Follow me @jaeckel

You've read the quick looks (you did, right? Because there will be a quiz).

Here is how I see the team's finishing in the new NHL Central Division in 2013-14.

Chicago
St. Louis
Minnesota
Nashville
Colorado
Dallas
Winnipeg


I really debated Chicago or St. Louis at the top of the division, and I think an injury or two to either team could tip it the other way.

That said, I believe the Blackhawks will go further in the playoffs and easily could come out of the West again this year.

The thing to remember with the Blackhawks is this: they were the best team in hockey last year by a fairly obvious margin. And they are essentially intact this year. They might miss Michal Frolik and Dave Bolland for a while, but I can also see Marcus Kruger taking another step up this year, and Teuvo Teravainen and/or Philip Danault providing some quality minutes to this club by April.

The center of the pack is also interesting: Nashville, Minnesota and Colorado (my X-Factor) could all supplant one another.

And I also think you can flip-flop Dallas or the Jets.

So that's it for now.

I'll be back tomorrow with a summary of tonight's game at the London Rookie Tourney, where I'm looking for some Hawk player (beyond maybe the Broadhurst brothers) to step up and stand out. I liked Philip Danault's game the other night—he is simply always around the play and has that incredible energy level. But we'll know more tonight.

To see the game tonight—as well as NHL preseason, regular season, and playoff action (mostly in HD), KHL, AHL and CHL games all year long on your computer—go here:

http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981


All for now,


JJ

Join the Discussion: » 305 Comments » Post New Comment

» Thanks and Farewell

» Where do we go from here?

» Preds at Hawks Breakdown

» "All Teams Have Flaws"

» The Games You Should Win