Poll: Who Will Win The Metropolitan Division In 2024-25?
A three-headed monster for much of the past few years, the Metropolitan Division only had two serious contenders last season. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers and second-place Hurricanes ran away with things, creating a 17-point gap between them and the third-place Islanders.
There are question marks around whether the Metro will return to its former level of competitiveness in 2024-25. What does seem relatively certain, however, are the Rangers’ chances of staying at the top of the division.
Little has changed for the Blueshirts. Their top-six forward group sees only one new name, veteran Reilly Smith, who’ll likely be part of a revolving door of wingers alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, like how things transpired last year. Their forward depth returns are largely intact, too, with a full season of a healthy Filip Chytil as their third-line center, hopefully giving them some more punch. The defense remained as it was, aside from the loss of Erik Gustafsson. All in all, there’s little reason to suspect significant, if any, regression from the Rags.
Last year’s runner-up, Carolina, is where things start to get interesting. The Canes lost multiple key pieces to the free-agent market, including Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teräväinen, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, and Stefan Noesen. They replaced their back-end departures, signing Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker, but didn’t do nearly as well to replace their departing forwards. That leaves the Hurricanes, whose offense has been their biggest weakness since returning to championship contention a few years ago, with considerable question marks, especially after news that Jesper Fast will miss the entire season after undergoing neck surgery. They’ll be counting on UFA signings like William Carrier and Jack Roslovic to play larger roles than they’re accustomed to and could trot out 2023 first-rounder Bradly Nadeau in NHL minutes in his first professional season.
The Islanders return with plenty of familiar faces after squeaking into a divisional playoff spot with 94 points – a total that would have made them the second Wild Card in the Atlantic Division and kept them out of the playoffs entirely in the Western Conference. They’ll likely need an improvement to return to the dance for a third straight year, let alone capture a divisional title. Their X factor will be Anthony Duclair, set to take on top-line duties alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat after signing a four-year deal in free agency. The four-time 20-goal scorer will be relied upon heavily to help lift the Isles’ offense out of the league’s bottom half for the first time since 2018. A rebound from Ilya Sorokin, who regressed to a rather pedestrian .908 SV% after two years of .920+ play, should help too.
The Capitals’ season will be dominated by more Alex Ovechkin headlines. After all, the captain is just 41 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time record. But there’s a clear directive to remain competitive while he’s still around, as evidenced by their pickup of key names like Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, and Logan Thompson on the trade market and Matt Roy in free agency. All of a sudden, the Caps have one of the more well-rounded defense corps in the conference and are in a much better position to repeat last year’s 40-win, 91-point campaign without the concerningly low -37 goal differential.
The Penguins, fresh off signing Sidney Crosby to a two-year extension, also have dreams of just sneaking back into the playoffs rather than competing for a division title. They’re hoping some added speed on the back end in the form of Sebastian Aho and Matt Grzelcyk, as well as depth forward pickups like Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass, can help aid a still-skilled but aging core. Whether 2022 first-round pick Rutger McGroarty is ready to make an NHL impact after being acquired from the Jets this offseason is also a big question that will receive an answer over the next few weeks.
The Flyers seem set to remain in the mushy middle. It’s not a bad thing – they’re past the dark days of their rebuild with brighter days ahead – but no one is expecting them to be a top contender this season. A strong rookie season from 2023 seventh overall selection Matvei Michkov could go a long way toward firing up expectations for the future, though, and rightfully so. Early signs indicate it’ll be a two-horse race between him and Sharks first-overall selection Macklin Celebrini for this season’s Calder Trophy. He likely won’t be enough to lift an otherwise largely untouched roster from last season that finished with 87 points back into the playoff picture, though.
After an injury-plagued season plummeted the Devils to a seventh-place finish in the Metro, there’s no team with a better potential for a rebound campaign in the league. Whether New Jersey will reach the heights of their 112-point 2022-23 campaign remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll be knocking on the door of a playoff spot – if not working their way into the division title conversation. Their goaltending tandem is reworked with a duo of proven veterans in Jacob Markström and Jake Allen, their defense is again among the league’s elite with a healthy Dougie Hamilton and the additions of Brenden Dillon and Pesce, and the guts of the offense that finished fourth in the league two years ago are still intact.
Then there’s the Blue Jackets, who are set for another development season with new head coach Dean Evason at the helm. They’ll be looking for 2023 third-overall pick Adam Fantilli to stay healthy after a calf laceration truncated his rookie season, and they’ll also look for 2022 top-10 pick David Jiricek to take a step forward with increased responsibilities on the back end. They’re running back one of the league’s worst starters over the past two seasons in goal in Elvis Merzļikins, though, and while there are some breakout candidates elsewhere in the lineup, a third straight last-place finish in the division seems likely.
So, we ask you, PHR readers, who will finish atop the Metropolitan Division at the end of the 2024-25 season? Vote in the poll below:
Who will win the Metropolitan Division in 2024-25?
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New York Rangers 43% (517)
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New Jersey Devils 19% (223)
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Carolina Hurricanes 12% (145)
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Pittsburgh Penguins 7% (81)
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Philadelphia Flyers 6% (67)
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Washington Capitals 5% (59)
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New York Islanders 5% (56)
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Columbus Blue Jackets 4% (43)
Total votes: 1,191
Mobile users, click here to vote!
Jenner To Play On Left Wing
- While Boone Jenner has arguably been the Blue Jackets’ most reliable center in recent years, he won’t be lining up there to start the season. Instead, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch relays that the captain will instead line up on the left wing on the top line. Jenner has been a reliable faceoff specialist over the years but with Sean Monahan being added in free agency and Adam Fantilli now fully recovered from a calf laceration that caused him to miss the second half last season, new head coach Dean Evason wants to see how Jenner fares in Johnny Gaudreau’s old spot, hoping that his forechecking will lead to some additional opportunities.
Blue Jackets Promote Rick Nash To Director Of Hockey Operations
The Blue Jackets have named Rick Nash their director of hockey operations, general manager Don Waddell announced Friday. They’ve also brought in former Hurricanes manager of hockey operations Zach Abdou in the same role and named Basil McRae their director of professional scouting.
For the 40-year-old Nash, it’s another big step toward becoming an NHL GM. Columbus’ all-time leader in every offensive category has been part of their front office since announcing his retirement in 2019. He first joined as a special assistant to former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, serving in that role through 2020-21 before being promoted to their director of player development.
In addition to his Jackets duties, Nash has gotten his feet wet internationally. He was an assistant GM for Canada at the 2022 World Championship and returned as GM this year, but the team failed to medal for the first time since 2018 despite going undefeated in the group stage.
Nash will largely replace McRae’s duties. McRae, 63, has been with the Blue Jackets on and off since 2013 as an amateur scout and director of player personnel. He had been an assistant GM since Nash joined the front office for the 2019-20 season. He’ll now move back fully to the scouting department as the top name on that pyramid.
Abdou, 27, worked under Waddell for the latter’s final three seasons as GM of the Hurricanes, serving as their hockey operations coordinator for two years before a promotion to manager for 2023-24. He follows his boss to Columbus after Waddell signed a multi-year deal to become the Jackets’ GM, alternate governor, and president of hockey operations back in May.
Justin Danforth Medically Cleared From Wrist Injury
- The Columbus Blue Jackets received some positive news on the injury front as team reporter Jeff Svoboda relays that forward Justin Danforth has been medically cleared from an offseason wrist injury and can begin ramping up for the regular season. Danforth was a bright spot for the Blue Jackets last season on the team’s bottom-six putting up 10 goals and 26 points in 71 games while only averaging 14:16 of ice time per night.
[SOURCE LINK]
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign James Van Riemsdyk
4:56 PM: The Blue Jackets made the deal official according to a team announcement. Waddell said, “James van Riemsdyk has been a very consistent, productive player throughout his career and bringing him to Columbus will not only provide depth to our group up front, but also valuable leadership and another veteran presence in our dressing room“.
3:34 PM: TSN’s Chris Johnston is reporting the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed UFA forward James van Riemsdyk. A few moments later, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that it would be a one-year, $900K contract for van Riemsdyk in Columbus.
The veteran sniper will join the fourth team of his career as the Blue Jackets inch closer to the salary cap floor. It was reported only yesterday that Columbus would be looking to add up front after moving on from Patrik Laine this summer and the tragic loss of winger Johnny Gaudreau at the end of last month. Forward Justin Danforth is not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season due to a wrist injury that knocks the Blue Jackets down to 10 healthy forwards. Putting together a complete lineup is more forward in the mind of general manager Don Waddell, as there isn’t an expectation the team will be penalized for starting the year under the salary cap floor.
JVR is no longer the offensive threat he used to be with the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs but should reasonably add some punch to the middle-six of Columbus’ forward core. He’s coming off a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins in which he scored 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games while also skating in his 1000th NHL contest. Most of his points in Boston came in the first half of the season, with seven goals and 29 points through the first 41 games. He only managed four goals and nine points in the last 30 games without having a major decline in ATOI.
Columbus can reasonably expect 30 to 35 points from JVR this year but his real value may come through his leadership skills. He made it to the Stanley Cup Final in his rookie campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009-10 with seven more appearances in the postseason since. He’s scored over 300 goals at the NHL level and could be a tremendous teacher to the number of young guns on the Blue Jackets’ roster.
He may become a buy-low trade candidate this season for contending teams looking to add scoring in their bottom six. The Blue Jackets are not expected to compete, and van Riemsdyk’s $900K salary will be more than affordable for interested parties. The now second-oldest player in Columbus will have to take advantage of the first half of the year if he hopes to compete for a Stanley Cup by the end of next season.
Blue Jackets Looking To Add Forwards In Free Agency
The Blue Jackets’ forward group has been thinned out in recent weeks. The team moved Patrik Laine to Montreal while Johnny Gaudreau tragically passed away late last month. Meanwhile, GM Don Waddell told reporters today including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link) that forward Justin Danforth won’t be available for the start of training camp due to a hand/wrist injury.
Danforth sustained the injury late last season and underwent offseason surgery. However, it appears that the recovery isn’t going as well as possible and he’s set to be re-evaluated on Monday. The 31-year-old posted a career-best 10 goals and 16 assists in 71 games last season while spending time on the wing and down the middle, making him a capable role player. But now, his availability for the start of the season is in question.
By his count, Waddell states that the team is down to just 10 healthy regular forwards heading into training camp. While players like Trey Fix-Wolansky, Gavin Brindley, James Malatesta, or free agent signing Dylan Gambrell could play their way into the mix, it stands to reason that they’ll be looking to make some additions up front.
While some might expect those moves to come on the trade front given that they’re nearly $3MM below the $65MM cap floor per PuckPedia, it doesn’t appear that will be the case. Instead, Waddell indicated that their intention is to sign one or two forwards before training camp, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). These would be players on full contracts, not tryouts.
However, the list of remaining unrestricted free agents isn’t exactly the deepest, especially among those who aren’t tied to a team via a PTO. Among the remaining options that haven’t secured a tryout are wingers James van Riemsdyk, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Okposo, Blake Wheeler, and Phil Kessel, who hasn’t given up hope on playing after not suiting up last season.
While signing a couple of those players would help, it wouldn’t get them to the cap floor, barring an overpayment on those contracts. However, Hedger relays (Twitter link) that he has been in talks with the league and the NHLPA about that and isn’t concerned at this time about being penalized if they stay under that number this season. While that’s something for them to worry about later on, in the meantime, it looks like Columbus will be making a signing or two in the coming days.
Prospect Notes: Heidt, Dumais, Dach, Frondell
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin didn’t rule out the chances of top prospect Riley Heidt making the opening night roster in an interview with The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Guerin said, “We have guys that still don’t need waivers… If Riley plays so well that he pushes himself on the team, then great. That’s what it’s about. It’s about competition.” Smith went on to acknowledge the hefty jump Heidt would need to leapfrog other prospects like Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov – with Guerin acknowledging the former as someone Minnesota expects to make the NHL roster.
Heidt is coming off a dazzling season with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, ranking third in league scoring with 117 points in 66 games. He also ranked eighth with 711 faceoff wins, winning at an effective 51.8 percent. Heidt set career highs across the board but still seems a step behind the NHL lineup. He’d otherwise be bound for a fourth WHL season, though Minnesota could award him up to nine regular-season games to help inform their decision.
Other notes from across the prospect world:
- Top Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais won’t be taking part in this weekend’s NHL Prospects Challenge, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, who shares the winger has been designated with a lower-body injury. Dumais isn’t expected to participate in the start of training camp, either. It isn’t clear if this is related to the lower abdominal surgery Dumais underwent in January, which held him out of the entire second half of the season. He’s been as productive as they come in the QMJHL, recording 325 points across 193 games and four seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads. He’ll get a chance to translate that scoring to the pro level this season – that is, when he’s healed from that’s delaying his pre-season start.
- Chicago Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach shared that he has his sights set on earning an NHL roster spot, telling The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus that he feels he could’ve earned one by now had he not been injured. Dach notably missed extended time with a concussion this season, after a sucker punch from Milwaukee’s Zachary L’Heureux. Small absences cut into Dach’s first pro season, though he still impressed with 27 points in 48 AHL games. Dach has now been heavily limited by injuries in the last two seasons, making a spot on the Opening Day roster a longshot – though Dach could earn his way into an NHL call-up later this year if he continues to stand strong in the minors.
- Top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Anton Frondell is set to undergo knee surgery, shares Djugardens IF insider Robin Fredriksson. No timeline for a return has been revealed. It’s Frondell’s second major lower-body injury in as many years, after a separate injury limited his 2023-24 campaign to just 42 league games. Frondell impressed when he did play, notably scoring 39 points in 29 U20 games, and adding seven points in seven games at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. His name has appeared near the very top of early 2025 Draft rankings, though another significant injury could make him an early faller.
KHL Ak Bars Has Been In Touch With Voronkov About Possible KHL Return
- Dating back to last season, there was speculation that Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov might want to return to the KHL. In an interview with Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev, Ak Bars GM Marat Valiullin acknowledged that he spoke with Voronkov after last season, presumably to gauge his interest in returning to the KHL but no discussions have taken place since then. The 23-year-old had a solid rookie season last year, notching 18 goals and 16 assists in 75 games and is someone that Columbus will undoubtedly be looking to keep beyond the upcoming season when his current contract expires.
Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Gaudreau Pass Away
Blue Jackets winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, passed away on Thursday, the team has confirmed in a statement. They were struck by an accused drunk driver while biking near their New Jersey home, police confirmed to Jeff Goldman of NJ Advance Media. They were 31 and 29 years old.
“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew,” said league commissioner Gary Bettman. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path. Gaudreau often told the story of how his father taught him to skate as a child in his home state of New Jersey, and he carried that same youthful passion throughout his 11 NHL seasons.”
Both Gaudreaus prefaced their professional careers with stints at Boston College, where Johnny immediately emerged as a star after being selected in the fourth round by the Flames in 2011. After recording a point per game as a freshman, he was the best player in college hockey by his junior year, leading the NCAA in scoring in 2013-14 with an incredible 80 points and 40 games. He won the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player in the country and signed his entry-level contract with Calgary to end the campaign, scoring his first NHL goal in his first NHL game against the Canucks on April 13, 2014.
Gaudreau was an immediate standout, locking down a top-six role and posting 64 points in 80 games during his rookie season to help the Flames to their first playoff berth in six years. He led the team with nine points in 11 postseason games as they upset the rival Canucks in the first round and stole a game from the heavily-favored Ducks in Round 2.
Over the next decade, Gaudreau would cement himself as the cornerstone of the Flames’ offense. He was their representative at the NHL All-Star Game for five years to begin his career and quickly made a name for himself as one of the league’s most agile wingers.
His first true breakout came in 2018-19 when he torched the league for 36 goals and 99 points en route to Calgary’s first division title since 2006. He averaged over 20 minutes per game and finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting.
Gaudreau continued to serve as Calgary’s top offensive option up until 2021-22. Entering the final season of a six-year, $40.5MM contract, Gaudreau, along with linemates Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, put up one of the most dominant seasons from a single forward unit we’ve seen in quite some time. He recorded career-highs with 40 goals, 75 assists and 115 points and also led the league with a remarkable +68 rating. His expert playmaking also helped Lindholm and Tkachuk to breakout campaigns, and for a time, they were the most suffocating two-way line in the league at 5v5.
An unrestricted free agent for the first time the following summer, Gaudreau opted to head east to return closer to his New Jersey home. The top UFA on the market that summer, he landed a seven-year, $68.25MM deal with Columbus. Both he and the team hoped he would be the veteran offensive presence necessary to help guide the team out of a rebuild. Gaudreau led the Blue Jackets in scoring each of the past two seasons, posting 33 goals, 101 assists and 134 points in 161 games.
Matthew never made his way to the NHL, but he did have a strong career in the minor leagues. After playing spot duty as a freshman at Boston College in Johnny’s junior season, he later emerged as an important player for the program in his own right, tying for the team lead in scoring during his senior season with 35 points in 40 games.
The younger Gaudreau began his pro career in the Islanders organization in 2017, signing a two-way AHL contract with their affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He had five points in 17 games over his first two years there, spending most of his time down in the ECHL with the Worcester Railers. It was there he was able to shine offensively, posting 24 goals and 36 assists for 60 points in 88 games.
In 2019-20, Gaudreau opted to join Johnny in the Calgary hockey pyramid, inking a deal with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat. He made four appearances for them and had a breakout year on loan to the ECHL’s Reading Royals, where he erupted for 29 assists in 40 points in 38 games.
Gaudreau headed overseas when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, posting six points in 12 games for Sweden’s Tyringe SoSS. He returned to the Railers for 2021-22, making a lone appearance before announcing his retirement.
All of us at PHR send our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family, their friends, their fans, and the many organizations where the brothers took their talents.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Cayden Lindstrom Ruled Out For Rookie Camp, Still Recovering From Back Injury
Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said last week that star center prospect Cayden Lindstrom was unlikely to suit up in next month’s NHL Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. Speaking to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Waddell confirmed Lindstrom won’t participate in the event and won’t be fully cleared at the beginning of training camp as he recovers from a disc herniation that cost him much of his draft year.
The back issue shouldn’t plague Lindstrom deep into the regular season. Waddell and Lindstrom’s agent, Wasserman Hockey’s Daren Hermiston, “agreed that he’s getting close to a return,” Portzline said. There’s a distinct air of caution in how the Blue Jackets choose to handle Lindstrom’s return to full contact, prioritizing the long-term help of a player they hope can be a top-six answer down the middle for years to come.
Lindstrom, 18, played only 36 total games with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League last season. His regular season ended in mid-December, and he battled through the injury to play four postseason games. But when he was in the lineup, the British Columbia native showed why he was one of the most unique talents in this summer’s draft. He was the Tigers’ best pure sniper with 27 goals in 32 regular-season contests, and his 1.44 points per game were tied for second on the team behind projected 2026 first-overall selection Gavin McKenna (1.59). The pivot has NHL-ready size at 6’3″ and 214 lbs and is involved physically, sometimes crossing the line, as evidenced by his 66 PIMs.
Recurring back problems could be debilitating for a player who thrives on Lindstrom’s type of style, so it’s no surprise that Columbus won’t give him a full clearance until he’s truly 100%. “Before we drafted him, we had all of the MRIs, all the tests, and everything else from his agents and doctors,” Waddell told Portzline. “This is something he’s going to get better from, but we want to be really careful with it. I’ve said all along we’re going to slow-play this one. I’m going to be the conservative one here.”
The injury does, however, likely remove any slim chances he had of making the NHL roster out of camp. Waddell, entering his first year in Columbus after six years as GM of the Hurricanes, is no stranger to letting prospects overbake, so it was always likely Lindstrom would spend all of 2024-25 back in Medicine Hat. Giving him a nine-game trial of NHL action without a whole training camp to work up to it certainly goes against the “conservative” ethos Waddell describes.
Lindstrom, who the Blue Jackets selected No. 4 overall in June, is the only member of the top four yet to sign his entry-level contract. But that delay isn’t related to his injury, Waddell said. He told Portzline that he’s “assuming we’ll sign him in training camp” after saying this to Hermiston earlier this summer.