2022 NHL Metropolitan Division Preview & Predictions

The Metropolitan Division should be a three-horse race, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Carolina Hurricanes prospectively battling it out for supremacy.'

According to NHL odds, the Hurricanes are favorites (+195), while the Penguins (+325) and Rangers (+325) are expected to jostle for the second position.'

Metropolitan Division Preview'

A reasonably significant disparity exists between the three frontrunners and the rest of the pack.

While the Islanders, Capitals, and Devils are within lassoing distance, the Blue Jackets and Flyers are long shots, heavy underdogs to come away with the division crown.

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The Hurricanes are all-in on winning the Stanley Cup this season. After losing Vincent Trocheck to the Rangers, the team that ousted them from the playoffs, Carolina put together an offseason marking their 2022-23 intentions.'

Carolina acquired Brent Burns from San Jose and Max Pacioretty from Vegas. Both players substantially improve the Hurricanes’ roster. Burns is inarguably fighting the sands of time, but a new lease on life with a Stanley Cup contender should revitalize the 37-year-old’s career.'

Burns joins last season’s best defensive team. The Hurricanes allowed the fewest goals per game (2.44) and had the third-best goals against above expected (-17.44).''

Pacioretty is almost guaranteed to score 20 goals, adding to an offense with the ninth-most goals per game last season (3.39).'

Rod Brind’Amour is also highly anticipating the return of his ace netminder, Frederik Andersen. The Hurricanes need Andersen, one of the most consistent goaltenders in the NHL, to remain healthy throughout the 2022-23 season.'

If he avoids the injury bug, the Hurricanes will retain their Metropolitan Division title, most likely representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup final.'

Prediction: Division Winner'

Securing Trocheck’s signature filled the holes that Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome’s exits left. The former Carolina forward enjoyed his best offensive season since 2017-18 (21 goals, 30 assists) and will invariably bolster the Rangers’ productivity.'

Last season, the Blue Shirts relied heavily on 52-goal scorer Chris Kreider, 96-point man Artemi Panarin, and 81-point man Mika Zibanejad.'

New York’s offensive production dropped dramatically beyond those three primary scorers. Strome was the next highest scoring forward with 54 points but moved on to Anaheim.'

If the Rangers have aspirations of winning the Metropolitan Division, they’ll require more consistent secondary scoring, which is where Trocheck's signing should help in a big way.'

New York’s success, like it did last season, depends on Igor Shesterkin. The 2021-22 Vezina winner is again favored to win the award. Shesterkin led the Rangers to the league’s second-most stingy defensive record (2.49 goals against per game).'

That superb defensive record was down to Shesterkin’s brilliance and not their just-above-average defensive corps. The Rangers’ top two defensive pairings, led by former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, are proficient enough, but the level drops significantly.'

The Rangers should finish ahead of the Pens and secure second place if Shesterkin is at his best.

Prediction: Second Place'

Pittsburgh avoided a breakup of the band over the off-season, a massive let-off for the franchise. Instead, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang signed new deals that should keep them in Pittsburgh for the remainder of their careers.'

Malkin missed half of 2021-22 due to injury and will be keen to compensate for lost time. No. 1 netminder Tristan Jarry also has a clean bill of health after missing the playoffs with a foot injury.'

Sidney Crosby, Malkin, and Letang have a narrow window to work with if they’re going to win their fourth Stanley Cup as a triumvirate. All three superstars will be motivated to give it one final crack, which bodes well for Pens fans.'

The million-dollar question is whether all three legends can remain healthy for the duration.'

Even if they avoid the injury bug, Pittsburgh isn’t as deep as the Hurricanes and, as good as Jarry is, doesn’t have a netminder who can consistently steal games like their rivals on Broadway.'

Prediction: Third Place

The Islanders’ +700 odds to win the division are, frankly, too short. While new head coach Lane Lambert might be able to elicit the best from each player, the Islanders’ roster isn’t dynamic enough to compete with the division’s juggernauts.'

An aging forward crew that struggled to score last season required some freshening. Unfortunately for Islanders fans, that necessary help isn’t forthcoming. The Islanders scored the 10th-fewest goals per game in 2021-22 (2.79) and had no players ellipse the 60-point mark.'

  
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