According to former NHL player and current analyst Mike Rupp, the Metropolitan Division will be the weakest one in the league in 2025-2026. Speaking on NHL Network recently, he claimed the Metro would be the weakest in hockey.
It’s a fair take from Rupp, but it misses the mark on this upcoming season. While the Metro might not have teams like the Florida Panthers or Edmonton Oilers in their ranks, but that doesn't mean they are the worst division in the NHL. Instead, Rupp should have called out the actual worst division entering next season: the Pacific Division.
The Oilers are the headliners of the Pacific along with the Vegas Golden Knights. These two teams are perennial Stanley Cup contenders, and the Knights increased their odds for 2026 with the acquisition of Mitch Marner.
Outside of these two teams, the division is weak and unimposing.
The Los Angeles Kings signed a cohort of veteran players that made them slower while not improving their postseason chances. The Vancouver Canucks have continually worsened over the past three years. The Calgary Flames have committed a ton of money and contract space to their core, but they are set up to regress in 2025-2026 after just barely missing the postseason last year. The Anaheim Ducks are attempting to improve, but their moves this summer haven’t exactly impressed. The Seattle Kraken were a 76-point team last season, and their biggest addition was middle-six winger Mason Marchment. The San Jose Sharks have the most promising future with their exciting core of youngsters, but they won 20 games last year. Even if they improve by 10 wins, they aren't sniffing a playoff spot.
Safe to say @Rupper17 is not too confident in the Metropolitan Division this year. 😬 pic.twitter.com/tEvVLYWr25
By comparison, the Metropolitan Division outperformed the Pacific and the rest of the league. Last season, six of eight teams had a .500 record or better and seven teams reached 80 points. They were the only division in hockey to have seven teams reach 80 points last year.
Unless the Pacific Division improves across the board, they will still hold the mantle of the worst division in the NHL. The potential to be better is certainly there, and the excitement many are sharing about the Pacific is warranted. It doesn’t change the reality, however, and it doesn’t change that they are still the weakest division in the league.
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Jacob is a featured writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steelers On SI and the NHL for Breakaway On SI. He also co-hosts the All Steelers Talk podcast. Previous work covering the NHL for Inside the Penguins and The Hockey News.
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