9 Metropolitan Division Breakout Candidates for 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Season Previews

The Metropolitan Division looks quite improved heading into the new NHL season. One reason is that there’s plenty of young talent ready to blossom. Let’s look at nine players who may be on the cusp of breaking out in the Metro in 2026-27.

Gabe Perreault

The New York Rangers are in an interesting spot. Their core is aging, and their window to compete isn’t what it was a couple of years ago. They will need to integrate more young talent into their lineup over the next couple of years to stay afloat in the Metro.  

One of those young players is Gabe Perreault, a Rangers first-round pick in 2023. He had a solid rookie season, totaling 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games, a 21-goal, 46-point pace over 84 games. His underlying metrics were just so-so, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they improve significantly in 2026-27.

Perreault is a highly skilled winger with great hockey sense and vision. Playmaking is his strength, but he showed some goal-scoring ability in the NHL last season. The Rangers added a couple of wingers this offseason, namely Pavel Dorofeyev, but Perreault should still work his way into a top-six role. He could thrive in the right setting.

Arseny Gritsyuk

Arseny Gritsyuk is one of the older players on this list at 25, but he had an excellent rookie season for the New Jersey Devils in 2025-26. He finished with 13 goals and 31 points in 66 games, a 17-goal, 40-point pace over 84 games. He spent most of his time on the third line, but his underlying metrics were excellent.

Gritsyuk was one of the Devils’ best five-on-five players, finishing with an expected goals share (xG%) of 53.67 percent. The Devils struggled to create offense off the rush last season, but he was one of the team’s best rush players, ranking in the 86th percentile in rush shots and the 80th percentile in rush offense.

It’ll be interesting to see what Gritsyuk’s role is this season. The Devils have improved their winger depth with additions like Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista, but Gritsyuk should still get middle-six minutes at a minimum. It wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up with 20+ goals and around 45 to 50 points.

Kaedan Korczak

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ blue line has plenty of question marks heading into the new season. Their defense somewhat overachieved because players like Ryan Shea and Parker Wotherspoon broke out and played an instrumental role in the team making the playoffs in 2025-26. Neither player is with the organization anymore, so they will need new breakout performances.

One of the Penguins’ potential breakout players is Kaedan Korczak, whom they acquired in the trade that sent Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights. His counting totals didn’t pop off the page last season, but his underlying metrics were excellent.

Korczak totaled an xG% of 54.3 percent and a five-on-five goal differential of +7. He doesn’t do much with the puck, but he makes a good first pass out of the defensive zone. He’ll likely begin the season in a bottom-pair role, but that should put him in a position to succeed. It wouldn’t be a shock if he takes on a bigger role as the year progresses.

Ben Kindel

Korczak’s teammate with the Penguins, Ben Kindel was one of the NHL’s better rookies last season. He recorded 17 goals and 35 points in 78 games, and keep in mind, he was just an 18-year-old rookie, having been a first-round pick in the 2025 draft.

Kindel’s underlying metrics were solid, especially given his age. He totaled an xG% of 51.49 percent and had a positive impact at five-on-five. His microstats profile also suggests breakout potential. He was excellent in transition and created plenty of offense off the rush.

The Penguins were one of the least-improved teams this offseason, but Kindel still has talent around him. Progress isn’t always linear with young players, but everything in his profile suggests he could take a jump this coming season. That could help the Penguins stay competitive in a division that will likely be a gauntlet.

Matvei Michkov

Matvei Michkov had an interesting sophomore season in the NHL. Social media was a firestorm about his role with the Philadelphia Flyers and whether head coach Rick Tocchet was deploying him properly. Despite the noise, he still finished with 20 goals and 51 points in 81 games. It was a step back from his rookie season, but he was still productive.

Michkov’s underlying profile still suggests there’s a star player in the making, however. He finished with an xG% of 54.01 percent last season, a top-three number among Flyers skaters. He can create offense off the rush, and his shot metrics are impressive.

The Flyers lack a star center, but a Michkov breakout could go a long way in making up for that. He’s still just 21, and it’d be a mistake for the Flyers to give up on him so soon. They need to find a way to make it work this season.

Calum Ritchie

The New York Islanders were one of the more surprising teams in 2025-26. Even though they missed the playoffs, they were in the hunt until the final days of the regular season. They have a few promising prospects coming up, but Calum Ritchie may be the most ready to make an impact.

Ritchie got more than a cup of coffee in the NHL last season. He appeared in 65 games and recorded 13 goals and 30 points. His underlying metrics were not great. He finished with an xG% of 43.5 and a five-on-five goal differential of -12, but I’d bet on those numbers improving with a more structured system under head coach Pete DeBoer.

Ritchie is a natural center, but he’ll likely start this coming season on the wing. That should put him in a better position to succeed since he’ll have less defensive responsibility. At 21, he still has runway for development and should improve with DeBoer as head coach.

Cole Hutson

Another Hutson brother who could pose problems for opponents. Cole Hutson appeared in 14 games for the Washington Capitals at the end of last season, totaling three goals and 10 points. He’ll likely start the 2026-27 season on the team’s bottom pair, but that should only benefit him.

Hutson was a high-end offensive defenseman in his two years with the Boston University Terriers. He showed some of that in his brief time with the Capitals, and it should only improve with an offseason of training under his belt.  

Hutson is also a bit bigger than his brother, Lane, measuring 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, but the skill sets aren’t all different. He’s a shifty, high-end skater and excels in making opponents look silly in one-on-one situations. It won’t be long before he makes a name for himself in the NHL.

Denton Mateychuk

The Columbus Blue Jackets had a relatively quiet offseason, aside from the drama with Zach Werenski. Their best path to escaping the playoff bubble and clinching a berth will be through internal improvement of young players such as Denton Mateychuk.

Mateychuk had a solid rookie season, totaling 13 goals and 31 points in 75 games. His underlying metrics were impressive, too. He finished with an xG% of 53.59 percent and a five-on-five goal differential of +9. The Blue Jackets didn’t ease him in, either. He wasn’t their No. 1 defenseman, but he spent nearly 30 percent of his minutes against elite competition. He was playing a top-four role.

Mateychuk still has room to grow as a defender, but the offensive game is already there, especially as a shooter. If he takes a leap defensively, he could be among the Metro’s more impressive breakout candidates.

Luke Hughes

Quinn Hughes may be the hottest topic around the Devils right now. That will continue to be the case until he decides whether to re-sign with the Minnesota Wild, but Quinn or not, the Devils could use significant improvement from Luke Hughes.

Hughes did not have the best 2025-26 season with the Devils. His counting totals dropped from 2024-25, as did his underlying metrics, but he was much better after the Olympic break. He recorded an xG% just above 54 percent, nearly a seven percent improvement from his pre-Olympic metrics.

If post-Olympic Hughes is what the Devils get this coming season, it will make a difference for a blue line without a franchise-caliber defenseman. That’s not to say Hughes will become a franchise blueliner like his brother Quinn, but the closer he looks to a No. 1, the better the Devils will be. It raises their ceiling as a team.

The Metropolitan Division won’t be a cakewalk this coming season. If these young players break out, it will only make the division that much more competitive.

Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Stats, PuckIQ