One scenario i can see playing out is 2 precip maxes, one along the blue ridge NE into central maryland as the low gets going... and the other that starts E of DC into NYC once the coastal strengthens and 850 low closes off.
Maybe the canadian models are latching onto the first precip max and extending it NE while leaving the S & E warmer and wetter, and the colder weaker more S/E solutions are conversely under-doing the NW precip max.
As much flak the GFS gets these days, it did pretty well in the short range <48 hr in the last storm IIRC. So now maybe we are starting to get those mesoscale details into better focus where the secondary NW max gets 3-6/4-8+ of powder while the other qpf band along DC-Balt-Philly-NYC gets 3-5" of wet snow.
As Chill would say, just spitballing.