The 2023-24 NHL season starts soon and the race for the Metropolitan Division will be tight. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a special winner of the Metropolitan Division prediction and pick.

Last year, the Carolina Hurricanes won the division with 113 points last season. The New Jersey Devils finished second in the division with 112 points. It was a tight race between the two teams last year and came down to the final day of the season for the Hurricanes to clinch the division. The Rangers were not far back either sitting with 107 points, just six back of the Hurricanes.

In the offseason, teams made moves to attempt to close the gap and win the division. The Blue Jackets brought in some new forwards, and a new head coach to attempt to make the playoffs this year. The Islanders did not make many big moves, but were a playoff team last year, and will be looking to make a jump this year.

Here are the Winner of Metropolitan Division Winner NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Playoffs Odds: Winner of Metropolitan Division

Carolina Hurricanes: +200

New Jersey Devils: +230

New York Rangers: +410

Pittsburgh Penguins: +550

New York Islanders: +1100

Washington Capital: +2200

Columbus Blue Jackets: +10000

Philadelphia Flyers: +13000

Why the Carolina Hurricanes Will Win the Metropolitan Division

The Hurricanes won the division last year and are coming back with a very similar roster. The biggest name they lost was Max Pacioretty, but he played just five games last year. Meanwhile, Paul Stastny is gone, but he was a fourth-line center. They bring back their top ten-point scorers from last year as well. The Hurricanes bring in Dmitry Orlov on defense while adding Michael Bunting as well. Bunting had 49 points last year for the Maple Leafs.

The Hurricanes still do have two big concerns. They lack the major firepower on offense that can take over a game. Martin Necas and Sebastian Aho are the top guys, but neither of them are 40-goal scorers. Then, they relied on aging goaltenders who were not always at their best to lead them. Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta are both back for the Hurricanes, and one will need to step up and lead the team.

Why the New Jersey Devils Will Win the Metropolitan Division

The offensive firepower for this square is amazing. Jack Hughes showed he is a potential superstar in the NHL. Last year he was eighth in the league in goals, while sitting tied for 12th with 99 points. Nic Hischier sits on line two with his 31 goals and 80 points. Overall, the Devils had four guys score over 70 points last year, while they had Timo Meier midseason who put up 14 points in 21 games. Then, the Devils went out and added Tyler Toffoli in the offseason, who scored 34 goals last year and had 73 points.

This gives the Devils a young core that is growing, plus proven scorers that finished just one point away from winning the division last year. Further, they have an experienced and quality coach in Lindy Ruff. The main issue for them is similar to the Hurricanes, goaltending. Akira Schmid only appeared in 18 regular season games last year, as Vitek Vanecek carried the way. Vanecek crumbled in the playoffs though, and Schmid stepped in a brought a 2.45 goals-against average to his playoff resume. If Schmid can take another step in year two in the NHL, the Devils will be hard to stop.

Why the New York Rangers Will Win the Metropolitan Division

New York can win the division based on goaltending. Igor Shesterkin was down last year compared to his normal numbers. That was still a 2.48 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. That still makes him a top-quality goalie, but he could be a Vienza winner-level goalie with just a small step up. He was at that level in the playoffs last year, coming away with a .931 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average. The Rangers will be learning a new system this year. In the offseason, they brought in Peter Laviolette to run the show. Laviolette won the Stanley Cup back in the 2005-06 season with the Hurricanes. Since then, he has won his division three times with two different teams.

The Rangers still have a young core that is great with Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and Fili Chytil. All three of them had over 20 assists and 16 goals last season. Artemi Panarin is back to help them out. He scored 92 points last year with 29 goals. The Rangers bring in Blake Wheeler and Nick Bonino to boast depth as well. Wheeler had 55 points last year, while had 19. The Rangers now have depth, but the biggest question for them is their youth. Can the line of three young forwards take the necessary step up to win the division?

Why the Pittsburgh Penguins Will Win the Metropolitan Division

Last year the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. They still bring back Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. The problem is this is an aging core, and the Penguins had a lot of holes to fill. The first was in goal. Tristan Jarry was solid last year. He has a 2.90 goals-against average with a .909 save percentage. He also missed a bunch of time in the middle of the season. This had the Penguins putting in Case DeSmith and Dustin Tokarski, both of whom struggled in their games and had losing records. They bring In Alex Nedeljkovic. Last year in Detroit, he was solid and has been a primary goaltender in the NHL before.

The Penguins also added Erik Karlsson, Reilly Smith, and Lars Eller. Karlsson scored 101 points last year with 25 goals. Smith comes in after hoisting the cup last year for Vegas and scored 56 points, while Eller adds 23 points and also some playoff experience.

Why the Washington Capitals Will Win the Metropolitan Division

Much Like the Penguins, this is an aging roster. The Capitals have Alex Ovechkin though. He is looking to chase the all-time goal record of 894 goals set by Wayne Gretzky. If he is going to do that, he is going to need 73 goals. If Ovechkin is scoring 73 goals this year, one of two things is happening. First, the Capitals are awful and just force-feeding Ovi. Second, they are playing great and scoring a ton.

They do bring in Joel Edmundson to help the blue line play, and also add Max Pacioretty. Pacioretty is a quality scorer, but, he missed most of last year, and is not expected to be ready for over a month. The Capitals still have Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov, but that may not be enough to get them a win in the division.

Final Winner of Metropolitan Division Prediction and Pick

The Capitals and Penguins both have large holes on an aging roster. While they could both surprise and make a run to the playoffs, it is most likely not going to be a division crown. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes do not have the firepower to hold off the Rangers and Devils. The Devils have more of the firepower, a good enough goaltending situation, and a young core looking to make the next step. They will win the division this year.

Final Winner of Metropolitan Division Prediction and Pick: New Jersey Devils (+230)