How the Devils Stack Up Against Every Metro Team

The Metropolitan Division isn't what it once was. How do the New Jersey Devils compare to the 7 other teams?

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The Metropolitan Division is not what it used to be. The Pittsburgh Penguins are beginning a rebuild, while other contenders have fallen off, making it arguably the weakest in the NHL heading into the 2025-26 season.

For the New Jersey Devils, there’s an opportunity to assert themselves as one of the Metro’s top teams. How do they stack up against the seven other teams? Let’s take a look.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers, who finished last in the Metro with 76 points, addressed offensive weaknesses by adding Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak, aiming to boost their center depth and scoring options.

The Devils are strongest down the middle, boasting two top-line centers in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes — a clear advantage over the Flyers, who lack a proven first-line center. While Zegras has potential, he is not yet established at that level.

The Devils bolstered their forward depth with additions like Evgenii Dadonov, Connor Brown, and Arseny Gritsyuk, giving them a more balanced attack compared to the Flyers. The Flyers have skilled wingers in Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, and Owen Tippett, but the Devils match this with proven scorers in Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier.

On defense, the Devils should have the edge, too. Luke Hughes will sign eventually, but Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce are a step up above Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen or whoever the Flyers decide to ice in their top four.

Even though the Flyers signed Dan Vladar in free agency, the Devils may have the biggest advantage in net. Jacob Markström and Jake Allen should be significantly better than Vladar and Sam Ersson, the latter of whom was one of the worst goalies in the NHL last season.

Stranger things have happened, but the Devils and Flyers should be miles apart in the Metro standings once the season concludes.

Better team: Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins

These are unusual times in Pittsburgh, as it has been nearly two decades since the organization underwent a full rebuild. But that’s the path that general manager Kyle Dubas has taken, even with Sidney Crosby still on the roster.

Crosby’s continued excellence will likely prevent the Penguins from completely bottoming out. But make no mistake, this roster is a shell of what it used to be.

There are still some decent complementary pieces around Crosby in Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Evgeni Malkin. But a couple, if not all of them, could be gone by the trade deadline or even sooner. Young prospects like Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen have bright futures, but it’s unlikely they elevate the Penguins into a legit playoff contender any time soon.

While the Penguins’ forward group could be worse, it’s their blue line where the Devils should have a significant advantage. Kris Letang is not what he was in his prime, but the whole group looks pretty weak:

• Ryan Shea - Erik Karlsson

• Letang - Connor Clifton

• Owen Pickering - Matt Dumba

• Ryan Graves