The Metropolitan Division featured both the Presidents' Trophy and Stanley Cup winners last season, and the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins appear set to be serious contenders once again in 2016-17.
The New York Rangers have ranked among the top teams in the division for the past several seasons, but they appear stuck somewhere between the past and the future.
While a few other clubs - Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Carolina come to mind - are on the rise, one team in particular jumps out as able to join Washington and Pittsburgh in the top three.
Let's rank them, shall we?
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington may have had a 16-point advantage over Pittsburgh in the division standings last season, but the Penguins get the edge here based on eliminating the Capitals en route to an eventual Cup win.
The emergence of Matt Murray over the course of the postseason gives head coach Mike Sullivan two bona fide starting goalies, with Marc-Andre Fleury eager and motivated to show he's still a core member of the team.
The Penguins will also continue to roll out four lines capable of giving the opposition fits shift in and shift out, and a defensive corps capable of pushing the puck out of the zone after locking things down in front of whoever's in net.
Yeah, this team's got it going on.
2. Washington Capitals
Still, the Capitals posted far and away the best record in the division, and finished the season 11 points ahead of the team with the second-best record league-wide, that being the Dallas Stars.
Washington will ice basically the same team that ranked second in both goals for and against, a testament to an overall proficiency at both ends of the ice.
Management chose not to tinker after another failed bid at a long playoff run, save for the additions of Lars Eller and Brett Connolly. It's safe to say, then, that general manager Brian MacLellan believes in his core group built around Richard Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin, star centre Nicklas Backstrom and Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby, and the Capitals will be swinging for the fences in hopes of coming out on top when it matters most.
3. New York Islanders
Despite the losses of Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo in free agency, the New York Islanders are still primed to be one of the top three teams in the division, thanks in part to the decline of the rival Rangers.
John Tavares is a perennial MVP candidate and, at 26, entering the prime years of his career. And while the addition of Andrew Ladd will help buffer Okposo's departure, the forward ranks will be bolstered from within by the likes of Ryan Strome and Anders Lee.
The Islanders also boast a deep defensive unit, and Jaroslav Halak's play for Europe at the World Cup inspired confidence in his big-game ability.
If youngsters like Matthew Barzal and Ryan Pulock can make positive contributions, the Islanders could surprise those who thought they'd be weakened by key losses.
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