The Central Division is the most unpredictable division in the NHL. The Central has two great teams with Stanley Cup or bust aspirations. The remaining six teams could finish almost anywhere in the standings. None of these teams stink. It’s what makes the Central so intriguing.
Dallas – The Stars are the Central’s best team for many reasons. Dallas has an abundance of high- end talent upfront. Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston are young, fast and skilled. So are the even younger Mason Marchment and Logan Stankoven. Veterans Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene still contribute. The defense is led by the excellent Miro Heiskanen and rising star Thomas Harley. Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin provide physicality on the blueline. Goaltender Jake Oettinger is excellent in the regular season but wears out in the playoffs.Â
Colorado- The Avalanche have a few of the brightest stars in the NHL. Center Nathan MacKinnon, winger Mikko Rantanen and defenseman Cale Makar are going to the Hall of Fame. Avs secondary scoring forward depth of Casey Mittlestadt, Jonathan Drouin, and Artturi Lehkonen is strong. Miles Wood and Ross Colton make a tough third line. What separates Colorado from Dallas is their lack of depth on defense and in net. Makar’s partner Devon Toews is a star in his own right. Josh Manson is a force on defense but after him they’re thin. Alexandar Georgiev is serviceable in net but won’t steal you a game or series in the spring. The Avs don’t concern themselves with the regular season and maybe Gabriel Landeskog and Val Nichushkin will back for the playoffs.
Nashville- The Predators acquired former Tampa Bay Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos. Stamkos and the also acquired former Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault vault Nashville over the remaining six Central teams. Teaming Stamkos and Marchessault with Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg gives the Predators two impressive scoring lines. Colton Sissons and Michael McCarren center the rugged and hardworking bottom two lines. The blueline is led by All – World Roman Josi. The additions of Brady Skjei and Jeremy Lauzon reinforce an always steady defense. Goaltender Juuse Saros is one of the best in the NHL. Saros’ new contract gives him stability. He will be stopping everything in Nashville for years to come.Â
Utah- This is the first time Utah has been in the NHL. It’s also the first time this franchise (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) has been pre-season ranked in the top half of standings. Clayton Keller is an underrated offensive leader on the top line with Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton. Superstar in waiting Logan Cooley ready to explode after a fine rookie campaign. Lawson Crouse is the power forward every team craves. The defense core needed an upgrade and was given a huge boost this summer by acquiring Mikhail Sergachev. They also added Ian Cole and John Marino. The versatile Sean Durzi will pair nicely with Sergachev. Utah has the best goalie combo in the division with Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka. Head Coach Andre Tourigny got the best out of this team when they were a bankrupt in the desert. He and the team will flourish in their new city.
St. Louis- The Blues are a decent hockey team. Young stars Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou always fall just short of expectations . Veterans Brandon Saad, Pavel Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn ensure St. Louis will never fall to far out of playoff contention. The Blues defense after Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk have have many question marks. As does the goaltender, the mercurial Jordan Binnington.
Winnipeg- The Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is only mercurial in the playoffs. The Vezina winner had a rough playoff then threw his team under the bus. Great regular seasons and disappointing post seasons are the norm in Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Nic Ehlers and Gabe Vilardi will continue to put up points. Captain Adam Lowry and linemate Nino Niederreiter will continue to play hard. The blueline of Josh Morrissey , Neal Pionk and Dylan Demelo needed to be upgraded over the summer. It wasn’t. Former Head Coach Rick Bowness got the most out of this team. Will new coach Scott Arniel be able to do the same? The Jets are due to crash.
Chicago- The Chicago Blackhawks are poised to climb out of the Central basement. NHL phenom Connor Bedard received help this summer in with the signing of professional scoring wingers Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen. Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou will also provide scoring. Pat Maroon will provide Bedard on- ice protection. The Hawks defense will improve with the additions of TJ Brodie and Alec Martinez. Seth Jones has to play better than he did last year. Netminder Peter Mrazek will adequately keep Chicago in the game most nights.
Minnesota- The Wild not only have the worst logo in the NHL they also have the worst cap situation. The dead cap weight due to buyouts have left the Wild woefully light on talent. Forward Kirill Kaprizov is a superstar but after him the forwards depth is shaky. Matt Boldy is a fine forward but Minnesota needs more. The Wild need a huge year out of aging Mats Zuccarello. Blueliner Brock Faber had an outstanding rookie year but can’t play more minutes than he already does. Goaltenders Filip Gustavsson and Marc- Andre Fleury need to play better than they did last year or the fire sale will be a Christmas sale in Minnesota.
