Another year is about to start in the NHL, and the Carolina Hurricanes are a Stanley Cup contender. The Canes didn't have the most exciting offseason. Similar to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canes re-signed some necessary depth players and players key to the organization. Some of those depth players include Dmitry Orlov and Caleb Jones on defense. General Manager Don Waddell has always done well to make sure the Canes are a competitive defensive team. He also made a splash, landing Michael Bunting from the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent. Bunting is coming off a slight down year in points but did tie his career-high in goals with 23. This roster may not be the flashiest in the league, but this team is always competitive and plays a blue-collar game. Do the Hurricanes finally break through and return to the Cup Finals for the first time since 2006? Now the Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off a massive down year where they found themselves with the third overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. They don't have very high expectations, but Adam Fantilli, who was taken with the third overall pick, is bringing a lot of excitement back to the Blue Jackets fanbase. Adding him to the mix with Johnny Gaudreau and Patrick Laine will definitely add excitement and creativity to this offense. The Jackets also revamped their defense from last season, bringing in Ivan Provorov from the Flyers and Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils. Also working in the Jackets' favor is hopefully getting Jake Bean back for the season opener. The Jackets are a team that some people will have their eyes on as an improving team with the moves this offseason. Can the Blue Jackets finish the season with more than 30 wins? The Metro Division will be one of the most intriguing divisions to watch all season long. With teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils leading the chase for the division title, you can't rule out teams like the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins to make a push for the playoffs as well. Now many people will rule the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets out of the race before the season starts, but should things go right, they could be dark horse teams that could compete for the second Wild Card spot. The Metro Division has been and will continue to be one of the toughest divisions in the NHL.