Fans Will Want To Track
The offseason shuffle around Carolinas development pipeline picked up another layer this week, with the Chicago Wolves keeping captain Josiah Slavin on a two-year one-way contract while the organization also added a different kind of forward depth to track. Stiven Sardarian, who recently led Michigan Tech in scoring and was named CCHA Forward of the Year, has been assigned to the Wolves as he begins his next step in pro hockey.
For Hurricanes fans, Sardarian is the name worth filing away. Carolina acquired his signing rights from Buffalo for future considerations, a low-key move that can pay off if a young skill player translates quickly at the AHL level. The Wolves remain the immediate landing spot, and Slavins new deal keeps one of their established leaders in place, but the longer-term question is whether Sardarians college production can make him a real part of the Hurricanes forward picture down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Bring Team Spirit To Kids Who Need It Most
A small gesture with a big reach is giving pediatric patients around North Carolina a little more comfort and a lot more team spirit. The Carolina Hurricanes Foundation donated $10,000 to help provide 1,000 Canes-themed hospital gowns for children at ECU's Maynard Childrens Hospital, Duke Childrens Hospital and UNC Childrens Hospital, part of an effort designed to bring some color and familiarity into rooms where kids often need it most.
The gowns were created by Brave Gowns in collaboration with the nonprofit Kids Who Give, and members of the Foundation helped deliver them alongside Stormy, the Hurricanes' mascot. It is the kind of community-minded touch the organization likes to lean into, especially when the goal is as simple and meaningful as brightening a young patients day. [Read more 🡒]