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I usually wait until training camp and preseason come around before making any predictions, but colleague Travis Yost recently did a bit on the division so I figured I'd chime in with some thoughts.

There are still some good players available in free agency and there's plenty of time for injuries or trades to take place, but at this point we have a pretty good idea of what each team will look like to start the season.

What that in mind, here's my early attempt at predicting the Metropolitan Division standings, with some quick thoughts on each prediction.

1. Pittsburgh - They're the very good team in a division of good teams. They ridded themselves of possession anchors Tanner Glass and Brooks Orpik, and while the loss of Matt Niskanen might sting a little, they have plenty of young defensemen coming through the ranks who can fill help fill his spot. Oh, and they signed Christian Ehrhoff, an established top-4 guy, for $4 million per. The added depth up front with Steve Downie, Blake Comeau and co. will help.

2. Columbus - They, like Pittsburgh, ridded themselves of a possession anchor in R.J. Umberger, and turned that into a more efficient point producer in Scott Hartnell, who does quite well in terms of possession. They're getting back a healthy Nathan Horton, and their young core that includes Ryan Johansen, Boone Jenner, Ryan Murray, etc. should continue to get better.

3. New York Rangers - The Rangers lost a few good players this summer, but considering they just made it to the Stanley Cup Final they could afford to lose some guys and still be a good team. Anton Stralman is a bigger loss than most people realize. Brad Richards, for all the crap he takes, was still a 50 point center and an effective player. Brian Boyle is a good depth guy who played an important role in the playoffs. The Tanner Glass signing was downright terrible. He's been a bottom-5 possession player in all of hockey for 4-5 years running, has no offensive ability, and he was given three years at $1.5M per. I did like the Dan Boyle, add, though.

When it comes down to it, New York still has Henrik Lundqvist in goal, Ryan McDonagh on defense, and a nice core up front in Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello that should keep them competitive.

4. New Jersey - They helped address their 5 vs 5 scoring woes in adding Mike Cammalleri, the NHL's 7th most efficient 5v5 scorer last year, and Martin Havlat, who produced when healthy. They also added by subtracting in buying out Anton Volchenkov, which clears room for a young defenseman, and letting go of Martin Brodeur and his .901SV%. I think they'll grab a wild card spot this year.

5. New York Islanders - I love what they've done this summer. When reviewing the Metro Division's goaltenders I made a point that Jaroslav Halak is much better than people realize. With some steady play between the pipes, a healthy Lubomir Visnovsky and John Tavares, as well as the additions of Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski, I think they'll be right in the thick of things this season.

6. Washington - I hated the Brooks Orpik signing. At this point I think he's a depth defenseman, and they paid him top pairing money. Matt Niskanen will be a big help, though, and with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom up front they'll have a chance every night. If Evgeny Kuznetsov has a breakout year I expect they'll be in the playoff hunt until the end.

7. Philadelphia - I think they sort of overachieved last year, at least by my expectations, and I don't see them repeating that success. I love some of the forwards they have - Claude Giroux is elite and Jakub Voracek is a beast - but didn't like the Scott Hartnell for R.J. Umberger trade at all. Their defense is pretty immobile and full of possession anchors, and really they didn't do anything to improve their team.

8. Carolina - I like some of the pieces they have, but I get the feeling they're going to give Cam Ward (.898SV% in 30GP last year) more starts than he deserves rather than handing the keys to Anton Khudobin, who was stellar last season.

Again, these are just predictions and they're subject to change come September. That said, I don't anticipate making any dramatic changes between now and then.

Fire away.

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On Metro Division goalies

Why the Devils are in line for a bounce back season

How much is Andy Greene worth?

On Travis Zajac and Mike Cammalleri

Pete Harrold is a more than adequate No. 7

How much is Eric Gelinas worth?

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On Ryan Murray and James Wisniewski

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