The NHL offseason is underway and the league’s landscape is beginning to take shape ahead of the 2022-23 season. Many big-name free agents have found new homes or stayed where they are. The NHL even had its own blockbuster NBA-style trade this past weekend, when the Flames secured a promising haul from the Panthers in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk.
The Metropolitan Division, and the Eastern Conference for that matter, is still loaded with generational talent and teams with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations. The Post’s Mollie Walker discusses the changes at the Metro and what it means for the Rangers.
carolina hurricanes
After their second-round exit in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs thanks to the Rangers, the Hurricanes were able to replace most of what they lost this offseason. The Canes upgraded a bit from defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who was traded to the Flyers for draft picks, with veteran blueliner Brent Burns. Center Vincent Trocheck is now a Ranger and winger Nino Niederreiter now plays for the Predators, but Carolina selected established scorer Max Pacioretty and safety Dylan Coghlan in a trade with the Golden Knights for future consideration. The Canes also signed striker Ondrej Kase on a one-year deal.
How it relates to the Rangers: Just six points and two wins separated the Rangers from the Hurricanes last season, when the two clubs met for first and second place in the Metro. When they met in the playoffs, star goalie Igor Shesterkin and the rest of the Rangers were able to limit Carolina to just one or two goals in six of seven games, which ultimately proved to be the difference. These two teams may battle for the top of the division once again, but if Trocheck proves to be an upgrade over Ryan Strome or Andrew Copp and a couple of young players have breakout seasons, the Rangers could clinch the No. 1 spot. .
pittsburgh penguins
The Big 3 of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang is back, so the Penguins are essentially regressing after a fourth consecutive first-round exit (including their qualifying-round loss during the 2020 bubble playoffs). ). General manager Ron Hextall was able to keep Letang and Malkin and still sign wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, but it’s not the top six that needs to be addressed. The Penguins have an extremely loaded lineup up front and if players like Jeff Carter and Teddy Bleuger don’t have recovery seasons, then it’s hard to see how the club has improved.
How it relates to the Rangers: The Rangers finished seven points ahead of the Penguins in the division standings, with six more wins. But Pittsburgh nearly eliminated the Rangers in the first round before they rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to advance, in part because Crosby missed a game and a half after taking a hit from Jacob Trouba. With so few changes, the Penguins are hopeful this is the core that can get the club back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since their 2017 championship, but their results haven’t changed in recent years.
Washington Capitals
By landing one of the best free-agent goalies in Darcy Kuemper, who backed the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup last season, the Capitals can finally have security at the goalie position for the first time since Braden Holtby. But the uncertainty surrounding Nicklas Backstrom (hip surgery), Tom Wilson (knee surgery) and Carl Hagelin (eye injury) makes it difficult to assess where Washington is headed next season. They have reinforcements after signing center Dylan Strome and trading for right winger Connor Brown, plus some depth in defender Erik Gustafsson and forward Marcus Johansson. But time is running out in the Alex Ovechkin era in Washington, and back-to-back first-round starts are not an encouraging sign.
How it relates to the Rangers: Washington was 10 points behind the Rangers in the division, but they were significantly ahead of the last four teams. With an upgrade to the network, the Capitals might have a chance to get back on top of the Metro.
islanders
After putting all their eggs in a free-agent basket and coming up short once again, the Islanders haven’t made any notable changes this offseason after a strange and disastrous year that culminated in the split of head coach Barry Trotz. and promotional assistant Lane Lambert. . They lost Johnny Gaudreau. They still don’t have a scoring winger who can complement star Mathew Barzal. They are looking to get back to racing with a roster that was vastly underperforming last season, although some circumstances were unforeseen. The draft day trade for defenseman Alexander Romanov was a solid acquisition, but the islands need help early on.
How it relates to the Rangers: A 13-game stretch on the road to start the season and a prolonged COVID-19 outbreak played a role in the Islanders’ fifth-place finish in the Metro, which was 26 points behind the Rangers. The team that put together consecutive runs to the Eastern Conference final is still there in the middle, and they have the other top young goalkeeper in Ilya Sorokin, but adjustments must be made for the Isles to become competitive in the division again.
Columbus Blue Jackets
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen seemingly rejuvenated the franchise by nabbing the biggest free agent on the market in Gaudreau, who left money on the table for a couple of other teams to come to Columbus. In addition to Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets also brought in Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek to create a dynamic offense that should shake up the Metropolitan Division a bit. Despite bringing in defender Erik Gudbranson, who will presumably slot into the third pair, Columbus still needs to solidify its core of the top four ‘D’s.
How it relates to the Rangers: The Blue Jackets should see improvement from their penultimate finish last season in the division standings, but there is still work to be done to round out their lineup. There was a 29-point difference between the Rangers and Columbus last season. Even if the Blue Jackets’ offense improves significantly, defense should still be an advantage for the Rangers.
Devils
The Devils are behind a jump in results after missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season and the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. By acquiring goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the Capitals and then signing the 26-year-old Czech to a three-year extension, the Devils addressed their goalkeeping need. They also signed two-time Cup champion Ondrej Palat for a hefty price, but the club will reap the benefits of having an experienced and versatile two-way striker. Winger Jesper Bratt has opted for salary arbitration, so we’ll see what happens between now and the 23-year-old’s Aug. 3 hearing.
How it relates to the Rangers: With a 47-point difference at the end of last season, the Rangers and Devils showed how different rebuilds go at different rates. Throw in a couple of standout (and healthy) seasons for their young core and the Devils could finally see significant improvement. However, with Lindy Ruff still behind the bench, how much change can we expect in the team’s play?
philadelphia flyers
Newly hired head coach John Tortorella is sure to bring some much-needed structure to Philadelphia, but the Flyers haven’t necessarily upgraded their player staff heading into next season. General manager Chuck Fletcher brought in DeAngelo, who could flourish or implode with the opportunity to play close to home again and with a demanding coach in Tortorella. They brought back defender Justin Braun and added 31-year-old striker Nicolas Deslauriers to their existing physical group of Rasmus Ristolainen and Zack MacEwen.
How it relates to the Rangers: With a question mark still hanging over Ryan Ellis and his return from a pelvic injury, the Flyers’ offseason so far hasn’t done much to improve on their fourth-worst record in the NHL in 2021-22. They still haven’t made up for the loss of captain Claude Giroux. The Rangers should be worried about improvements from other teams.