NHL’s Metro Division Could Be Full of Surprises This Season – The Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

New Jersey’s playoff appearances have been hit and miss the past few seasons. They have not been particularly active this summer, but they have made some important changes. They hired Sunny Mehta as general manager and acquired Evan Rodrigues from the Florida Panthers and Anthony Mantha from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Devils were not great last season, and Mehta has not been shy about making changes to the roster. He has made coaching adjustments including relieving goaltending coach Dave Rogalski of his duties. He also moved on from goaltender Jacob Markstrom and traded defenseman Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames. His vision for the team is not clear just yet, however the pressure is on in New Jersey. Head coach Sheldon Keefe will be on the hot seat this season as he is not the new general manager’s hire. 

The Devils finished seventh in the Metro last season and have missed the playoffs twice in the past three seasons. They have a good amount of cap space, which Mehta may be saving to make moves in 2026-27. They should at least be better than they were last season, but will they finally live up to expectations and be a major player in the Metro this season? 

Washington Capitals 

In 2024-25 Washington sat comfortably atop the Metro Division. Last season, they came in fourth place in the division and missed the playoffs by three points. They have had a pretty busy summer so far acquiring Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues and completing a sign-and-trade deal with the Buffalo Sabres for Alex Tuch. 

The biggest move of the offseason for Washington has been re-signing Alex Ovechkin to a one-year contract on July 2. The Capitals have spent almost all of their cap money, but on paper they are one of the most improved teams in the NHL. It seems like they are gearing up to go on a deep playoff run in 2026-27.

Pittsburgh Penguins 

Last season, the Penguins finished the regular season in second place in the Metro and advanced to the playoffs. Their first round exit after losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games still felt like a small victory as they were not projected to come anywhere near the postseason. This confirmed that their rebuild is ahead of schedule, however it is nowhere near complete. General manager Kyle Dubas has been busy this summer adding forward Nick Robertson and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. 

There is no doubt that the Penguins are still in transition, as they head into 2026-27 with Sidney Crosby and the rest of the veteran core still intact while also trying to build for the future. Defense and goaltending are still shaky, and there is a good chance they will not perform as well as they did last season. 

How Will the Metro Shape Up in 2026-27?

The Hurricanes will comfortably hold onto their first place spot in the Metro this season, but which teams will earn the other playoff spots? Ovechkin and the Capitals are no doubt eager to return to the postseason, and the Flyers and the Devils will put up a fight. It is obviously still unclear where the Penguins will fall in all of this, but if last season taught the hockey world anything it was not to underestimate Crosby and company.