In the latest iteration of Eastern Edge, we're taking a close look at the Metropolitan Division and how it stacks up for next season. As much as the Cup is still yet to be lifted, teams across the league are already laying the groundwork for next season's run at Lord Stanley’s Prize. With free agency looming, it's never too early to power rank all the teams out east as we inch closer to the July 1 window busting open.

Next week we'll tap into the Atlantic, but for now, here's the Metro Division power rankings with an obvious team in top spot – other than that, this division is due for a bit of a shakeup.

8. Washington Capitals

We know, the Caps will be only one season removed from a playoff berth and the Blue Jackets could easily take this spot in most rankings, but this is going to be a really long year upcoming in D.C.. A brief look at Washington's roster reveals an aging core of veteran bodies in Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson and with an unproven goaltender in Charlie Lindgren the Capital's thin bottom-six and rag-tag blue line is going to expose early and often. Washington only managed to score more goals than four clubs this season, those four being the Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks, so there's also the glaring concerns around offensive output. Any way you slice it's not going to be pretty for Ovi and the boys in 2024-25, be wary of where/if you're drafting the aforementioned players.

7. Columbus Blue Jackets

Four reasons for optimism in Columbus? A quartet of promising young Russians on the rise: Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, Dmitri Voronkov, and Daniil Tarasov. If you're in a keeper/dynasty format, make sure to snag a piece of this talented young core before others do. At least one, if not more, of these names is going to have a major breakout-type season.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

Both Danny Briere and John Tortorella deserve some credit for the product Philly ran out on the ice this year, as the Flyers held down the third and final playoff spot in the Metro for prolonged stretches of the season before ultimately slipping and allowing the New York Islanders in. Much like Columbus, the Flyers employ a number of enticing young fantasy hockey pieces that should be making major impacts at the NHL level real soon. Bobby Brink, Morgan Frost, Tyson Foesrter are just a small handful of what Torts has to play with and all of them hold intriguing fantasy hockey upside. No disrespect to Ivan Fedotov or Samuel Ersson, but neither of those goalies are number one guys

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

When you've got Sid, Geno, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang, you have a shot. The Pens fell just short this season of punching their playoff ticket but there are a lot of question marks surrounding this team heading into next season, so pegging their power ranking was actually the most difficult out of any team on this list. Crosby proved last season he still has a lot in the tank as he put up a sensational 94-point season at 35 years old and his studliness alone earns Pittsburgh the fifth slot. This team will go as far as number 87 will take it, plain and simple.

4. New York Islanders

Patrick Roy came in during the season and was instrumental in turning the Islanders into a playoff-worthy team. However, a lack of depth scoring and inconsistent play in the cage from Ilya Sorokin was the Isles' undoing – among other things. Until this team can round out its offensive attack and find another dangerous scoring forward to go along with the likes of Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat, New York will continually fall short in this division. However, a massive fantasy stepping out season from Noah Dobson leaves a lot of intrigue in terms of what the Islanders might have cooking. Dobson put up 70 points in the biggest season of his career but it really feels that he is just starting to scratch the surface of his abilities. Double-circle his name for upcoming draft preparations.

3. Carolina Hurricanes

First and foremost, it seems like Jake Guentzel will be testing the open waters in free agency; bad news. Secondly, Martin Necas, even though he is a restricted free agent, is likely also out the door. For a club that is only two seasons removed from sitting outside the top half of the NHL in scoring, those are two very important offensive pieces that will be hard to replace. Of course, this Carolina team hangs its hat in the defensive end, but there could be changes coming on the back end as well with a number of pending unrestricted free agents in the likes of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce. The Canes should still be a playoff team with good goaltending and an amazing coaching staff, so they likely still catch the third spot in the division.

2. New Jersey Devils

A new coach willing to work with young players, a full season with a healthy Dougie Hamilton, and if rumours are to be believed, likely a fresh face in the blue paint. When healthy, the Devils run out a very dangerous lineup that has already proven playoff worthy. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier up the middle along with the likes of Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and Timo Meier on the wings give New Jersey more than enough talent to work with up front. Sprinkle in another year of Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes on the blue line and the Devils really do feel like they are a goalie away from being a scary-looking team on paper. Can new bench boss Sheldon Keefe push the right buttons and will he have a new number one netminder to hold down the crease? Time will surely tell but if both of those notions come to fruition, it likely means New Jersey at the top of the division looking down for most of the upcoming campaign.

1. New York Rangers

This one is a no-brainer: The Rangers are still well-deserved division champs with the best goalie and blue line in the Metro. Those two factors alone will make it hard to beat this team in 2024-25 and we're not even talking about their balanced forward attack that flaunts a massive breakout candidate in Alexis Lafreniere. The Rangers fell short against what could easily be the Cup champs in the Florida Panthers, but when it comes to fantasy and next season, Lafreniere is one of the most intriguing names out there primed for a major stepping out season. New York is the toast of the Metro, so make sure to tap into a number of players on their roster come September.