Five Metro players facing pressure to deliver in 2026-27

The Metropolitan Division goes into 2026-27 looking nothing like it did a year ago, and in most cases the reason is a single player carrying an outsized share of the load.

Start in Carolina, where the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup last spring and now have to do it without Frederik Andersen, who handled the bulk of the playoff run before moving on to Edmonton. That leaves Brandon Bussi, 28, entering just his second NHL season on the first year of a three-year, $5.7-million deal, sharing the net with Pyotr Kochetkov, whose 2025-26 was cut into by injuries.

Pittsburgh has a near-identical question. The Penguins finished second in the Metro and pushed a series they trailed 0-3, and now the crease belongs to Arturs Silovs at 25, with Stuart Skinner gone to Winnipeg and Sergei Murashov as the young alternative. The roster around him turned over too, with Andrei Kuzmenko and Nick Robertson added up front and Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kaedan Korczak on the back end.

In Philadelphia, the pressure sits on Matvei Michkov. The 21-year-old is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract after a 20-goal, 51-point second season, and reporting out of Philly has him lined up on the top line with Trevor Zegras when camp opens.

Washington opens training camp without John Carlson for the first time in nearly two decades, following his trade to Anaheim late last season and his summer signing in Tampa Bay. Jakob Chychrun, 28, inherits the top job on the blue line after a career-best 26 goals and 60 points.

Columbus, meanwhile, still has business to finish. As of September 3, 2026, Adam Fantilli and the Blue Jackets had not agreed on a new contract for the 21-year-old.

The rest of the division has its own reasons to reset: the Islanders missed the playoffs for a second straight year despite Matthew Schaefer's arrival, and the Devils and Rangers both slid again.

The NHL preseason is scheduled to begin Sept. 19.