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NHL offseason grades for Rangers, Metropolitan Division rivals
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- NHL offseason grades for Rangers, Metropolitan Division rivals
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Barring an unexpected trade in the coming weeks, rosters are by and large set for the New York Rangers and their rivals in the Metropolitan Division ahead of training camp.
The division will have three new coaches and one new general manager in 2025-26. And there were some major personnel additions and other under-the-radar ones made this offseason, too.
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So, let's break down what each team accomplished since last season ended and hand out offseason grades for all eight Metro franchises.
Related: How Rangers could best help Gabe Perreault be Calder Trophy candidate as NHL rookie of year
NHL offseason grades for Rangers , Metropolitan Division rivals
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New York Rangers: B
In:Mike Sullivan (coach); Vladislav Gavrikov : Scott Morrow ; Taylor Raddysh ; Justin Dowling
Out: Peter Laviolette (coach); Chris Kreider ; K'Andre Miller; Calvin de Haan
It was by-and-large a quietly effective offseason for the Rangers, even if they did make a few substantial changes. Chief among those was firing Laviolette as coach after one of the most disappointing and dysfunctional seasons in franchise history. He was replaced by two-time Stanley Cup winner, and former Rangers assistant, Mike Sullivan — a hire general manager Chris Drury's been trying to make since the summer of 2021.
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Speaking of Drury, he learned from past mistakes and worked in conjunction with Kreider's camp before trading the longest-tenured Rangers player to the Anaheim Ducks . That was a significant move because it freed up $6.5 million salary-cap space this season (and next). With that extra flexibility, the Rangers landed Gavrikov, their top free-agent target, to be a shutdown defenseman, likely alongside Adam Fox on the top pair.
The Rangers also decided Miller was too much of risk to invest in as a long-term core member of the roster. So, they freed up more cap space in a sign-and-trade with the Carolina Hurricanes . As part of that deal, they Rangers acquired Morrow , an intriguing 22-year-old puck-moving defenseman. Raddysh was signed to be an affordable third-line option on the wing.
Drury and Co. quickly and efficiently re-signed each of New York's pending restricted free agents (outside of Miller). Chief among them was Will Cuylle , who agreed to a two-year, $7.8 million bridge dea l before another team could entice the 20-goal scorer with an offer sheet.
Carolina Hurricanes: B
In: Nikolaj Ehlers , K'Andre Miller, Mike Reilly
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Out: Dmitry Orlov , Jack Roslovic , Scott Morrow
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The Hurricanes signed one of the top free-agent forwards available in Ehlers, who's a perfect fit for their up-tempo play style. The sign-and-trade with Miller seems to be more risky. It cost them $60 million over eight seasons, a lot of coin for a player who underachieved and proved to be inconsistent over five seasons with the Rangers. However, the Hurricanes — and many NHL experts — believe Miller will blossom on their blue line.
Carolina was proactive in signing young emerging forward Jackson Blake to a long-term contract extension and re-upped with free-agent forward Eric Robinson , a key part of their bottom six.
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Orlov and Morrow were replaceable on Carolina's deep defense corps. And Roslovic won't be sorely missed, even though he did score 22 goals last season. Nothing they did this offseason takes away from the Hurricanes remaining one of the teams to beat in the Metropolitan Division in 2025-26.
New Jersey Devils: C+
In: Connor Brown ; Evgenii Dadonov ; Juho Lammiko
Out: Erik Haula ; Nathan Bastian ; Brian Dumoulin ; Daniel Sprong ; Justin Dowling
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald worked around the edges this offseason, trying to bolster an already solid team seeking to take the next step as a Stanley Cup contender. Signing Brown to a four-year, $12 million contract not only solidifies the third line and PK unit, it adds a player coming off two consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers . Dadonov brings depth scoring and experience of some deep playoff runs, as well.
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Perhaps, most importantly, the Devils re-signed backup goalie Jake Allen to a five-year contract, though only a $1.8 million cap hit. The 35-year-old played a crucial role last season keeping things afloat for the Devils when No. 1 Jakob Markstrom missed time due to injury.
New Jersey was criticized for not making a bigger move this offseason, but the Devils biggest additions in 2025-26 will be if Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton can remain healthy for the entire campaign.
New York Islanders : A-
In:Mathieu Darche (GM); Matthew Schaefer; Jonathan Drouin ; Maxim Shabanov; Emil Heineman ; David Rittich
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Out:Lou Lamoriello (GM); Noah Dobson ; Matt Martin ; Mike Reilly
This was a massive, franchise-altering offseason for the Islanders. They removed Lamoriello as the head of hockey operations and brought in Darche to replace the Hockey of Hall of Famer. Immediately, it felt as if a breath of fresh air blew through the entire organization.
It didn't hurt that the Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery and selected consensus No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer. But that wasn't enough for Darche. He traded Dobson, a pending RFA due a huge raise, to the Montreal Canadiens and brought back two more first-round picks in the 2025 draft. So, the Islanders had three of the top 17 picks this year, adding forward Victor Eklund (No. 16 overall) and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson (No. 17 overall) after Schaefer.
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Of course, trading Dobson, who was their top defenseman, comes with risk. But the Islanders did lock up pending free agent defenseman Alexander Romanov with a long-term contract, and signed Schaefer to his entry-level deal. They also re-upped three important players: forwards Kyle Palmieri and Simon Holmstrom and former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo .
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Heineman, a forward, came over in the Dobson trade, too. And the Islanders beat out several teams to sign Shabanov, a free agent who's coming off an excellent season in the KHL. Rittich is a solid veteran add if Semyon Varlamov is not fully healthy and ready to back up No 1 goalie Ilya Sorokin .
They still may not be a playoff team in 2025-26, but it sure feels like the Islanders are turning the corner and headed in a positive direction.
Philadelphia Flyers : B+
In:Rick Tocchet (coach); Trevor Zegras ; Christian Dvorak ; Dan Vladar ; Dennis Gilbert
Out: Ryan Poehling ; Jakob Pelletier
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Like the Rangers, perhaps the most important move the Flyers made this offseason was behind the bench. They hired Tocchet after he turned down a contract extension to remain coach of the Vancouver Canucks . This feels like his dream job. He's a former rugged Flyers forward, so he understands and embraces the history and fan base in Philly. Plus, he won the Jack Adams Award as top NHL coach with the Canucks in 2023-24.
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The Flyers also made two important additions to their forward group. They acquired Zegras in a trade with the Ducks, counting on him finding his game closer to home on the East Coast. If they hit on this one, the Flyers become a dangerous team, with plenty of good, young offensive talent.
Dvorak is a terrific two-way center, who's excellent on face-offs. He'll play in the middle six and was a savvy signing by the Flyers. Philly is much deeper down the middle after adding Zegras and Dvorak.
The Flyers didn't ignore the defensive side of the puck, though. They re-signed Cam York , an emerging star defenseman, to a five-year contract; and the Flyers also inked Vladar to provide some stability between the pipes with Samuel Ersson , a spot where they really struggled last season.
Pittsburgh Penguins : D+
In: Dan Muse (coach); Matt Dumba ; Connor Clifton ; Justin Brazeau ; Arturs Silovs ; Parker Wotherspoon ; Caleb Jones ; Alexander Alexeyev
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Out:Mike Sullivan (coach); Matt Grzelcyk ; Matt Nieto ; P.O. Joseph
Here's another team that made a coaching change. The Penguins parted ways with Sullivan after 10 seasons and hired former Rangers assistant Dan Muse to replace him. That feels like GM Kyle Dubas sending a message that the Penguins are shifting into a retool or rebuild, even with Sidney Crosby , Evgeni Malkin , Kris Letang , and Erik Karlsson still on the roster.
There are plenty of complaints that the Penguins failed to offload Karlsson and his $11.5 million cap hit each of the next two seasons. But, really, what team is taking on that kind of financial commitment for a diminishing star? Not to mention that Karlsson has a complete no-move clause.
But the Penguins face mounting criticism for not making more sweeping changes this offseason, somehow, someway. Instead, it's largely the same cast that's failed to make the playoffs three years in a row. Perhaps the defense will be deeper and better this coming season with the additions of Dumba, Clifton and Wotherspoon — and tougher with Wotherspoon and Brazeau, two rugged former Boston Bruins teammates.
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Pittsburgh's goaltending was brutal last season, so Silovs was acquired from the Canucks to push No. 1 Tristan Jarry and provide more ample support at the position.
Washington Capitals : C
In: Declan Chisholm
Out: Lars Eller ; Taylor Raddysh
The Capitals were super aggressive last offseason and it paid off with a first-place finish in the Metropolitan Division. This was a much quieter summer for the Capitals, whose two most important moves were re-signing defenseman Martin Fehervary and forward Anthony Beauvillier .
Washington is counting on continued success from a solid nucleus, which should be buoyed by youngsters Ryan Leonard and Ivan Miroschnichenko making their impact this coming season. Time will tell if they should've done a bit more tinkering this offseason, though.
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