The Carolina Hurricanes will be back in the Metropolitan Division next season, after spending the 2020-21 season competing in a version of the Central Division.
The Hurricanes went on to finish first in the Central during the regular season, in a group that also featured the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets. However, Carolina will face some tougher competition next season, after rejoining the Metropolitan.
Of the seven other teams in the division, the Blue Jackets are probably the only team who we can safely say won’t be in the playoff picture, as even the Devils look much stronger after a busy offseason.
Coming off a poor season, the Philadelphia Flyers should be helped by the addition of Ryan Ellis and shouldn’t be counted out either. Then the New York Islanders are expected to contend once again, while the New York Rangers seem intent to finally get back into the playoffs as well, after coaching and roster changes. Count on both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals to be in the playoff race once again too.
Essentially, there are probably going to be six or maybe even seven teams all fighting for the three divisional spots. It should be a contrast from last year's Central Division, which saw the Hurricanes, Lightning and Panthers emerge as the top three teams, while all others were quite a ways back and competed for the fourth and final spot.
There are always the wildcard spots as well but at least for the Metropolitan Division, the Hurricanes will be up against tougher competition in competing for positioning in the standings next season. While they still project as a playoff team and can certainly do some damage, they won’t have the luxury of facing mostly average or weak teams on a nightly basis and will have much more competition for placement within the division.
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Where do you expect the Hurricanes to finish in the Metropolitan Division?
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