NHL off-season grades: Metropolitan Division

School’s still out, but for NHL clubs, it’s report card season.

As we enter August, the focus starts to shift to the campaign ahead. But before it does, we’re looking back on the summer so far and the transactions made by each franchise. While we won’t really know how these moves pan out until players are back on the ice, these off-season dealings give us a glimpse of what to expect.

With that in mind, we’re looking at each division and assigning a grade to every club’s off-season so far. Today, we’ve got the Metropolitan — home of the Stanley Cup champs — under the spotlight.

(Teams listed alphabetically.)

Carolina Hurricanes

Key departures: Frederik Andersen, G

The newly crowned Stanley Cup champs ushered in the off-season on a celebratory note, and with plenty of cap space to build on a winning roster. While the parties persist, though, very little has happened in terms of front-office activity. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering just how finely tuned a machine this roster is and how locked-up the core remains for the next five years.

It is, however, more than a bit surprising for a club that always seems to be in on the biggest names on the trade and free-agency market. Perhaps it was the lack of star power among this year’s crop; perhaps the brain trust is saving its scheming for a splashier name? That RFA Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned raises a few questions, too.

Credit the club for its attempt to sign veteran John Carlson upon acquiring the rearguard’s rights on the cusp of free agency, though not being able to close the deal surely stings a little. So, too, does losing Frederik Andersen. Turning the crease over to Brandon Bussi doesn’t feel like a big risk, considering his season output and Cup Final heroics in relief of the veteran netminder, but it’s a risk all the same whenever you flip the starter’s slot to the new(ish) guy — even if he does have a shiny new championship ring.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Key arrivals: Valeri Nichushkin, F; Ryan Lomberg, F

Key departures: Boone Jenner, F; Mason Marchment, F

With all the talk of Zach Werenski’s rumoured discontent, combined with trade chatter swirling around Kirill Marchenko earlier this summer, it felt like Columbus was about to take a significant step backwards in their hunt for playoff relevance.

But here we are, six weeks later, the air cleared between Werenski and Columbus management while Marchenko, too, remains with the club (at least for now).

More victories: The acquisition of Valeri Nichushkin (without sending roster players to Colorado in return), and signing Ryan Lomberg. Is that enough to push the Blue Jackets into contention? That’s hard to say, especially taking into account the loss of captain Boone Jenner and forward Mason Marchment.

But relative to the what-ifs that surrounded this team at summer’s start, this off-season feels like a win.

New Jersey Devils

Key arrivals: Evan Rodrigues, F; Jesper Boqvist, F; Anthony Mantha, F; David Rittich, G

Key departures: Jacob Markstrom, G

GM Sunny Mehta went bargain-hunting in his first summer at the helm of his hometown team, putting his stamp on the Devils early on.

It started on the trade market, first landing a solid draft-capital return for Simon Nemec, then sending Jacob Markstrom to Florida for a pair of proven winners in Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist plus a prospect. His biggest wins came while negotiating contracts. Inking Nico Hischier to a sub-$12 million AAV for five more years is pretty clutch, and bringing in Anthony Mantha, fresh off a massive bounce-back campaign in Pittsburgh, on a two-year, $9.5-million deal is a tidy bit of business.

The Devils might’ve scored an A on our off-season report card, save for the pretty major question mark in the blue paint. With Markstrom gone, it’s up to Jake Allen, Nico Daws, and David Rittich to man the crease, and that brings some concerns.

New York Islanders

Key arrivals: Matias Maccelli, F

Key departures: Anders Lee, F

Matthew Schaefer’s sensational rookie showing ushered in a new era on Long Island… only, you wouldn’t know it, based on the off-season that followed. June and July should’ve featured a flurry of moves to build around the franchise defenceman, but it’s now August and the only notable signing is a low-cost value deal for Matias Maccelli.

Meanwhile, the club watched Anders Lee depart for Utah without bringing in a suitable replacement — both in terms of his offensive contributions and his leadership.

While there’s plenty to like about this roster construction, it’s hard not to look at this quiet summer and feel like it’s a missed opportunity — especially while Schaefer remains on his rookie deal.

New York Rangers

Key arrivals: Pavel Dorofeyev, F; Oliver Bjorkstrand, F; Sean Durzi, D; Marcus Pettersson, D; Joonas Korpisalo, G

Key departures: Vincent Trocheck, F

Eight years after Rangers leadership penned that infamous letter telling fans of the long rebuild to come, GM Chris Drury made it clear that this time would be different. This time, it’s a retool, not a rebuild. And his actions since then have followed that line of thinking.

No move made that more clear than the sign-and-trade to acquire Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights. A pending RFA at the time of the trade, he cost New York a late first-round pick in the 2026 draft and a conditional first in 2028, but the seven-year commitment (at $11 million per) is a big win. At 25, and with a killer finish, he fits the profile of the type of offensive punch these Rangers have been looking for.

And a one-year deal for Oliver Bjorkstrand adds some solid complementary depth.

Drury also addressed his blue line with the return for Vincent Trocheck a week later, bringing in Sean Durzi in the deal with Utah and sending a conditional first-rounder to Vancouver for Marcus Pettersson. Insurance in net, in the form of Joonas Korpisalo, was a smart bit of business, too.

With a fortified blue line, a punch up front, and room for some of the young guys to step up, this is indeed a retooled Rangers roster — and one that should have the Blueshirts back in contention. With the first-rounders he spent, Drury is counting on it.

Philadelphia Flyers

Key arrivals: Noel Acciari, F; Joseph Woll, G

You cannot deny that the Flyers made quite a splash this summer. Daniel Briere’s off-season has so far been defined by his attempt to lure Leo Carlsson away from Anaheim — an offer sheet that still has the league reeling — but ultimately failed to land the big catch.

Did the offer sheet hurt the Flyers? No. Short of Briere surely earning the ire of a few execs, Philly moves on, as scheduled — a team newly in playoff territory and looking to build on that first step into contention.

Are the Flyers that will hit the ice in September better than the ones we saw in May? That’s where this grade hinges. Briere is counting on his young core to grow together, and that much is clear based on his in-house off-season dealings.

Briere did some tidy business to keep franchise pillars like Jamie Drysdale, Trevor Zegras, Tyson Foerster, and Dan Vladar on fair extensions, and was smart to shore up the crease with the acquisition of Joseph Woll to back up Vladar. And while we should not overlook the acquisition of Noel Acciari to solidify the middle-six, the lack of new faces to fortify this burgeoning roster makes this summer feel a little lacklustre relative to expectations.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Key arrivals: Nick Robertson, Hendrix Lapierre

Key departures: Anthony Mantha, Noel Acciari, Stuart Skinner

Look at the Penguins’ books beyond next season, and it’s… well, it’s sparse. For the second straight summer, GM Kyle Dubas has resisted doling out big, term-heavy contracts as he retools this roster and keeps his options open regarding when, exactly, he flips the page to start penning a new chapter in Pittsburgh.

Dubas’ lack of splashy moves shouldn’t be mistaken for a quiet summer, though. Re-signing franchise icon Evgeni Malkin set the tone, and sent a message that this core isn’t done yet — and a series of savvy moves since have seen the GM strike a balance between complementing the veteran core while not mortgaging any future flexibility. Flipping a 2028 fourth-round pick to his old club in Toronto for Nick Robertson, then inking the young forward to an affordable two-year, $6.5-million deal, is a perfect case-in-point of that strategy.

(Hmm, perhaps he’s trying to lure another Robertson brother to the Steel City…? ) So, too, were decisions to take a flyer on Hendrix Lapierre, invest early in Egor Chinakhov after a breakout season and secure middle-six forward Tommy Novak. Goaltending is still a question mark, and it’s hard not to see a few gaps on that blue line.

More to come there?

Big decisions still loom, but Dubas has so far been wise to stay nimble in an ever-moving market.

Washington Capitals

Key arrivals: Alex Tuch, F; Jordan Kyrou, F; Boone Jenner, F; Vincent Desharnais, D.

Key departures: Hendrix Lapierre, F; Connor McMichael

Considering it started with a months-long wait to learn of Alex Ovechkin’s future, this could’ve been an off-season defined by uncertainty. But July brought not a hint of indecision — the captain’s back, and GM Chris Patrick’s practically shouted from the rooftops his intention to propel this club back into the playoffs.

He needed offence, and he got it. He got some sandpaper, too.

Eight years at $10.5 million is a hefty price for top UFA Alex Tuch, but one worth paying for a team driven to make the most of Ovechkin’s final season(s). If he doesn’t slot in as a setup man for Ovi, try Jordan Kyrou — trading for the former Blues forward feels like a massive win, as does landing former Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner. Fold them into a mix that has seen some youth rise up the ranks the last two seasons, and you’ve got a retooled team that is suddenly one of the most intriguing in the East.