Each Metro Division team's chances of winning a Cup in the next 3 years

The NHL is famous for its parity come playoff time.

Over the last four years, we've seen a team win back-to-back championships, an expansion franchise make the final, and a pair of clubs win their first-ever titles. All bets are off in the spring, but some teams are still built for more success than others.

We looked at four key factors for all 32 organizations - including Seattle - and predicted each team's chances of winning a Stanley Cup during the next three seasons. In this edition, we focus on the Pacific Division.

Note: The 32 teams in the exercise were given combined Stanley Cup odds that total 300 percent - 100 percent per year.

Columbus Blue Jackets: 1.5 percent

What a difference a few months makes. If this exercise had taken place in April, you could argue the Blue Jackets would deserve four stars for "cornerstone players," and the team would certainly be given greater odds to win the Cup. But this offseason's mass exodus has left Columbus' cupboard mostly bare, save for the likes of Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, Zach Werenski, and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Those are all good building blocks, but it looks like it's going to be a while before the Jackets have a real chance again.

New York Islanders: 2 percent

The Islanders let their Vezina Trophy candidate, Robin Lehner, walk away in free agency after a season when he was the primary reason the club qualified for the playoffs. Whether Semyon Varlamov can fill Lehner's shoes over the next three years remains to be seen, which means New York could in tough to prove its 2018-19 playoff berth wasn't a one-off. Mat Barzal is the Islanders' lone true superstar right now, but strong showings at recent drafts (Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson) could ease his load in the near future. And with Barry Trotz behind the bench, the door is always open - at least a little bit.

New York Rangers: 4 percent

The Rangers underwent a rebuild at the speed of light, and are a team to watch out for over the next few seasons. But despite the star additions of Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Kaapo Kakko, the Blueshirts need to gain some experience and could very well end up being a true contender when the three-year window for this exercise closes. The biggest question for New York right now is whether 37-year-old Henrik Lundqivst can still carry the load, but the Rangers will be in good shape when the King's reign ends, as Alexandar Georgiev and highly touted prospect Igor Shestyorkin are next in line between the pipes.

New Jersey Devils: 6 percent

Similar to their Hudson River rivals, the Devils underwent a major overhaul for the better this offseason. Phenom Jack Hughes, defenseman P.K. Subban, and forward Nikita Gusev are now in the fold, giving New Jersey a much better chance of pushing for a playoff spot. Ray Shero also has a ton of cap space to play with, but the Devils' odds take a hit due to the uncertainty around Taylor Hall - who's set to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason - and question marks between the pipes.

Philadelphia Flyers: 8 percent

The Flyers have kept much of the same veteran core in place for years, but their future success is largely dependent on their youngest player. Carter Hart is expected to take over the reins in goal, and if the 20-year-old is all he's hyped up to be, Philly could realistically contend soon. Still, that's too much of a question mark to give the Flyers a higher percentage here. Meanwhile, the franchise has built a rock-solid prospect system along with Hart, and its lineup has a good infusion of young, contributing players. If it all goes right, Gritty's group could be a sneaky team in the stacked Metro over the next few years.

Carolina Hurricanes: 10 percent

Carolina got closer to glory than anyone could have predicted in 2018-19, and the Hurricanes project to remain dangerous in the Metro for years to come. Rod Brind'Amour turned out to be the perfect hire as head coach, and he has one of the league's youngest rosters at his disposal. Sebastian Aho is only 21, Andrei Svechnikov cracked 20 goals as an 18-year-old rookie, and all the core pieces on the Hurricanes' blue line are 27 or younger. Carolina will also have more than $23 million in cap space following the upcoming season, and the club has multiple highly regarded prospects still to come.

Pittsburgh Penguins: 16 percent

Bad contracts and a lack of impactful young players are real problems for this team, making the big picture in Pittsburgh a potentially messy one. Over the next three years, though, it's difficult to imagine the club doing anything but trying to squeeze every ounce of juice the Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin era has to offer while the duo remains capable of dominating. With those two in the middle of the ice, the Pens just need to find a way into the playoffs to have a realistic chance at claiming their fourth Cup since 2009.

Washington Capitals: 16 percent

The Capitals' core is aging, but they were a Game 7 overtime goal away from potentially going on another deep playoff run this past season and have won the Metro four years in a row. Alex Ovechkin will be 34 when next season begins and surely still has plenty more goals to score. On the other hand, Washington's cap situation is already precarious and its roster could undergo a major overhaul as soon as the summer of 2020 with franchise icons Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby potentially hitting free agency. One year later, it'll Ovi's turn for a new deal. The Caps are built to win again, but time is of the essence.