May not know this but this is my 10th season with Hockeybuzz.com. Crazy, huh?

Well in all that time I don't believe there's ever been division that I've reviewed with more question marks and more uncertainty then this years Metropolitan division. Of the eight teams in the division seven could easily find themselves in (or out of) a playoff spot, and six could win the division. So your guess is as good as anyone's… especially mine.

# 8 the Carolina Hurricanes

To this day my favorite memory covering any NHL Stanley Cup final was in Carolina. Getting to know the fans, getting invited to the pregame tailgates… it was al so awesome. Hurricane fans are plentiful and enthusiastic about their team. It has to be hard right now on those folks and I don't want to pile on. Too many injuries and too many holes for now, and it's impossible to put Carolina anywhere but eight in this division as of October 7th. I love a lot of young players on his team including Justin Faulk who I think could win a Norris someday. I believe Ron Francis will get the Hurricanes back to where they were. Maybe not this year though, in the top two or three pick for this organization could be just what the doctor ordered to speed up the recovery. Many feel that the fans down here won't be patient for a rebuild… I watched these fans stand for an entire game seven once. They get it.

#7 the New Jersey Devils

Devils fans will find great hope in my predicting the the Devil's demise. Every time I count them out in my preseason predictions they go on to accomplish great things. The last time going all the way to the Stanley Cup final. And when I pick the devils to do well….well, they don’t. I like the goaltending but there feels me a disconnect between a very aging offense and an extremely young defense. But these are the New Jersey Devils. And even if I joke about this being" an island of misfit toys" there is no general manager in the NHL I respect more than Lou. The Devils will continue to frustrate all comers and be right in the hunt with the next 6 teams on my list.

#6 the Washington Capitals

Make no mistake about it, if the Capitals get the kind of goaltending that Braden Holtby can bring they are more than dangerous. All these teams will come down to goaltending and health. It is really that simple. Any team in this division can topple any team any night if they get solid goaltending. I believe Barry Trotz is looking at this team like a marathon and not a sprint. There are going to be adjustments this year and at the end of the day he will set this team up for several significant runs at the Stanley Cup. The only reason I put his team in the number six spot is because there may be some growing pains which lose them some points early on.

#5 the New York Islanders

The Islanders scare the living daylights out of me. Halak is the perfect goalie for this bunch and their recent additions to their defense helped to solidify them as an offensive powerhouse. The Islanders still have issues in their own end but when it comes to scoring goals they could be in the top five NHL teams

#4 The New York Rangers

With King Henry this team is always crazy scary and only needs to score a few goals per game to make the playoffs a reality This is a team that lost a few key pieces off of the Rangers team that found themselves surprisingly in the Cup Finals. It took a ton of heart to get the playoffs, and even more heard to win three rounds. If they are to repeat their success there're going to have to find some new heroes and some of the young players on this team Will have to take a big step forward. I am not at all discounting with the Rangers did last year, I just think they may have done it a few years early. The young core of this team is incredibly exciting and Will keep the Rangers in the playoff hunt for years to come…and the thing with the Rangers is if they make the playoffs they can win any playoff series.

#3 The Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are simply too talented to fall out of the playoff picture. And focus on this season has to be their ability to be consistent and forming a team system that can carry them through the postseason. This team is very different than any Pens team we’ve over the last decade. The team needs to be able to compete in all situations, And that is what I believe the front office is striving for. There maybe a little bit of a letdown when it comes to the regular season, But I am very sure the Penguins will be A better playoff team and they have been in the past few years.

#2 the Philadelphia Flyers

If you take away the first month of last year the flyers are a top three team in the NHL. After the horrible start they had the team really picked up the pace and battled the Rangers very hard in a first round series that saw the Rangers only one goal better. The Flyers need Steve Mason and Claude Giroux to continue their pace from last year and if they do the added depth Hextall has added should make this team better than it's been for several seasons. That is of course if they stay healthy. The Flyers defense will struggle, but offensively we should see more depth and scoring from more lines.

#1 the Columbus Blue Jackets

Yes I am buying into all the hype. It's not from how they played in the playoffs, but rather how are they were to play in the regular season last year. This team surrounds their opponents and stifles other teams offenses schemes. They are the epitome of treating every battle for the puck like it's the last battle in the world. Last year they were the youngest team in the NHL, And they came very close to knocking off the Penguins. I do have some concern that they can maintain that “genie in bottle” type attitude. I think they can because the focuses is unquestionably there. And I can see the blue jackets for the first time getting off to a really good start in the NHL. And if that happens they will be hard to catch,
On Today's Buzzcast I am joined by Kevin, Mike and I are joined by Pete Weber, from Nashville, to discuss the Central Division