Hurricanes Sit Atop the Metro Odds, With Columbus Ranked Fifth
BetMGM's division board as of Sept. 7 makes the defending champions a heavy favorite, with Columbus fifth at +1600; author Brian Foisy nevertheless makes a case for the Blue Jackets as a challenger.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes open as a strong favorite to win the Metropolitan Division again, according to BetMGM's odds as of Sept. 7, with the Columbus Blue Jackets fifth on the board at +1600.
Carolina earned the position. The Hurricanes went 53-22-7 for 113 points, the best mark in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference, then won the Cup. The most notable subtraction from that group was goaltender Frederik Andersen, who signed a one-year, $2.8 million deal with Edmonton, leaving Brandon Bussi in line for a larger share of the work.
BetMGM author Brian Foisy picks Columbus as the one team with a real case to close the gap, and the argument starts on the blue line. Zach Werenski won the Norris Trophy last season, edging Colorado's Cale Makar in the voting. Trade chatter around Werenski has quieted through the summer. With him and center Adam Fantilli in the lineup, the Blue Jackets are the division's most plausible spoiler.
The rest of the Metro is a mix of established names and rebuilds in progress. The Rangers spent the offseason retooling their forward group, adding Pavel Dorofeyev by trade and Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno in free agency, plus defensemen Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson via trade. They signed Eeli Tolvanen to a one-year, $1.5 million contract on Sept. 2; the 27-year-old had 36 points in 78 games with Seattle last season.
New York begins its season Sept. 29 at Boston.
