The Metropolitan Division is … not very good. Pittsburgh is still its best team, and despite a regime change and general upheaval over the summer, that shouldn’t change. Pittsburgh’s biggest problem throughout the season was a lack of depth — basically anyone who wasn’t playing with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin was a mess — that’s been, at least in theory, remedied.

Beyond them, though, is a whole bunch of uncertainty. The Rangers and Flyers finished second and third last season; New York is using unproven youth to replace a formally deep group of forwards (and lost second-best defenseman Anton Stralman), and Philly relies heavily on the bad-for-several-years-before-last Steve Mason. So there are spots to be won — and the Islanders and Devils are in a position to do it.

We’ve been over this before; the Islanders went from the worst goaltending in the league to the welcomely average Jaroslav Halak, added forward depth and, last weekend, brought in a much-needed pair of regular defensemen in Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk. The Devils, meanwhile, will do better simply by starting Cory Schneider for 65 games, not going 0-13 in the shootout and augmenting strong possession numbers a few more goals courtesy of Mike Cammalleri.

In other words, look out.

Tyler Seguin’s first season in Dallas went about as well as could be expected; he was fourth in the league with 84 points, albeit 20 behind Sidney Crosby. Expect that number to keep ticking upward; he might not be ready to take the Art Ross from Crosby, but there’s reason to expect him to close the gap a bit.

First, look at his linemates; Jamie Benn is as good a partner as he could have. Seguin’s numbers actually dipped considerably away from Benn; in 180 5-on-5 on minutes without him, Seguin’s goals-for per 20 minutes went from 1.32 to 0.33, and his shot-attempt share declined from 53.0 percent to 47.8. They’re made for each other.

On the right wing, Valeri Nichushkin had 34 points as an 18-year-old. He’s going to be better — which means more assists for Seguin.

Finally, the Stars’ power play could be terrifying; in training camp, they worked with Seguin, Benn, Alex Goligoski and additions Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. That could take Seguin’s power-play points from 25 to a more Crosby-ian/Giroux-ish 38 and 37.

The 2013-14 Calder winner added about 15 pounds, getting him to about 208 pounds, while trimming his body fat. He’s still got that generational speed, for the record. This is a very hot take: He’s going to be a true blast to watch this season.

MacKinnon was historically good last season; we’ve been over that. He had 40 5-on-5 points despite a fairly low shot-attempt share. If he’s centered by Matt Duchene for a full season — and the two should start together — the Avs might be able to staunch some of that regression talk. They didn’t take enough shots last season and relied too much on Semyon Varlamov, so buyers should still beware.

Buyers should also account for young players improving, and that’s what we probably have here — and not just with MacKinnon. Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly, Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Tyson Barrie should all be better than they were last season. That’s not enough to guarantee against a regression — duplicating 112 points is unlikely for most teams — but it could easily be good enough to get them back to the postseason

Adam Gretz explained it well:

Talent like that doesn’t come along in one place very often. And when it does, and when it’s combined with the type of goaltending that Colorado could get out of Varlamov (even if it’s not quite as good as last season), it can mask an awful lot of flaws.

There’s a good chance the Maple Leafs finish farther out of the playoff picture than they did last season.

In spite of itself, the way they’d played the last few seasons under Randy Carlyle — as in, “a joyous over-reliance on goaltending and actively arguing against the benefits of shooting the puck” — didn’t stop them from contending until relatively late in the game. A lot of those same problems remain; Phil Kessel, historically good as he is, is still without a center, and Carlyle’s negative effect on teams is undeniable.

Still, there’s reason for optimism. The team’s new analytics department, led by assistant GM Kyle Dubas, is going to make a difference in the long-term, largely because it’s backed by president Brendan Shanahan. That might not bear itself out this season, but the overall organizational shift should make Leafs fans feel better. They’re committed to icing four competitive lines, for example, and seem ready to unshackle a Morgan Rielly-Jake Gardiner pairing.

Does that make them a contender? No. But they they’ve made tangible efforts to right an obvious flaw in their logic, and the long-term results are going to be good. Next up: that first-line center. Maybe they can trade David Clarkson for one.

This may sound insane — and it’s probably not what Buffalo fans want to hear, given that Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel exist — but the Sabres’ lead in the race to the basement might not be as large as you’d think.

If nothing else, it’s unlikely that they’ll be a 52-point team again, which was 14 behind everyone else. They’ll take a hit from replacing Ryan Miller with Michal Neuvirth, but the rest of the team is a little better. Brian Gionta and Andrej Meszaros are positive additions, and Matt Moulson is, somehow, back.

Factor in some young players who could improve — Cody Hodgson, Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Ristolainen, specifically — and you’ve got a team that can at least feel OK about throwing in the towel on the season. Finishing in position to take McKenna and Eichel is still likely, but it almost can’t be as ugly as last year. They shot 5.84 percent. That’s less than six percent!

The problem is that the other terrible teams have generally gotten better, too; the Panthers fixed their goaltending, which was their biggest problem. Calgary, three rostered enforcers aside, doesn’t seem worse. The Oilers may finally get it. A sneaky contender for the bottom: the Carolina Hurricanes, who are going to miss Jordan Staal for a large chunk of the season and can’t rely on Jeff Skinner to stay healthy. That’s a thin roster.

The Sharks, in terms of perception, did not have a good offseason. They were a game away from eliminating the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the first round, to which they responded by adding a bunch of fungible “grit” guys who don’t have any demonstrable positive effect on actual hockey games.

Then, they stripped Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau of their C and A, respectively, and omitted them from promotional materials. That was accompanied by some ridiculous speculation that Thornton, who remains an elite set-up man, would start the season on the fourth line.

All that clouds the fact that this remains a very good team; assuming they don’t nuke themselves by burying Thornton or trade him for dimes on the dollar (and that shouldn’t be discounted), they’re essentially the same team that controlled possession and outscored opponents at an elite level last season.

So long as their core is Thornton, Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, a full season of Tomas Hertl and a legitimate Norris candidate in Marc-Edouard Vlasic — and assuming none of them get benched for John Scott — the Sharks will contend. That doesn’t make their summer any less unsettling, but there’s still too much to line.

When you affix “award contender” to a guy who had a stroke last season, you’re working out of a deficit, but there’s an explanation.

First, insane as it sounds, get past the word “stroke. There’s no real reason to think that Letang’s medical outlook is all that negative. He played last season afterward, after all.

Letang still has all the talent in the world; he was a legitimate Norris finalist the season before last, and his counting numbers — which still count for a lot on ballots — should actually improve. Ex-coach Dan Bylsma’s system actually didn’t make the best use of Letang’s all-world skating ability. He’ll have the chance to join the rush more under Mike Johnston.

And, maybe most importantly, he’s playing with Christian Ehrhoff, who seems like the right guy to cover for Letang’s gambles. Rob Scuderi was brought in to fill that role last season, and it didn’t come close to working out.

So, a ton of talent, a system that could well lead to a scoring uptick and a supportive partner? That’s a recipe for a whole lot of votes.

Tampa Bay was 11th in 5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage (51.0) and goals-for (151) despite only getting 37 games from Steven Stamkos. Specifically, they were an elite Eastern Conference team. And, despite some probably regression for .924 goalie Ben Bishop, they’re probably better this season.

Stamkos is back, and presumably full strength. Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson were Calder finalists and are a year older. Jonathan Drouin, human highlight reel and ex-super prospect, is Stamkos’ running mate. And, most importantly, the defense is better.

Victor Hedman made the leap last season, at just 23 years old. He’s a legitimate top d-man. Anton Stralman was, truly, the Ranger’s second-best defenseman last season and could well be perfect with Hedman; he deserved to play with Ryan McDonagh last season and didn’t really get the chance. Jason Garrison, assuming his groin holds up, is unlikely to shoot 3.9 percent again and should work as a power-play point man and second-pairing guy, if nothing else. Throw in holdovers Matt Carle and Radko Gudas, and you’ve got a strong top five. Eric Brewer will probably play on the third pairing, but Mark Barberio is a nice skilled option to have in the bag.

That’s a pretty loaded, weakness-free team, yeah?

Hart Trophy (MVP): Sidney Crosby, Penguins. If he plays like he did during the last regular season, voters, boring as it may be, won’t have a choice. And really, he should; Pittsburgh’s improved depth will help, and Mike Johnston’s system seems tailor-made for Crosby.

Norris Trophy (top defenseman): Drew Doughty, Kings. “Tournament Drew Doughty” is one of the most highly-regarded hockey players on earth, largely because his counting stats don’t log behind his hockey-card stats. Corey Masisak outlined this well at NHL.com.With more voters, rightfully, focusing more on non-goals and assists for the Norris, and the carry-over from another great postseason, and it seems like Doughty’s turn.

Vezina Trophy (top goalie): Carey Price, Canadiens. Goalie performance is tough to predict, save for the elite few, and Price has risen into those ranks over the last couple years. If you think a repeat performance from Semyon Varlamov is unlikely, and that there’s a voter-fatigue factor working against Henrik Lundqvist and Tuukka Rask, and it’s easy to see Price on the stage in Vegas come June.

Selke Trophy (top defensive forward): Anze Kopitar, Kings. Last season was a coin flip between him and Patrice Bergeron. Given the stranglehold that Bergeron seems to have on the unofficial title, that means something. Unless voters opt for Jonathan Toews (again), it should come down to Kopitar and Bergeron again. Let’s work in the new guy.

Jack Adams Trophy (top coach): Jack Capuano, Islanders. The award tends to go to the coach who presides over the biggest uptick in performance. We’ve been over why the Isles are a solid bet in that department, so Capuano has the edge.

Calder Trophy (top rooke): Jonathan Drouin, Lightning. It’s a boring pick, but the dude had another season of junior seasoning under his belt and is probably playing with Steven Stamkos. Sold.

Lady Byng Trophy (most gentlemanly): Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Sharks. Because someone has to speak out for the defensemen.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

METROPOLITAN

1. Pittsburgh

2. N.Y. Islanders

3. N.Y. Rangers

ATLANTIC

1. Boston

2. Tampa Bay

3. Montreal

WILD CARD

1. New Jersey

2. Ottawa

WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL

1. Chicago

2. St. Louis

3. Dallas

PACIFIC

1. Los Angeles

2. Anaheim

3. San Jose

WILD CARD

1. Vancouver

2. Nashville

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Kings over Lightning