Took you long enough, NHL.

We waited decades for the League to finally acknowledge the Pittsburgh/New York/Raleigh metropolitan area, a.k.a. NewRalBurgh.

Now, in the new Metropolitan Division, it appears our wishes have been granted.

The Metro also features the Washington Capitals, who will no longer have the luxury of the Southeast Division as their punched-ticket the postseason; and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who get their time zone problems fixed but who will have to face some brutal competition in the East.

The Atlantic Division, meanwhile, features such oceanfront towns as Detroit, Ottawa and Buffalo.

Which teams will master realignment and advance in the East? Glad you asked …

And here … we … go. Playoff teams are shaded in blue for each division.

And the Atlantic ...

Greg Wyshynski, Editor

Remember how pissed off you were back in the day when one division’s No. 4 seed who made the playoffs was inferior to your division’s No. 5 seed who missed the playoffs?

Be pissed off no more! The Metrosexual Division sends three playoff teams and both wild cards, as the Blue Jackets make the dance for the second time in franchise history. The Devils once again have everyone counting them out, despite being a veteran team with potentially stellar goaltending. The Islanders take a step back before their inevitable leap forward in the years to come.

Over in the Atlantic, Boston, Detroit and Ottawa far outclass the other contenders, and will snag the top three spots.

Sean Leahy, Editor

Kind of the usual suspects here forming the top eight in the East. The Islanders made big strides last season and if Evgeni Nabokov can solve his glove hand problem that was exposed in the postseason, they should be there at the end of the regular season.

The Penguins, Rangers and Bruins will all once again find their way in, and be joined by the Red Wings, who should have an easy time in their first season in the Atlantic Division.

One team to watch is the Senators. Sure, they lost Captain Alfie, but they gained a Bobby Ryan who, after years of trade rumors, finally got out of Anaheim and will play well enough to hopefully get noticed by ESPN next year.

Harrison Mooney, Editor

Watch me eat these words, but the Atlantic Division strikes me as the most predictable of the new divisions. Of the eight clubs, four are playoff teams, and four are not. It's that simple. Boston is the class of the Atlantic, but those other three aren't far behind. The other four? They definitely are. Tim Thomas will steal some games in Florida but not nearly enough, Buffalo and Tampa Bay are messes, and Toronto simply didn't get better this offseason.

The Metropolitan Division was harder to pick, and not just because I had to pause and take deep breaths in order to keep my brain from exploding upon considering this division's ridiculous name. There are five playoff-worthy teams here, in my opinion, and I don't think five are going to get in. Pittsburgh and Washington will, and I think the New York teams will as well, which narrowly squeezes out the magic of #Lumbus. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Rangers fall just outside of the playoff bubble, however. I have my suspicions that John Tortorella got more out of that team than Alain Vigneault may be able to.

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