Of the NHL's four divisions, the Metropolitan is tracking to be the tightest this season, with as many as seven of the eight teams being in the playoff conversation.

As a result, any attempt to rank these clubs should come with the caveat that while there may be some separation between the top five and the bottom three, the tight point margins could be slim enough to change a team's ranking by a spot or two either way.

All of that is to underscore that this will be a very competitive division, and here's our best guess as to how it will all play out.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Winners of the past two Stanley Cup championships, the Penguins lost a couple of key players (Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen), and are therefore looking to fill big holes at center.

Still, a roster that boasts Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Kris Letang and Matt Murray remains formidable, and emerging young guns up front will help keep this team rolling for the foreseeable future.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Few take this team seriously, and perhaps that's warranted considering the Blue Jackets have only won three playoff games in their 17-year existence, while their success last season was largely buoyed by a 16-game win streak.

On paper, though, this roster is deep and talented at all skater positions, and Sergei Bobrovsky proved he's still elite with a Vezina campaign in 2016-17. The addition of Artemi Panarin gives Columbus a much-needed gamebreaker, and these Jackets will look to sting early and often.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals were forced to make some salary cap sacrifices following another disappointing early playoff exit, and while the Cup window may have closed without a win, the roster remains in good shape for the time being.

Alex Ovechkin is still at the helm of a powerful offense and Braden Holtby is as solid as they come, meaning regular-season success is still in the cards.

Carolina Hurricanes

This southern squad was the belle of the offseason ball, adding Scott Darling in net and bringing back Justin Williams to help out an emerging group of talented young forwards.

General manager Ron Francis has also assembled one of the NHL's best rosters of defensemen, and the Hurricanes are primed to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

New York Rangers

The Rangers are quietly trending towards a younger and faster roster, and that certainly bodes well in today's NHL. The addition of Kevin Shattenkirk on defense and the ever-steady presence of Henrik Lundqvist in net will help this team's chances.

The latter, however, isn't playing as much as he used to, and if the Rangers have to rely on Ondrej Pavelec for any length of time, all bets are off.

Philadelphia Flyers

This team is somewhat in limbo, having amassed a wealth of young talent - particularly on defense, although Andrew MacDonald is their highest-paid defenseman - but they also feature an aging core, and are facing the same old question marks in net.

Brian Elliott was supposed to be the answer in Calgary last season but faltered, and he's now expected to replace an underappreciated Steve Mason, who jetted off to Winnipeg.

They'll be a playoff bubble team, but the Flyers may be a year or two away from taking a big step forward with Nolan Patrick starring up front.

New York Islanders

Will he stay or will he go? Until John Tavares decides one way or the other, his contract situation will hang heavy over the Islanders.

There's impressive young talent up front waiting to take off, but the loss of Travis Hamonic, coupled with questions in goal, will keep this team from competing with the heavier hitters in this division.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils made impressive strides in the building process over the summer, adding Nico Hischier as the first pick at the draft and signing free agent standout defenseman Will Butcher.

Any team would want Cory Schneider and Taylor Hall on its side, but the pieces here just don't fit quite yet, meaning another lottery pick is in this team's future.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Maybe Connor McDavid shouldn't be a slam dunk for the first overall pick in your fantasy draft.

Before you make the easy selection and take the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, consider the value Brad Marchand can offer in fantasy.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Boston Bruins forward has truly emerged as an offensive talent, showing he can be more than just a pest.

Marchand has hit career highs in goals and points in the last two seasons. In 2016, he bested his 2012 numbers (28 goals and 55 points), tallying 37 goals and 61 points. He did even better last season, finishing tied for fourth in the league in goals with 39 and tied for fifth with 85 points.

Of his 39 goals, eight were game-winners, tying him for fifth among all skaters, and another three were scored shorthanded, which also placed him fifth league-wide (and just two shy of Viktor Arvidsson's league-high five).

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

He's also making significant contributions on the man advantage. Last season Marchand tallied 16 more power-play points (24) than the season prior, which had previously been his career high. This is largely thanks to the Bruins' power play, which ranked seventh in the league in 2016-17 with a 21.7 percent success rate.

Meanwhile, at five-on-five, Marchand had the second-most shot attempts for Boston, while his linemate Patrice Bergeron ranked No. 1. In all, he threw 226 shots at the opposition, ranking 31st among all forwards.

And discovering his scoring touch hasn't made Marchand any less salty on the ice. He still led the Bruins in penalty minutes with 81, which also ranked 24th among all forwards. To put that into perspective, only two other forwards who ranked in the top 50 in scoring had more penalty minutes than Marchand: Nazem Kadri and Ryan Kesler.

As crazy as it might sound, his overall strengths suggest that plucking Marchand first in your fantasy league - if you're lucky enough to have that selection - might be a smart move.

He ranks in the top five in almost every offensive category in the league. On top of that, he chips in on special teams, he racks up penalty minutes, and while he doesn't sit among league leaders, he'll also hit and block shots on occasion.

In most fantasy leagues, he'll get you points in nearly every category, something you can't necessarily say about usual first overall selections such as McDavid and Sidney Crosby.

Taking Marchand at No. 1 might be risky, but the payoff could be worth it.

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Do the crime, do the time.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin has been held out of the team's preseason action after violating an in-house rule, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

While Smith did not indicate the nature of Dotchin's rule-breaking, he added that the decision will not have an impact on the blue-liner's roster spot.

Dotchin made his NHL debut with the Lightning last season, registering 11 points in 35 games. The 23-year-old is expected to fill a role among Tampa Bay's top six defensemen this year.

The Lightning have played four exhibition contests thus far, posting a 2-2-0 record.

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Revisionist history is apparently real.

Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice 'Rocket' Richard has been credited with one more assist, nearly 72 years after he scored the point.

The correction comes after the NHL's official ledger realized its omission upon reviewing the scoresheet from a Nov. 4, 1945 contest between the Canadiens and Boston Bruins. In the game, Richard picked up an assist on a goal by Toe Blake, for which he's now receiving credit.

The added assist boosts Richard's career total to 966 points. He sits 93rd in all-time NHL scoring, now (an adjusted) six points behind the recently retired Shane Doan. The closest active player is Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg, who sits 107th with 904 career points.

Richard, whose name is honored in the award bestowed on the NHL's top goal scorer, spent 18 seasons with the Canadiens through the 1940s and 1950s, winning eight Stanley Cups, and the Hart Trophy in 1947.

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Legendary hockey commentator Don Cherry has offered up some free advice to injured Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul.

"Joffrey shake your head," Cherry posted online Saturday. "(General manager) Lou (Lamoriello) is so straight laced as they say … Do you really think that he went to the doctor and said don't pass Lupul? … There's no way this happened."

Cherry's comments come after Lupul took to Instagram to call out the Maple Leafs for a failed training camp physical, alleging the club did not issue a passing grade to potentially hide his contract from the salary cap.

Lupul later removed the post from social media and issued an apology.

According to Cherry, Lupul has no reason to complain.

"Joffrey you're getting 5 million for doing nothing," Cherry continued. "Lay on the California beach. Collect the dough. Lou might bend a few rules but he would never cheat. Word of advice, don't piss him off. Keep your mouth shut."

While Lupul has not filed a grievance against the Maple Leafs, reports indicate that an independent doctor will perform a second medical exam to verify his health status.

Lupul, 34, missed all of last season after he was placed on the long-term injured reserve last September. He hasn't suited up since February 2016.

Lupul has one year remaining on his contract that carries a $5.25 million cap hit, but just $3.75 million in remaining salary, according to CapFriendly.

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has avoided serious injury.

The club's most valuable player was forced to leave Saturday's preseason contest against the San Jose Sharks after appearing to suffer a knee injury, but upon being re-evaluated, general manager John Chayka revealed that Ekman-Larsson avoided structural damage and is considered day to day, according to NHL.com's Craig Morgan.

"It is good news," said Chayka. "It's a big relief."

Ekman-Larsson is once again poised to be the cornerstone of the Coyotes' defense corps, which - thanks to the acquisitions of Jason Demers and Niklas Hjalmarsson - should be a tougher unit to counter this season.

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Who says preseason games are meaningless?

Sure, results might not be the top priority, but for many players - especially those getting their first NHL tastes - preseason hockey allows players the opportunity to make an impression on coaches and management.

This exhibition season has been no different. Roughly two weeks into training camp, several rookies are putting up strong numbers and have made it hard not to take notice and consider a roster spot.

Here are five rookies who have turned heads this preseason:

Brock Boeser - Canucks

The last two seasons haven't been fun for the Vancouver Canucks. However, if there's one bright spot in the organization it might very well be Brock Boeser.

The former University of North Dakota star signed with the Canucks last season, and after a small nine-game stint at the end of the year - when he scored four goals - he's giving some hope to Canucks fans.

Through three preseason games, Boeser paces the NHL with four goals and six points. The Canucks had the second-worst offense last season, so Boeser looks to be just what the doctor ordered.

Clayton Keller - Coyotes

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Keller has long been on the NHL radar, and a spot on the Arizona Coyotes' roster this season was assumed, but nevertheless the 19-year-old has had an extremely productive preseason.

In two games, Keller has two goals and three assists - tying him for second in preseason scoring - highlighted by a two-goal, one-assist outing in a 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks earlier in the week.

Keep your eyes on Keller, as it looks like he could be in the running for the Calder Trophy this season.

Kailer Yamamoto - Oilers

It might be early, but it looks like the Edmonton Oilers may have snagged a steal in this year's draft.

Yamamoto - plucked with the 22nd overall pick - is quietly making a solid impression in his first taste playing against men. In three preseason contests, Yamamoto shares the league-lead in goals (four) with Boeser, and also has an assist.

He might still be a stretch to crack the Oilers' roster at just 18 years old, but he's certainly put the club on notice.

Logan Brown - Senators

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Other than defenseman Thomas Chabot and arguably Colin White, the Ottawa Senators' prospect with the biggest upside is 2016 first-round pick Brown, and this preseason he's proving why.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder has the body to be a menacing power forward and he looks to have the hands to be effective in tight. Thanks to a two-goal, one-assist performance Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, Brown has a respectable three goals and four points in two games.

Derick Brassard is out with a shoulder injury, and while his return appears to be imminent, Brown is proving he can challenge for a center spot.

Tomas Hyka - Golden Knights

Tyler Wong might have gotten most of the spotlight after scoring three goals and an assist in the Golden Knights first preseason contest, but Hyka has been equally impressive.

In two games, Hyka has three goals and four points, with two multi-point contests.

He was one of the Golden Knights' first free-agent signings in June after coming over from the Czech Republic, and unlike many rookies, has age on his side at 24 years old.

Hyka has the hands and offensive awareness to jump to the NHL, and with more experience playing against older competition, he should have an edge on many other first-year players.

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