Capitals lead impressive field in early 2025-26 Metropolitan Division report card

The 2025-26 NHL season has produced some incredible moments throughout the last three months. For instance, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scoring his 900th career goal was a moment no fan will soon forget. However, individual moments take a backseat to team success. And with the season nearing the halfway point, it’s time to take a deeper look at the Metropolitan Division.

The Metro was won by the Capitals last season, but this year feels as if things could be a bit different. Washington currently leads the division, but it’s not a comfortable lead by any margin. Moreover, the top spot has been held by a few different clubs already. Only seven points separate first from last, creating a rather tight race in the Metro.

There is a lot to talk about with this division. There is a good chance it sends five teams to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next spring. With this in mind, let’s take a close look at each team and hand out grades for each team in the Metropolitan Division.

Washington Capitals: A

The Washington Capitals had a rough start to the 2025-26 campaign. It seemed as if the defending Metro champions were set for a step back. However, Washington has bounced back in a big way. And they now lead the division by three points. Moreover, they are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at this time.

The Capitals are one of the best teams in the NHL right now. No team in the East has a better Goals For Percentage to this point, according to Evolving Hockey. They get the puck on net, and they don’t allow a ton of shots at the other end.

Logan Thompson has emerged as the clear starter, and is a Vezina candidate. Tom Wilson and Jakob Chychrun have supported Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome offensively, as well. This is a team that can do some damage in the spring if they continue this sort of form.

Carolina Hurricanes: A

The Capitals are certainly a dangerous team, but they are far from the only one in this division. The Carolina Hurricanes stormed out of the gate this season. They have cooled off a bit, but they are second in the Metro at this time.

The Hurricanes are fifth in the NHL for Goals For Percentage. Carolina also owns the highest Fenwick For and Corsi For Percentage in the league. They do allow a fair share of goals, but they don’t leak goals by any means.

Frederik Andersen has not played to his usual level. However, Carolina has found a good tandem in Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov. Sebastian Aho remains the team’s leader, while Jackson Blake and Seth Jarvis are important supporting players. The Hurricanes look the part of a contender once again.

New York Islanders: A

The New York Islanders traded Noah Dobson this offseason to the Montreal Canadiens. It seemed as if new general manager Mathieu Darche was preparing for a bit of a rebuild. However, they could not have scripted things any better this season.

The Islanders are not the sort of contender that the Capitals and Hurricanes are. New York is in the bottom 10 in terms of Goals For Per 60 Minutes, for instance. But they are also top-10 in fewest Goals Allowed Per 60 Minutes. They don’t score a ton, but they don’t allow much either.

The main story around the Islanders is rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer. He has made a legitimate impact early on. And though he’s cooled off a bit, he has six points in his last seven games. If he can continue his play, New York may be able to sneak into the postseason.

Pittsburgh Penguins: B+

The Pittsburgh Penguins have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Pittsburgh is trying to contend before the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin retire. So far, they are in the postseason conversation.

The Penguins are a bit of a middle-of-the-pack team. They are eighth in Goals For Per 60 Minutes, slightly outscoring the Islanders. However, they don’t keep the puck out of the net as well, ranking 13th for fewest Goals Allowed Per 60 Minutes.

The resurgence of Tristan Jarry has been a major bright spot for the Penguins. However, the team finds itself further down the playoff pecking order than its peers. If Jarry can continue his play, and Crosby continues doing his usual work, there’s a chance this team sneaks in.

New Jersey Devils: B

The New Jersey Devils have hit a major rough patch, to be fair. They are seventh in the Metro, six points back of the division-leading Capitals. At one point, though, the Devils were the talk of the NHL.

Unfortunately, their recent poor play has dropped New Jersey quite far. They own the second-worst Goals For Percentage in the NHL, behind only the Nashville Predators. Moreover, they score the third-fewest Goals Per 60 Minutes, while allowing the 10th-most Goals Per 60.

The Devils retain a decent grade for a few reasons. First, they have shown that they can play at an elite level when they are healthy. The second reason is that they aren’t fully healthy. Jack Hughes, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce are all on injured reserve.

They are still in the postseason hunt despite these injuries. Once they get fully healthy, this could be a team to watch out for.

New York Rangers: B

The New York Rangers made some big moves during the offseason to try to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To this point, New York is in the conversation. But they also have some issues to work through.

Adam Fox and Matt Rempe are on long-term injured reserve. They are important pieces to the roster, and they are hard to replace. To remain in the postseason picture as they have is admirable.

New York is a great defensive team, owning the best On Ice Save Percentage of any team in the league. However, they also own one of the league’s worst offenses. And New York is unable to buy a win at home, it seems.

The Rangers can still salvage things and make the postseason. They have an uphill battle ahead, though. Whether they can make that climb certainly remains to be seen.

Columbus Blue Jackets: C+

The Columbus Blue Jackets nearly made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They put in a very commendable effort as they shocked a ton of people in the hockey world. Unfortunately, it does not appear as if 2025-26 is going to pan out the same as last year did.

The Blue Jackets are a solid defensive team, owning the 12th best On Ice Save Percentage in the league. And they aren’t much worse in the offensive end, either. However, Columbus has struggled mightily to maintain the leads they get. In fact, they lead the league in blown third-period leads.

The usual suspects are still performing. Zach Werenski is proving his Norris Trophy-caliber season last year wasn’t a fluke. Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko, and Adam Fantilli still form the core of this forward group. All of them have performed well to this point.

Unfortunately, the goaltending has been rough. Elvis Merzlinkis, in particular, has struggled mightily. The team’s overall inability to maintain a lead has done nothing to help matters, of course.

The Blue Jackets want to make the postseason, and they still can. However, they need to make massive changes in order for this to happen. If they don’t, the changes that are made may not be limited to the players in the lineup.

The post Capitals lead impressive field in early 2025-26 Metropolitan Division report card appeared first on ClutchPoints.