NHL 2023-24: What Metropolitan Division Teams Got

Fantilli Leads First-Round Picks

· Jul 04 - 5 minutes read

When looking at the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are listed by the NHL lines as serious Stanley Cup contenders, with many of the other teams likely needing some more roster retooling to get to that point.

Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov were two of the more intriguing players selected in the NHL Draft, with Metropolitan teams having three of the top eight picks. Keep an eye on the NHL betting odds if teams like the Rangers and Philadelphia make more moves. The Flyers have already dealt away Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov. Veteran defenseman Marc Staal was recently added. Will goalie Carter Hart be the next player out of Philadelphia? Here’s a look at how the rosters have changed with free agency underway and the draft now in the rear-view mirror.

NHL 2023-24: What Metropolitan Division Teams Got — Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes | Jared c. tilton/getty images/afp

Metropolitan Division: Offseason Outlook

Carolina Hurricanes

Key Signings: LW Michael Bunting, D Dmitry Orlov, D Tony DeAngelo
Top Draft Picks: LW Bradley Nadeau, RW Felix Unger-Sorum
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +1200

Carolina has been knocking on the door in the playoffs. Orlov and DeAngelo will add some jump to the offense coming from the defense, while Bunting has proven to be a consistent point producer during his time in Toronto.

Getting a healthy Andrei Svechnikov could be the key to the upcoming season. Carolina is ready to make the next step while many other Eastern Conference contenders have shaken up their rosters.

New Jersey Devils

Key Signings: N/A
Top Draft Pick: RW Lenni Hameenaho
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +1200

One of the biggest moves made by New Jersey was re-signing winger Timo Meier, who was acquired from San Jose during the trade deadline period. Losing defenseman Ryan Graves will hurt. Meanwhile, defenseman Damon Severson and winger Miles Wood are also headed elsewhere as the Devils will start working on the younger players.

This is a team loaded with young talent, and now comes the time to get them into the lineup on a nightly basis.

New York Rangers

Key Signings: RW Tyler Pitlick, G Jonathan Quick, RW Blake Wheeler, C Nick Bonino
Top Draft Pick: RW Gabriel Perreault
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +1400

#NYR are quietly shopping former 1st overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, per Arthur Staple.

Laf however, will most likely still be with the team come training camp. pic.twitter.com/dOARX7k2eR

— NYR Only (@nyronly) July 1, 2023

The Rangers appear ready to keep its group together, with Wheeler adding a veteran to the group. There have been rumblings about former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere being on the trade block, but he is staying put right now.

The Rangers figure to be in the mix in a competitive Metropolitan Division race, but pretty soon they will have to start addressing salary-cap issues.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Key Signings: D Will Butcher, C Noel Acciari, C Lars Eller, D Ryan Graves, G Alex Nedeljkovic, LW Matt Nieto
Top Draft Pick: C Brayden Yager
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +3000

Pittsburgh didn’t mess around in the offseason. With Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin not getting any younger, Kyle Dubas was pretty aggressive in free agency since his arrival.

Jason Zucker was probably the most notable offseason departure, with longtime Penguin Brian Dumoulin also moving on.

New York Islanders

Key Signings: N/A
Top Draft Picks: N/A
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +5000

Except for signing goalie Ilya Sorokin, who is currently topping the NHL betting lines in the Vezina Trophy odds, and trading forward Josh Bailey in a salary-cap dump, it has been a quiet offseason for the Islanders.

The biggest movement came around the trade deadline with the addition of Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks.

How much longer will the Islanders be patient with a group that has been together for a while?

Washington Capitals

Key Signing: LW Max Pacioretty
Top Draft Picks: RW Ryan Leonard
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +6000

The story is similar to what the Penguins are going through. Alexander Ovechkin is chasing Wayne Gretzky’s career goal-scoring record, but will he get a chance to enjoy any more postseason success?

Pacioretty can certainly score some goals, but when looking at the NHL odds, the Capitals seem to be trending in the wrong direction and this offseason has done little to change that.

Philadelphia Flyers

Key Signings: LW Garnet Hathaway
Top Draft Picks: RW Matvei Michkov, D Oliver Bonk, G Carson Bjarnason
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +15000

Good luck projecting what the opening night roster will look like with Kevin Hayes among the prominent players who are now former Flyers. Defenseman Ivan Provorov was also traded away.

Michkov could end up being a brilliant pick at No. 7. However, he is under KHL control for three more years so it will be a challenge getting him over here before that.

A New Era of Orange: Draft Class of 2023. #NHLDraft | @IBX pic.twitter.com/zCD35nU1X6

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 29, 2023

Could more moves be coming as the Flyers continue a total rebuild?

Columbus Blue Jackets

Key Signings: D Damon Severson, D Ivan Provorov
Top Draft Picks: C Adam Fantilli, C Gavin Brindley
2024 Stanley Cup Odds: +25000

Columbus made a splash last year with the signing of dynamic forward Johnny Gaudreau, and now they added Fantilli with the No. 3 overall pick.

Defenseman Ivan Provorov comes over from the Philadelphia Flyers, and getting Zach Werenski back after an injury-shortened 2022-23 season will also help improve a leaky defense. Still, the NHL predictions are calling for another long season in Columbus.

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