New Faces in New Places: A Look at the Offseason Moves in the Metro Division

Because hockey news has been slow lately I thought we'd take a look at (almost) all the moves made by the teams in the Metropolitan Division over the offseason. I did my best to get almost every player of note listed below but the chances that I missed someone or incorrectly categorized someone is exceptionally high because there is no one true place to find this information in its completion (and if there is, please let me know to save me some time for next year).

I'm not doing any real analysis of the moves because that is something that I already wrote for Blueshirts Monthly (subscribe for free by emailing blueshirtsmonthly@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line) but I wanted to put together a "master list" of sorts for the offseason moves in the Metro Division and see who you guys think had the best offseason and give us something to talk about for a few days (hopefully). There certainly were some huge names moving inside, outside, and around in the division including the likes of Kovalchuk, Iginla, Bryzgalov, Lecavalier, Jagr, Clowe, Streit, and many others. We also all know that the Atlantic Metropolitan Division has had three teams added to it; the Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The balance of power in this intense division is very much up to debate though I would imagine that everyone agrees that Pittsburgh is the team to beat after placing first last season in the Atlantic Division.

Sources: capgeek.com, nhl.com, thehockeynews.com

Pittsburgh Penguins

Noteworthy RFAs: n/a

New Jersey Devils

Noteworthy RFAs: Adam Henrique

New York Islanders

Noteworthy RFAs: David Ullstrom

Philadelphia Flyers

Noteworthy RFAs: Eric Wellwood

Carolina Hurricanes

Noteworthy RFAs: Zach Boychuk

Washington Capitals

Noteworthy RFAs: Marcus Johansson

Columbus Blue Jackets

Noteworthy RFAs: n/a

New York Rangers

Noteworthy RFAs: Derek Stepan

That sure is heck of a lot of players that moved around and that is just one division of the NHL. If you notice any names that I have missed or players that I have categorized incorrectly (i.e. someone having retired instead of being an unsigned UFA) please just let me know in the comments. At a certain point I stopped listing AHL-level players and players that I deemed to be "not noteworthy" so the list is not truly complete. It was simply taking too long and I didn't think we needed to discuss what this season's Bridgeport Sound Tigers club is going to look like.

My questions for you guys and gals:

• What are your thoughts on Washington's quiet offseason?
• How do you like what the Rangers did compared to the other teams in the division?
• Which team had the best offseason in terms of acquisitions?
• Which team had the worst offseason in terms of departures and poor signings/trades?
• Does it make you feel better to know that Adam Henrique is also still unsigned?
• What are your predictions for where the teams are going to finish at the end of the season based on the rosters that they have right now?
• Best signing/trade/buy out? Worst signing/trade/buy out?/

Let me know what you think in the comments section guys and girls. I hope that you're all doing well and enjoying your summer.

Let's go Rangers.

Potatoes