NHL Storylines to watch for the 2023-24 season: Metropolitan Division

This week and next at EP Rinkside, let’s take a look division-by-division at some of the league-wide storylines that’ll be worth watching this season. 

Yesterday we looked at the Atlantic, today the Metropolitan Division. 

Note: Teams are listed in order of divisional standings from last season.

Carolina Hurricanes – I’ve been known to overly focus on goaltending stories, but the trio in net for Carolina is fascinating. 

Despite Pyotr Kochetkov being the goalie of the future, and nearly the goalie of the present, Carolina re-signed both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. This could be partially related to Carolina not having an AHL affiliate this season – something sources suggested hinted to EP Rinkside – while it’s also a sign of the goaltending times. 

Teams in today’s NHL typically need to