How Rangers stand in Metropolitan Division 2 months before camp
· Yahoo Sports
The New York Rangers made a slew of moves in the past few weeks, seeking to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after one of the worst seasons in their history. The Rangers finished last in the Metropolitan Division and in the Eastern Conference. It was the first time since 2017-18 that they came in last in their division – and the first time since the NHL moved past the Original Six era in 1967 that they hit rock bottom in their conference.
Rest assured that Quentin Dolan, who recently took over for his father as boss of the Rangers, has no intention of watching his team force its fans to suffer through another season like 2025-26. Hence the host of moves by general manager Chris Drury – most notably the addition of sniper Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights and the long-awaited deal that sent veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Sean Durzi, center prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a 2027 third-round pick.
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But the other seven teams in the division – from the Metro-winning, Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes to the seventh-place New Jersey Devils – aren’t standing still either. The Rangers face big challenges as they try to make up the 21-point gap between themselves and the Philadelphia Flyers, the last of the three Metro teams that made the playoffs.
Here’s a look at how the Blueshirts and the rest of the division shape up with about two months remaining before teams report to training camp in September.
New York Rangers
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 34-39-9, 77 points (eighth)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: RW Pavel Dorofeyev, RW Oliver Bjorkstrand, D Sean Durzi, D Marcus Pettersson, C Joe Veleno, G Joonas Korpisalo. OUT: C Vincent Trocheck, F Brett Berard, F Jonny Brodzinski, F Adam Edstrom, D Will Borgen, G Jonathan Quick.
Where they are now: Adding Dorofeyev gives the Rangers a sniper. Durzi and Pettersson are likely to form a much better second defensive pairing than the Rangers had last season. The Blueshirts need a rebound from J.T. Miller, who’s likely to center a line with Dorofeyev and fellow newcomer Bjorkstrand. No. 1 goaltender Igor Shesterkin is elite as long as he’s heathy; the month he and top defenseman Adam Fox missed before the Winter Olympics sank the Rangers last season.
Playoff-bound?: The Rangers are improved, but everything would have to go right for them to avoid a third straight postseason miss. Good health for Shesterkin and Fox is a must.
Metro Division rivals (in order of 2026-27 finish)
Carolina Hurricanes
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 53-22-7, 113 points (first; won Stanley Cup)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: None. OUT: D John Carlson, G Frederik Andersen.
Where they are now: The Hurricanes tried to add to their defense by landing the rights to Carlson, an unrestricted free agent, from the Anaheim Ducks. But they couldn’t sign the 38-year-old before July 1 and saw him join the Tampa Bay Lightning instead. Andersen, who had 13 of Carolina’s 16 wins on the way to the Cup, signed with the Edmonton Oilers – leaving Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as the goaltending due. Carolina will open the season without 32-goal scorer Seth Jarvis, who had shoulder surgery soon after the playoffs and is expected to miss 4-6 months. They’re also rumored to have interest in trading defenseman Alexander Nikishin and depth forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Playoff-bound?: Reaching the postseason is a given; the question is whether they can repeat as champions.
Pittsburgh Penguins
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 41-25-16, 98 points (second; lost in first round of playoffs)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: C Hendrix Lapierre, D Trevor van Riemsdyk, D Declan Carlile, D Kaedan Korczak D, LW Andrei Kuzmenko, LW Nicholas Robertson. OUT: G Stuart Skinner, LW Anthony Mantha, D Ryan Shea, D Parker Wotherspoon.
Where they are now: The Penguins surprised most hockey people by making the playoffs last season — but doing it again won’t be easy. Losing Mantha (a still-unsigned UFA) and his team-high 33 goals will hurt, though they are said to be trying to land Jason Robertson from Dallas, and Kuzmenko is an intriguing addition. Losing Shea to the Edmonton Oilers hurts. Skinner signed with the Winnipeg Jets, leaving the goaltending in the hands of Arturs Silovs (.888 save percentage) and highly regarded-but-untested Sergei Murashov.
Playoff-bound?: GM Kyle Dubas shuffled some parts but still has Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson as cornerstones and second-year center Ben Kindel as a building block. The goaltending is a major question, and none of the newcomers look like impact players unless the Penguins can acquire the “other” Robertson, after picking up younger brother Nick. It’s not impossible they’ll make the playoffs again, but doing so won’t be easy.
Philadelphia Flyers
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 43-27-12, 98 points (third; lost in second round of playoffs)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: C Noel Acciari, D Simon Benoit, G Joseph Woll, RW Zach Aston-Reese. OUT: LW Garnet Hathaway, G Sam Ersson, D Emil Andrae
Where they are now: The Flyers signed two key players, G Dan Vladar and RW Tyson Foerster, to long-term extensions. But they didn’t land their biggest target, restricted free agent center Leo Carlsson, despite getting him to sign a five-year, $90 million offer sheet – the Anaheim Ducks matched it, leaving GM Danny Briere without a true No. 1 center. He also has yet to sign RFAs C Trevor Zegras and D Jamie Drysdale. Adding Woll as Vladar’s backup was a solid move, and Benoit adds blue line depth.
Playoff-bound?: If the Flyers landed Carlsson, the answer would have been an emphatic “yes.” As is, they’re pretty much the same team that outlasted a bunch of division rivals for the last Metro playoff spot. No guarantees here that they’re a playoff team again.
Washington Capitals
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 43-30-9, 95 points (fourth)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: RW Alex Tuch, RW Jordan Kyrou, D Vincent Desharnais, Jonny Brodzinski C. OUT: LW Connor McMichael, C Hendrix Lapierre, D Trevor van Riemsdyk.
Where they are now: The Capitals made two of the biggest moves this offseason by acquiring (from the Buffalo Sabres) and signing Tuch, a 33-goal scorer, and landing Kyrou in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. Those additions might have been what triggered Alex Ovechkin to come back for another season at age 41. The all-time NHL goal-scoring leader isn’t what he was in his younger years, but he still led the team in goals (32) and points (64) last season. Logan Thompson blossomed into a top-level starter in goal.
Playoff-bound?: No team in the Metro helped itself in the early days of summer as much as Washington. Of the non-playoff teams in the division, the Capitals look like the best bet to return to the postseason. If this is Ovechkin’s last season, he wants to go out in style.
Columbus Blue Jackets
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 40-30-12, 92 points (fifth)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: RW Valeri Nichushkin, F Ryan Lomberg, G Sergei Ivanov, G Phoenix Copley, D Colton White. OUT: C Boone Jenner, LW Mason Marchment, RW Zach Aston-Reese.
Where they are now: The biggest news is that Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski and team-leading goal-scorer Kirill Marchenko are still on the roster – at least for now. Each indicated he doesn’t plan to re-sign when his current contract expires, though Werenski backed off trade requests. Nichushkin should give them an offensive boost after coming over in a trade from the Colorado Avalanche, but the departure of team captain Jenner and Marchment hurts. Jet Greaves opens the season as the starter in goal; Ivanov could take the backup job from Elvis Merzlikins.
Playoff-bound?: Welcome to the mushy middle. The Blue Jackets got into the playoff race after Rick Bowness took over as coach in January, but they fell apart after mid-March – incurring Bowness’ wrath in the process. They have some nice pieces, especially young center Adam Fantilli, but they don’t look like a playoff team right now.
New York Islanders
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 43-34-5, 91 points (sixth)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: LW Matias Maccelli, D Matthew Kessel, G Vitek Vanecek. OUT: LW Anders Lee, G David Rittich, D Carson Soucy, RW Max Shabanov.
Where they are now: If last season was about 10 days shorter, the Islanders would have made the playoffs; a late collapse dropped them to sixth in the division. They’ll get LW Kyle Palmieri and D Alexander Romanov back after injuries cost both players most of the season. Defenseman Matthew Schaefer won the Calder Trophy and should only get better; they hope rookie Victor Eklund will add a boost to the offense after the departure of longtime captain Anders Lee, who signed with Utah as a free agent after he and the team couldn’t agree on a new contract.
Playoff-bound?: The Isles have a number of promising young players, but Eklund is likely the only one who appears NHL-ready. They’re banking on a return to health from backup goaltender Sergei Varlamov, who missed all of last season after a double knee replacement, to help starter Ilya Sorokin avoid wearing down again. It’s not impossible the Rangers’ suburban rival could make the postseason, but the bigger focus on Long Island seems to be on 2027-28.
New Jersey Devils
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect2025-26 finish: 42-37-3, 87 points (seventh)
Biggest additions/subtractions: IN: General manager Sunny Mehta, G David Rittich, C Evan Rodrigues, C Jesper Boqvist, D Declan Chisholm. OUT: G Jacob Markstrom, D Simon Nemec, LW Paul Cotter.
Where they are now: Mehta, who replaced the fired Tom Fitzgerald, wasted no time making two major changes – sending Markstrom, their No. 1 goalie, to Florida and Nemec, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, to Calgary. The Devils hope one of Rittich, veteran Jake Allen and youngster Nico Dawes grabs the top goaltending job. More important is finding a way to keep their best player (and Team USA Olympic hero) Jack Hughes in one piece; the Devils fell apart after he sustained a strange off-ice injury in November and missed six weeks. Mehta did a solid job re-signing captain Nico Hischier to a five-year, $58.5 million extension, though his offer sheet to Barrett Hayton was matched by the Mammoth.
Playoff-bound?: If Hughes stays healthy and coach Sheldon Keefe finds a solid starting goalie, the Devils could return to the postseason. But that might be asking too much in a division that has a number of up-and-coming teams.
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