Years of smart decisions turned the NHL’s Metropolitan Division into a monster

Hello. Please look at the NHL standings. No, not that one. Yes, the Wild Card standings. I know this can get confusing nowadays. Especially if you’re using NHL.com. But let’s not get into that.

Let’s get into this:

Yes, that’s six of the eight available playoff spots in the Eastern Conference taken up by Metropolitan Division teams. Not pictured are the New Jersey Devils, who are just seven points back. The Hurricanes are nine points back. The Islanders are 10 points back, and climbing.

You can thank the Flyers’ nine-game win streak and an out-of-nowhere season by Columbus for some of this situation. But it’s a little surprising, no?

Uh, yes. Yes, it is.

But it isn’t. Not if you paid attention to the things these teams have done over the last four years. We’re talking about careful franchise building with a lot of great little decisions and a couple of awesome bold moves and some luck thrown in for good measure. You know, the kind of things all general managers dream of.

So, how did we get here? And how did all of the Metropolitan Division GMs make their dreams come true at the same time?

Circumstance, mediocrity, and luck placed most of the Metro’s young contenders in positions to draft franchise-changing players. But that doesn’t guarantee success. Many teams have won that right only to draft players that never pan out. (See: the Stars with Jack Campbell in 2010 and the Oilers with Nail Yakupov in 2012.)

But Carolina, Philadelphia, Columbus, and New Jersey have made the most of their chances at the top of the draft in the last few years. They’ve either taken elite players like Jeff Skinner, Sean Couturier, and Ryan Murray or (in the Devils’ case) used those picks to trade for a franchise goalie in Cory Schneider.

And each Metro team has gotten full value deeper in recent drafts. Brett Pesce (CAR) and Pavel Buchnevich (NYR) are both strong contributors this year after dropping to the third round in 2013. From the 2014 draft, Pittsburgh turned Kasperi Kapanen (22nd overall) over to Toronto for Phil Kessel.

But the 2015 draft is making the biggest impact already. With four straight picks in the first round, the Metro got 10 times stronger:

Between Slavin and Pesce, Carolina already had drafted two impact defensemen. Hanifin will solidify that blue line for years.

The Metro continued stocking itself with talent in Mathew Barzal (16th overall, NYI), Travis Konecny, (24th, PHI), Anthony Beauvillier (28th, NYI), Sebastian Aho (35th, CAR), Daniel Sprong (46th, PIT), and Aleksi Saarela (89th, NYR). Konecny, Beauvillier, and Aho have all played significant minutes for their teams as rookies this year.

Four years of terrific draft day decisions explain the foundation of the successful Metro teams this year. But two other factors come into play as well.

If you draft well, you put yourself in a position of strength in trade negotiations.

Sometimes this gave Metro teams the ability to pay ransoms for elite players. Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Phil Kessel before last season comes to mind. So does New Jersey’s bold move to trade Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall in July or their idea to trade the 10th overall pick in 2014 for Cory Schneider. Imagining the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup without Kessel or the Devils contending for the playoffs without Schneider is impossible.

But those are easy decisions to make. Taking fliers on players with lower value has also paid off well for the Metro teams willing to take the risks. Sensing an opportunity, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford traded for defenseman Justin Schultz at the deadline last year. Freed from the burdens of top-line duty, Schultz has thrived as a role-player in Pittsburgh’s system and made the Penguins’ defensive depth that much more nuanced.

Teams like the Capitals, Rangers, and Flyers have followed suit over the last few seasons, filling needs with players that seemed like odd fits at the time. Steve Mason is now a legit No. 1 goalie for Philly after Columbus jettisoned him in 2012. New York picked Antti Raanta off the goalie scrap heap in 2015 and he’s threatening Henrik Lundqvist’s job security. Washington gave big money to T.J. Oshie and Matt Niskanen, and both turned in career seasons in 2015-16.

And, given more time, other moves like Carolina’s trade for Teuvo Teravainen or the Rangers trade for Mika Zibanejad could make just as big a difference. You build through the draft. You strengthen with transactions. Both require smart decisions.

And then you hope it all comes together at the right time.

The NHL isn’t like the NFL. Youth isn’t supposed to meet potential as soon as they sign their first contracts. Or, at least, it wasn’t supposed to. Connor McDavid is changing that perception.

But, generally, if you draft an 18-year-old you shouldn’t expect them to really contribute for at least three years. If it’s a goalie, you might be waiting at least five. Development is a long game. The teams that stay patient through it usually benefit. And other teams tend to benefit when other teams run out of patience.

The Metropolitan Division has benefited from both, which is why it’s at a point of strength right now. The Capitals drafted Braden Holtby in 2008, and he finally reached elite levels and a Vezina Trophy last season. Jeff Skinner won the Calder Trophy in 2011 but struggled through injury-plagued seasons. Now, he’s a leader and a top scorer for Carolina with 22 points in 27 games.

And while 2014 top picks played and thrived in the NHL for years, Columbus waited on Alexander Wennberg to flourish. With 22 points, Wennberg is one of the Blue Jackets’ best playmakers this year.

Meanwhile, discarded former prospects from around the league have all hit their potential at the same time for their new Metro teams, usually acquired through trades. Jakub Voracek. Nick Foligno. Ryan McDonagh. Steve Mason. Nick Leddy.

Not all of them are equally worthy of praise for their team’s success this season. But their presence is another sign of the spoils of strength gathered by Metropolitan teams over the years.

I don’t know if the Blue Jackets, Flyers, or Hurricanes will keep this up. A fall back to earth seems likely. (Right? I mean ... the Blue Jackets can’t keep doing this. Right?) But at least part of the division’s strength at this moment isn’t an illusion. It’s the product of well-executed opportunism that will be felt for years.