If it wasn't already, the Metropolitan Division has officially become the
toughest division in the NHL. Sure, the Central Division boasts two of the top
teams in the league and the Atlantic Division has a meat grinder of a
top-three, but the fact remains that the Metro has produced the last three
Stanley Cup Champions and houses some of the biggest stars in the league in the
 likes of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Artemi Panarin, and Mathew Barzal.

The Carolina Hurricanes, therefore, will find themselves in a very competitive
environment come October. But there is reason to believe that they can and will
 be one of the best teams in the Metro by next spring, if not the best. My goal
 here is not to convince anybody to believe the same, only to explain what
makes me believe that the Hurricanes are poised to make a significant leap
ahead in their own performance both in general and against their divisional
counterparts.Summer League Champs

The NHL doesn't have a summer league, though I truly wish they did. The NHL's
version of the NBA's summer festivities may be considered the arms race that
occurs at the draft and during free agency. There are only so many good
prospects and free agents available each summer, and this year, the Hurricanes
grabbed some of the best talent available.Calvin De Haan is one of the newest
additions to the 'Canes roster. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

I name the Hurricanes the champions of the summer because they are arguably the
 most improved team out there. Sure, the Toronto Maple Leafs nabbed the best
free agent since Marian Hossa in John Tavares, but at the cost of some veteran
depth in James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak. Similarly, the Calgary Flames were
 able to do a roster overhaul by inserting young talent in between some
productive vets, but at the cost of breaking up one of the best defense
pairings in the league.

Carolina was able to add two top four defensemen in Calvin de Haan and Dougie
Hamilton, a winger who could easily win the Calder Trophy in Andrei Svechnikov,
 some sandpaper guys that fill a desperate need in Micheal Ferland and Jordan
Martinook, and a backup goalie that has previously shown incredible potential
in Petr Mrazek. The cost? A 40-point player who was asking for almost $5
million per season in Elias Lindholm, an unpolished albeit very promising
restricted free agent defenseman in Noah Hanifin, and forgettable free agents
Lee Stempniak and Derek Ryan. Even if they aren't the most improved team on
paper, the ΓÇÿCanes have shown the most diligence to end this oppressive
playoff drought since it began in 2010.Dougie Hamilton looks to make an impact
on an already studded Hurricanes blueline (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

All this to say, I am not trying to downplay what the ΓÇÿCanes lost this
summer, but based on what Don Waddell and company have brought into the fold,
it certainly looks like they will be breaking the mold of the 80-85 point
seasons that fans have become accustomed to.Around the Metro

The rest of the division, on the other hand, had a bit of an underwhelming
summer. "But the Capitals won the whole thing," I hear you saying. Yes, yes
they did, and they are poised to give a whole new meaning to the phrase
"Stanley Cup hangover." Let's get this straight, first: Every championship team
 parties hard after they win it all, but the Washington Capitals will certainly
 have their work cut out for them. Not to mention, they will have to insert
some Hershey Bears into their lineup to deal with the losses of Brooks Orpik
and Philipp Grubauer unless they sign some free agents.Washington Capitals left
 wing Alex Ovechkin (8) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden
 Knights in game five of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. (Stephen
 R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

It has been a bear of a summer for the New York Islanders. Not only did they
fail to lock up John Tavares or trade him for some returning value, he walked
for nothing and the Islanders responded by acquiring over-the-hill entities
such as Leo Komarov and Val Filppula. I also would not call Robin Lehner a
solution for goaltending. Finally, nothing was done to remedy the blueline that
 had a historically awful 2017-18 campaign, allowing close to 300 goals. De
Haan even took his services to Carolina, further weakening the defense corps. I
 would expect the Isles to be near the bottom of the division.

The New Jersey Devils are a bit of a peculiar case. Last season, they had the
good fortunes of getting the 1st overall pick from outside of the bottom 10 and
 used it to draft Nico Hischier, who along with Will Butcher, Jesper Bratt, and
 Blake Coleman, was part of the resurgence of youngsters to make a huge
difference for the Devils in 2017-18. Not to mention, Taylor Hall also enjoyed
a career season, winning the Hart Trophy in the process. Many of these things
would need to happen again for the Devils to squeak back into the playoffs.
That, or Cory Schneider would need to return to form at age 32. Overall, I
expect a dip in the Devils' ability to contend for the playoffs.Nico Hischier,
Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The New York Rangers are officially entering a rebuild. While it seems that
Henrik Lundqvist will stick around for it, the same may not be able to be said
about guys like Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, and Marc Staal. Unless Lias
Andersson and Filip Chytil put the team on their backs, the Rangers are more
likely to compete for draft position instead of a playoff position.

The tallest giants standing in the Hurricanes' way will likely be the
Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets. While
Philly will need their young defensemen to take a step and for Brian Elliott to
 have a bounce-back season, their forward corps might be strong enough to
counteract some of those issues, especially considering the addition of James
van Riemsdyk. Pittsburgh is also always a threat. They're stacked up front and
Matt Murray is poised to come back with a strong season after an underwhelming
campaign in 2017-18. For the Jackets, this is probably Panarin's last season in
 Columbus, so they would do well to go all in for a Cup run. Their deep forward
 corps and Vezina-caliber goaltender will make life difficult for the rest of
the division.Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and
 Evgeni Malkin celebrate. (Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports)

At the same time, however, outside of the JVR addition for the Flyers, none of
the top teams in the Metro fixed the holes on their respective rosters.
Pittsburgh added some defense insurance in Jack Johnson, but he's not exactly a
 top four defenseman anymore. The Flyers are still running with question marks
in nets, and the Jackets simply added to their bottom six forwards. Impactful,
maybe, but certainly not a slam dunk.Metro Division Title Is in Reach

Like I said, the Metro remains as one of the, if not the toughest divisions in
the NHL. However, at bare minimum, the expected drop in play among the fringe
playoff teams of the division coupled with the incredible improvement of the
ΓÇÿCanes opens the door wide for Carolina to finally end their playoff drought.
 Additionally, one aspect that may be overlooked is expectations.

The Capitals, Penguins, and Jackets all have massive expectations riding on
them, and they will be targeted by the rest of the league because they're known
 as good teams. Nobody will give them the night off. The ΓÇÿCanes, on the other
 hand, have the potential to catch other teams by surprise if they come out
with their best foot forward, similarly to what the Vegas Golden Knights
did.Deryk Engelland #5 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with the Clarence
 S. Campbell Bowl after defeating the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in Game Five of the
Western Conference Finals to advance to the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Bell
MTS Place on May 20, 2018 in Winnipeg, Canada. (Photo by Jason Halstead/Getty
Images)

Realistically, I don't necessarily see the Hurricanes becoming division giants
overnight, but we definitely can't rule it out. If their goaltending was league
 average last season, the ΓÇÿCanes would probably have made the playoffs. If
their goaltending is at least league average next season and their summer
acquisitions pan out as expected, it would be unwise to sleep on the Carolina.
'Canes management has done well to build upon an already strong, up-and-coming
squad.

Take warning.

The post Hurricanes Could Win the Metro in 2018-19 appeared first on The Hockey
 Writers.

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