Who wins the Metropolitan Division, and where do New Jersey Devils rank in final season predictions?

The New Jersey Devils clearly did not like missing the playoffs last season. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald spent a ton of money and moved assets to upgrade the goaltending, the defense, and the bottom six forwards. So, where do the Devils sit now when trying to predict next season's standings?

1) New Jersey Devils: 104 points

The New Jersey Devils have a new young veteran coach who has a strong core group of defenders, forwards, two veteran goalies, and one upcoming goalie in Nico Daws. He has his Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier centerman, who are his Matthews and Marner type guys, but more so, Barkov and Lundell, the way they can attack, defend, and get out and play hard. Having the prospect pool of guys like Santeri Hatakka, Daniil Misyul, and Topias Vilen. Seamus Casey is not ready just yet to be thrusted into the call up to fill in on defense just yet, it is more so an adjustment period for him.

This kind of depth and quantity with the Utica Comets gives Tom Fitzgerald a lot of wiggle room to give his veteran defenders a breather. If you go back a few seasons ago, when the Devils had a historic winning season, that is a telling sign for more upside. The downside is the lack of goalie depth and defense, where this team was still in a playoff race until the last few weeks of the season, which shows that this team can average over 102 points with their big additions.

2) New York Rangers: 98 points

The New York Rangers are getting older and still have a strong veteran core. The future with Igor Shesterkin as the starter and Jonathan Quick still around shows that the team across the Hudson River is still pushing for another playoff run. However, the likes of Jack Hughes, Brendan Dillon, and Jacob Markstrom, among others on the team, can strike a real thorn in the New York Rangers side. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad are getting older and starting to regress a little more over time.

Players like Jack Hughes have the Rangers' number, just like Patrik Elias had the Rangers' number in his career. The Rangers still have a rock-solid defense and do oppose a strong opposition, but they aren't perfect by any means. They will face a more physical Devils team and likely lose a few more points to New Jersey's team. The Rangers have a much bigger target on their back now that teams like the Devils are gunning for the Presidents Trophy winners this season to knock them off their perch.

3 Carolina Hurricanes: 95 points

With the loss of Brett Pesce to the New Jersey Devils, the Carolina Hurricanes are going to lose a few points. The defense still looks very solid but with the loss of Brett Pesce again this hurts Carolina's defense more ways than one. It is gonna make it harder for guys like Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov to step up more often, with the defense in Carolina still similar but needing more help from their netminders.

Expect the Hurricanes to play a very physical game and make a more cooperative effort this season than they normally do. Expect a few more losses and a bit more roster movement to try to add to their defense and net this season. This team is still very dangerous and should be nothing to scoff at.

4 New York Islanders: 92 points

The New York Islanders are a very balanced team, from their forward core to their defense. Goaltending with Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin in net can still be considered elite. They will be the major reasons why the modern New York Islanders trap defense helps them squeak out 10 points where, in those five games, the Islanders should not be in a wild card spot or in a top 3 spot in the Metropolitan.

Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov will be the two defensive contributors who drive them this season, while Scott Mayfield, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech start to depreciate in offense and defense over time. This team is a bit of a wild card, and the way Bo Horvat and Matthew Barzal are playing as veteran forwards on this team can certainly spark a lot of this team's offense.