NHL Pick: New York Rangers Metropolitan Division Winners (+380) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Several of the teams within the Metropolitan Division are expected to be competitive this season, with three teams from the division ranked inside the top seven favorites to lift the Stanley Cup this year.
Check out why we are backing 3rd favorites, the New York Rangers, to reign supreme this season and who else we expect to make the playoffs.
New York Rangers (+380)
Although the New York Rangers are ranked as the 3rd favorite to win the division, there is only +200 odds separating the favorites Carolina and the NY Rangers. It’s expected to be a tight battle between the top three favorites, but we are backing the Rangers to come out on top at +380 betting odds.
The Rangers added Blake Wheeler and have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Igor Shesterkin. Adding to the fact they have one of the deepest rosters in the league, it’s clear to see why we think they’re undervalued as third favorites.
Once the Rangers stay consistent, they should remain in the race right until the very end. It’s not that we believe they can run away with the division, quite the opposite, as we believe they might just start heating up toward the end of the season and take control.
This team finished 2nd and 3rd in the previous two seasons, and they are aiming for top spot this time around.
2022/23 Points Total: 107
2023/24 Points Prediction: 113
New Jersey Devils (+220)
This team is scary, so much so that it was very hard to believe the Rangers might finish ahead of them, but there’s just not enough value at +220 for us to believe the Devils are worth a bet to win this division.
With that said, they are the best pick to win the division in our eyes, so if you also believe they’re the best team, then +220 isn’t the worst set of odds in the world.
The NJ Devils have a ton of young players who are playing up to their potential, most notably the Hughes brothers, who are steering the Devils ship in the right direction.
The Devils boast a solid all-around game with top-quality forwards and defenders, their only major concern being the goaltending. They’re a dynamic team that is improving each season and a top-two finish is very likely this season for the NJ Devils.
2022/23 Points Total: 112
2023/24 Points Prediction: 108
Carolina Hurricanes (+180)
We are predicting last year’s division winners (and this year’s favorites) the Carolina Hurricanes will finish 3rd this season, and not live up to their favorites tag at +180.
The Hurricanes rely heavily on their Blue line and goaltending core, with one of the best defenses in the league; they have two solid goaltenders to go with it.
Adding two more defensive players this offseason in Dmitry Orlov and bringing back Tony DeAngelo, they must rebound this season from a disappointing exit in the playoffs last year.
Carolina is going to be good, and they’re going to be difficult to beat. There’s no doubt about it. We fully expect them to comfortably make the playoffs, and yes, they might win the division, but at +180 we don’t see any value in betting them.
There are still question marks surrounding their offensive abilities.
2022/23 Points Total: 113
2023/24 Points Prediction: 104
Pittsburgh Penguins (+650)
Without a doubt, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the best value to win the division this season, but in all reality, they will likely not finish inside the top two. But who knows how things might shape up during the season.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has taken the reigns of GM at the Penguins and wasted no time when it came to making big moves, bringing in Erik Karlsson, Matt Nieto and Reilly Smith.
This team is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender if Tristan Jarry can perform to expectations, although we don’t see this team being consistent enough over the course of the season to win the division, they are definitely worth a look come playoff time if they make it that far, which we expect them to do so.
2022/23 Points Total: 91
2023/24 Points Prediction: 99
New York Islanders (+1500)
We have the New York Islanders down for a 5th place finish, but don’t be surprised if they do end up finishing 6th or even 7th, their roster is subpar, despite having one of the best goaltenders in Ilya Sorokin.
Their goaltender can only do so much with what’s in front of him, and right now it’s not much for the Islanders.
The Islanders failed to get rid of their old core group of players this offseason, a group that is surely washed up by now. The addition of Bo Horvat at the trade deadline was something positive at least but overall their refusal to accept a full rebuild this season will only hold them back in the long run.
We are backing goaltender Sorokin to have a solid season and save the Islanders from 7th or 8th place finish.
2022/23 Points Total: 93
2023/24 Points Prediction: 88
Washington Capitals (+2900)
Last year was just the second time Washington failed to make the post-season since 2007, and the remanence of the Stanley Cup-winning team is almost disappeared. Despite a few players still hanging around, it’s all but over, and a full rebuild is what’s needed.
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals failed to make it out of the first round in the next few seasons that followed.
This season will be pretty much similar to last; the Capitals won’t be inside the top three but likely won’t be inside the bottom two either, leaving them to a mid-table 4th to 6th place finish.
Nobody of note has joined or left the team, but All-Star player Alex Ovechkin will be another year older (39) and one of their better players, Evgeny Kuznetsov, has requested a trade, so it’s not going to be a Stanley Cup-winning season for the Capitals, unfortunately.
2022/23 Points Total: 80
2023/24 Points Prediction: 85
Columbus Blue Jackets (+18000)
It might be contentious that we have the Columbus Blue Jackets finishing behind the Washington Capitals, but this team has so many question marks we don’t even know where to begin.
Obviously, the whole Mike Babcock saga wasn’t ideal, and they now have to find themselves a new coach, having hired and fired Babcock before his first game in charge.
The Blue Jackets have a lot of potential within this roster, but they have had scenarios like this in recent seasons and failed to produce anything worth talking about.
They’re a wait-and-see type of team. It’s hard to put our finger on how good they might be this season; maybe they make the wild card spots, but we can’t see them going deep in the post-season.
2022/23 Points Total: 59
2023/24 Points Prediction: 82
Philadelphia Flyers (+13000)
There isn’t one NHL fan that will tell you this team won’t finish last or second-last within this division this season. The Philadelphia Flyers have deliberately taken a step back in their rebuild process and are starting yet again.
This team hasn’t been able to figure out a winning solution for quite some time now, and with the worst roster in the division by far, we are expecting a worse season for Philadelphia than the previous one.
The Flyers are building from the ground up, looking to sell assets in order to bring in young talent.
2022/23 Points Total: 75
2023/24 Points Prediction: 67
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