Metropolitan Division Power Rankings

The Metropolitan Division is the most reshaped of the NHL divisions. Many teams made roster moves that will propel them up the standings. But some teams were silent in the offseason, not doing enough to improve and in turn, they could suffer because of it.

The New York Rangers were tops in the East last season after beating out the Montreal Canadiens in six games, but how will they fare this year in a new-look division?

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

Players gained: Thomas Greiss, Christian Ehrhoff, Blake Comeau, Steve Downie, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Spaling

Players lost: James Neal, Jussi Jokinen, Deryk Engelland, Brian Gibbons, Tanner Glass, Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen, Joe Vitale

What's there to say about the Pittsburgh Penguins? They've got two of the best players in the world in Crosby and Malkin, and when goaltending's good, they're golden. The problem is, goaltending isn't always top notch in the City of Bridges. Marc Andre Fleury has always given average netminding during the regular season, but average might not cut it this year as the Pens lost Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen, two of their top D men from last season.

What Pittsburgh did do in the offseason, though, is bring depth to their forward group. The loss of James Neal and Jussi Jokinen is a bit hard on the front lines, but they added Nick Spaling and Patric Hornqvist to bring balance to their second and third line. Something the Penguins have always lacked is depth in their bottom six.

2. New York Rangers

Players gained: Matt Hunwick, Tanner Glass, Dan Boyle, Mike Kostka

Players lost: Brad Richards, Benoit Pouliot, Stu Bickel, Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle

The Rangers parted ways with quite a few quality talents during the summer. Brad Richards, though he didn't quite live up to his contract, and Benoit Pouliot will be missed. The Rangers didn't really sign anyone in the summer to improve their offense and with the departure of two key forwards, there's going to be even more pressure for Rick Nash to have a bounce back year. The 30-year old winger had a less than stellar season last year and his ability to shake it off and lead this team offensively will be a big part of the Rangers' success.

But even if Nash can't return to form, last we checked, Henrik Lundqvist is still Henrik Lunqvist, so the Rangers are probably going to be fine.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets

Players gained: Brian Gibbons, Jerry D'Amigo, Scott Hartnell

Players lost: R.J. Umberger, Vaclav Prospal, Matt Frattin, Blake Comeau, Nick Shultz, Derek MacKenzie

Even though they didn't make it past the first round, the Blue Jackets (and their fans) were outstanding in the playoffs. One would think that trend would carry over to the next season and one would probably be right. With Sergei Bobrovsky always solid in net, and Scott Hartnell being added to an already deep forward lineup, the Jackets are looking good.

Their defence is also a strong suit. Columbus already has an elite defensive grouping with Fedor Tyutin, James Wisniewski and Jack Johnson, but they will be getting even stronger this season as 20-year old Ryan Murray is ready for a full season in the NHL after playing most of last year.

A return to the playoffs is expected.

4. Washington Capitals

Players gained: Justin Peters, Brooks Orpik, Matt Niskanen

Players lost: Tom Poti, Mikhail Grabovski

Brayden Holtby is going to have to bounce back for the upcoming season in order for the Capitals to have a shot at the playoffs. Last season, Holtby recorded his worst numbers since entering the league in the 2010-11 season.

There may be a bit of skepticism in the goaltending department, but the defence only got stronger in the offseason. The Caps picked up a pair of Pittsburgh blueliners in Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. While Orpik brings a noticeable physical presence, Niskanen's skill will go well with Mike Green on the power play.

Oh, and Alex Ovechkin still scores a ton of goals. So, no problem upfront.

5. New Jersey Devils

Players gained: Mike Cammalleri, Martin Havlat, Scott Clemmensen

Players lost: Anton Volchenkov, Mark Fayne

Realistically, the New Jersey Devils should have made the playoffs last year. Missing out by 5 points while going 0-13 in the shootout is an absolute tragedy. Luckily though, the upcoming season is looking even more promising than last year's. No longer will the Devils have to deal with Martin Brodeur. Yes, Brodeur has been outstanding for the Devils for so many years, but he's no longer an elite goaltender. With Marty out of the picture, the focus can switch completely over to Cory Schneider. Goalie controversy: fixed.

Not suprisingly, Jaromir Jagr, the ageless wonder, will be back for another season and he will play forever it may be his last. With the signing of Mike Cammalleri, the Devils also added some speed and talent to their well-built offense.

6. New York Islanders

Players gained: Jack Skille, Harry Zolnierczyk, T.J Brennan, Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski, Jaroslav Halak, Chad Johnson

Players lost: Evgeni Nabokov

For the Islanders, the improvements are obvious. Evgeni Nabokov is gone and Jaroslav Halak is now the starting goalie. Huge improvement. The Isles also brought in Chad Johnson, who had a great year backing up Tuukka Rask with the Boston Bruins. Respectably, Johnson posted a 2.10 GAA and a .925 SV% last season, more than impressive numbers for a No.2 goalie.

With the signing of Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski, the Islanders now have depth to their forward lineup. For so long, John Tavares was the only notable talent on offense. But now, with the emergence of Kyle Okposo and the addition of Kulemin and Grabovski, these Islanders are developing a strong and dependable forward corps.

The defence, on the other hand, is a different story.

7. Philadelphia Flyers

Players gained: Zack Sortini, Blair Jones, Nick Schultz, Michael Del Zotto

Players lost: Steve Downie, Tye McGinn, Scott Hartnell

With the Kimmo Timonen injury, the Flyers will be without one of their solid veteran defensemen, leaving Mark Streit to be relied upon even more. Steve Mason will also have also have a lot of pressure on him to have a repeat year, as he was nothing but superb for Philly during the regular season and playoffs. R.J. Umberger also has big shoes to fill after being swapped for Scott Hartnell. Hartnell had 18 more points than Umberger last season. Big shoes.

The Flyers are also in trouble with the new salary cap. Currently, they are almost $5 million over the limit, and it doesn't help that they are overpaying Vincent Lecavalier, paying a retired Chris Pronger, and paying Kimmo Timonen to sit in the press box.

8. Carolina Hurricanes

Players gained: Drew MacIntyre, Jay McClement, Tim Gleason

Players lost: Manny Malhotra, Justin Peters

The Carolina Hurricanes are going to be a mess this season. Their starting goalie, Cam Ward, had a horrendous season last year. The 30-year old netminder was 47th and 46th in the league for SV% and GAA. Maybe it's time Anton Khudobin took over. Just a suggestion.

With the Staal brothers also having awful years, the Hurricanes are going to be in trouble if they can't turn it around before October. Eric was a minus-13 last season, the second lowest plus/minus of his career. He also had his fewest point total (full season) since entering the NHL in 2003.