October 7, 2025
Metropolitan Mayhem: A Division of NHL Contenders, Pretenders, and Pain
The air is getting colder, the skates are being sharpened, and across the National Hockey League, hope springs eternal. But in the Metropolitan Division, that hope comes in vastly different shades. Once a Murderer’s Row of perennial contenders, the Metro enters the 2025-26 season as a study in contrasts—a top-heavy battleground where a clear line has been drawn in the sand. On one side stand the division’s titans, gearing up for what they believe is a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup. On the other, a motley crew of teams in various states of transition, retooling, or outright, gut-wrenching reconstruction.