The Metropolitan Division had a chance to be one of the most fearsome divisions in hockey at the outset of this season, with every team (bar the Flyers, funnily enough), tipped to compete for a playoff spot before the season started.
That has not been the reality, however; the Devils, Penguins, Capitals, and Blue Jackets have all underachieved, the main reason why the Flyers have been able to sneak into the third division spot, while the Rangers and Hurricanes still look like the class of the division in the top two spots.
So there was a lot of work to be done around the division, a lot of teams trying to salvage something from a season gone wrong, and some teams at the top who are trying to load up for a run at the Stanley Cup.