It’s August, which means we're now in the final hockey-less month of the year. Come September, fans get their first glimpse of both the new and old talent on their favorite teams. For readers of this site, that team is probably New York, but it shouldn't be the only team you're keeping tabs on. If the Rangers are looking to get back in the playoffs, the math is simple. Three-eighths (the number of playoff slots in the Metro) is a bigger number than two-tenths (the number of wildcard spots and the total teams vying for them).
Now that the most chaotic stretch of the offseason is behind us, everyone is wondering the same thing... how badly did my team screw up this summer? No one will know until the puck drops, but that won't stop us from giving it our best guess.
There are countless ways to quantify the quality of a given player or team, none of them perfect. In this case I chose "Game Score" (GS) as the basis of a formula that then calculated just how much better or worse a team got based on their offseason moves, and expressed it in added or lost points from last year's standings. Now, in the first six drafts of this story, I actually explained how I did the math, but then I remembered the goal was for you to actually read this, so you'll just have to trust me (or reach out and I'll be happy to share).
Stats aside, the biggest splashes in the NHL this summer happened in the Metro. From the trading block, to the draft, to free agency, here's how each team in the division fared this offseason, from the worst process to the best.
8. Washington Capitals (Expected Standing Points Gained: -10 pts)
The Capitals went from the laughing stock of the 2024 playoffs- barely squeaking onto the dancefloor only to be swept in the first round- to the top team in the Eastern Conference heading into the postseason this year. The shocking delight for Caps fans was short-lived, as the team turned back into a pumpkin just one round deeper than before. A tough way for Alex Ovechkin's 20th career campaign to end, but the league's all-time leading goal-scorer is not going anywhere. The historic goal-record chase, plus Washington's surprise success galvanized its front office into doing...absolutely nothing this offseason, Though it has since assured fans that wasn't the case. It says it did go all-in on pursuing Nikolaj Ehlers during free agency, but ultimately lost out (to another team we'll be discussing). The stunning lack of a Plan 'B' is compounded by the loss of reliable production from a trio of players- Lars Eller, Andrew Mangiapane and Taylor Raddysh- who all chose to sign elsewhere.
7. Pittsburgh Penguins (ESPG: -4 pts)
We all knew this day would come. By "we" I mean Millennials, because "The Millennial Era" of the National Hockey League is over. Just about every hockey player of that (my) generation is now at least 30 years old and their (my) models for excellence are finally beginning to wear the passage of time on their faces. Perhaps it shouldn’t shock me, then, to see Washington and Pittsburgh struggling this offseason… but it does. Just as the Capitals front office threw up their hands, the Penguins seem totally fine letting Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin fade away quietly. It's the first time in his career that I've ever felt bad for Sid "The 37-year-old" Kid, who still managed to post a Game Score of 100 last season, despite ten of his teams finishing with a GS below zero. At least General Manager Kyle Dubas can say he "upgraded" from one of the league's worst defenders in P.O. Joseph to one of the league's bad defenders in Mathew Dumba.
6. New York Islanders (ESPG: -4 pts)
Think of the Capitals and Penguins as one tier. The "terrible tier." These next few teams could be interchanged in any way and I wouldn't be able to argue with you. So, it wasn't easy placing the Islanders here. At first, rookie GM Mathieu Darche didn't exactly ingratiate himself with fans, opting to trade away one of the brighter young talents on the team, Noah Dobson, for a couple of mid-first-round picks in this year's draft. I'm not saying he's changed everyone's minds since then, but drafting the consensus 1.1 in Matthew Schaefer, then stealing right winger Victor Eklund at pick 16, then stealing defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson just one pick later certainly forced fans to think twice. Of course, it's worth noting that Darche couldn't have known he would hit the jackpot three times in a row. That's not how things work, though. Luck or no luck, he's set the Isles up for long term success. As for the short term, trading a 25-year-old rising defender for two draft picks that could’ve been anyone and still could have any outcome is a major risk with a delayed potential payoff. A payoff Darche might not ever see if he doesn't find success sooner rather than later.
5. Philadelphia Flyers (ESPG: -10 pts)
The Islanders weren't the only Metro team banking on a big draft. The Flyers selected five players in the top 50, including Porter Martone at sixth overall who some analysts projected could go in the top three. It was the kind of night the Philly front office needed after making one of the splashiest, and riskiest, moves of the entire offseason, trading to acquire 24-year-old center Trevor Zegras from the Ducks. Zegras' first five years in the league portend a spectacular start to his next chapter here on the east coast. What kind of spectacle- whether it be a legend, a comedy or a Greek tragedy (maybe a bit of each?)- remains to be seen. The New York native has shown potential that could change the trajectory of an entire franchise. That potential has been hidden in a fog of bad injury luck and a nasty holdout in recent years, and that's before you dig into the numbers and notice how much of a liability he's been defensively (and before you notice they traded away one of the team's better defensive forwards in Ryan Poehling to get him). On paper, the team appears in danger of sinking even deeper into the Metro's cellar this season, but if you were to ask a Philly fan if they would've rather seen the team have an offseason like this versus an offseason like the Capitals, they'd take their own ten out of ten times. As the saying goes:
"You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take."Former Phoenix Coyotes Coach
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (ESPG: +4 pts)
It's true you miss all the shots you don't take, but what if not taking the shot is the best option? The Blue Jackets have gotten some flack for their lack of action this summer, adding a few bottom six forwards while simultaneously allowing veterans like James van Riemsdyk and Justin Danforth to sign elsewhere. Yet, after running our little calculations you find that the team they have now is actually slightly more productive than the team last season. Facing a weak free agency pool and intense competition, the front office took a different tact. Instead of adding producers, it cut out counter-producers. The simple act of allowing Jordan Harris and Jack Johnson to walk out the door would've saved the Blue Jackets six(!!) points in '24-25, so it's hard to fault management for focusing on the promising young talent they have, like Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan, and trying to get them teammates who, at the very least, won't be actively hurting their chances to win.
3. New York Rangers (ESPG: +9 pts)
This story is about the rest of the Metro division, so I'm going to withhold my opinion on this offseason for the Rangers in the spirit of the story...
...however...
... when I saw this picture of Chris Drury I felt obligated to share my thoughts. I finally realized in that moment who he and his managerial style most remind me of... and that's Daenerys Targaryen. Let me tell you why:
- She was a young, scrappy Targaryen forced to become a leader following the untimely and tragic death of her husband.
- He is a middle-aged, scrappy Connecticut native thrust into leadership following the sudden and tragic exile of his own sun and stars (John Davidson and Jeff Gorton).
- She rode Drogon.
- He rode Igor.
- She raised an army comprised mostly of Essos' best with a little Westerosi flare.
- He rallied Westerosis to the call, weaving in some of the most lethal warriors in Essos and Sweden.
- She was most adored when she was tearing through Astapor and Yunkai.
- He was most adored when he was tearing through Washington and Carolina.
- Then, she tried to raze Meereen but got caught daydreaming of a big iron throne, now she's the bad guy.
- And he tried to raze Miami but got caught daydreaming of a big silver cup, now he's the bad guy.
A powerful lesson in how quickly the earth can shift beneath your feet. One minute you're being carried through the streets a hero with the people calling you "Mhysa," then BOOM. Next thing you know you're standing in a city of ashes, Chris Kreider is a Duck, K’Andre Miller is a Hurricane and Mika Zibanejad is an undead ice dragon hell-bent on killing you in your sleep.
Life, right?
2. New Jersey Devils (ESPG: +10 pts)
The Devils had one of the most satisfying seasons in recent memory… if you were a Rangers fan. For Devils fans, getting pummeled by Carolina in the first round probably left something to be desired, to put it gently. It’s clear, though, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald likes his core. He opted to use this offseason to bolster it, not overhaul it, replacing a bunch of under-performers with a couple of- err- performing performers, I guess. But the addition of veteran wingers Connor Brown and the 36 year old, aptly-named
Evgenii Dadonov alone would've been enough to add an expected 10 points in the standings for last year’s team, which was already good for 91. No matter who they signed this summer, the most exciting names to fans were always going to be Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, all on the brink of becoming true superstars, all before their 29th birthdays.
1. Carolina Hurricanes (ESPG: -5 pts)
The Hurricanes were the 2024 Rangers of the 2025 playoffs, stomping out the Devils and Capitals with minimal effort and riding high heading into the Eastern Conference finals…only to be thoroughly humbled by the Panthers. Also like the Rangers, they returned home at a crossroads. Unlike the 2024 Rangers, the front office chose to do something about it in a big way. First, they took defenseman K'Andre Miller off the Rangers' hands in a sign and trade. Then, they dropped one of the biggest bags of the offseason. $51 million over six years for left winger Nikolaj Ehlers. The 29-year-old is coming off arguably the best season of his career for the Winnipeg Jets, and he and Miller are likely the best pair of acquisitions for any team in the league this offseason. It wasn't all big gains for the Canes. Brent Burns, Dmitry Orlov, Jack Roslovic... all solid producers at the very least, now all gone.
This is where we have to talk about K'Andre. I count myself among the group of fans agonizing over the 25-year-old's departure from New York. Even facing the reality of his play over the past few years, it's yet another example of the Rangers front office selling stock early on a young player everyone seems to agree has tremendous potential. The silver lining for fans like me is that reality- where Miller has yet to live up to all those expectations- is now Carolina's problem.
But the Canes could care less. They have the talent to go for it. That's what winners do. They take risks. If it does pay off, this is the kind of risk where even the Panthers might not be able to stop them.