Success next season starts with decisions that general managers have to make now. Draft well or get an under-the-radar free agent signed to a reasonable contract, and reap the rewards for a decade or more.



Make the wrong move and you could be looking for a new job faster than an entry-level deal expires.



Here is a look at the questions facing every general manager in the Metropolitan Division and what options are available to them.



Projected salary-cap space was determined using capfriendly.com projected salary-cap expenditures against an estimated $83 million salary cap for next season.



Carolina Hurricanes



2018-19 Record: 46-29-7, fourth in division, qualified for playoffs for the first time since 2009



Projected Salary Cap: $30.3 million



Notable Free Agents: Justin Williams (UFA), Micheal Ferland (UFA), Saku Maenalanen (RFA), Sebastian Aho (RFA), Brock McGinn (RFA), Greg McKegg (UFA), Haydn Fleury (RFA), Curtis McElhinney...