This division is truly a division without a bad team. Many people are putting the Blackhawks, a team with superstars and plenty of experience, at the bottom of this division again...This division had 6 teams with over 90 points last year. That's insane. To use the title "EXACTLY what will happen in the Central Division" is scary as hell....but here goes...
#7. Dallas
The Dallas Stars would be battling for a playoff spot in ANY other division. And they will be in this one as well. I think we could easily see the Stars finish as high as third, and with 90 points (Is it possible to have seven 90 point teams?) The Stars have plenty of firepower, a new coach, Ben Bishop, and plenty to be excited about...So why are they 7th? The power play struggled a lot last year, but defensively they were actually better than they were offensively. Was that because Hitch pulled in the reigns? I honestly have to call this a guess. These bottom four teams are anyone's guess.
Best case: The Stars put it all together...The D stays strong and the forwards find their touch.
#6. Minnesota
This team has the 30th oldest forward group in hockey...They are a bit younger on D, but they really need to see the youth come forward soon for this team with some points...the few that are under 25.. Eriksson Ek and Greenway are on the 3rd and 4th lines...that may have to change. The Wild were middle of the road in all stats last year and really only added Hendricks (a character guy) in the offseason...It comes down to goaltending and staying healthy for the Wild. It always does.
Best Case: They stay healthy and get solid stuff in their own goal...sky is the limit.
#5. Colorado
This is a tough one to look at. The Avalanche have had two very different seasons lately. Two years ago everything went wrong and last year everything went right. This year I believe we will probably see where they really are in what was supposed to be a rebuild. And yet...Nate Mackinnon is entering the elite superstar realm and his linemate Mikko Rantanen may follow him there. I love the Ian Cole and Grubauer additions and having two solid goalies will matter in this division...Will it get them into the playoffs?
Best Case: Last year was a stepping stone and not an outlier...and they challenge for the division.
#4. Chicago
Every year someone forgets about a team that is really talented but is coming off of a down year. The Hawks struggled last year for sure, but much if this may have been the result of Crawford missing so much time. When Corey was healthy they looked pretty good and they looked like a playoff team. He was 7 games over .500 and had a save percentage of .929. He is hurt to start the year, but he is supposed to be back next week.
The addition of Cam Ward is HUGE in my opinion, because Ward knows how to play behind a team like this one and I expect him to make a significant contribution. Debrincat and Schmaltz quietly combined for 50 goals last year. They are going to continue to grow.
Best Case: Probably this…
#3. Nashville
The Preds won the Presidents trophy and if they get any goaltending in game 7 versus Winnipeg they may have won the Cup. The only reason I am dropping them to third is because I really don’t see them putting much stock into the regular season and I do believe Rinne will get less starts so that by the time he hits the playoffs he has more to give.
Best Case: They win the Stanley Cup.
#2. St Louis
The Blues had a terrible year by everyone’s standards last year and yet they still almost snuck into the playoffs in this gruesome division. Which is actually remarkable. So what did they do? They add Maroon, O’Reilly, Bozak and Perron…That is A LOT to add to an already tough team. This may be the deepest team in hockey. If I knew Robby Fabbri would be healthy all season I would maybe have them as #1 in this division. The playoffs are still going to come down to the goalie, but in the regular season look out for the Blues.
Best Case: The Blues get and stay healthy and dominate.
#1. Winnipeg
The Jets have created a true monster. Second in goals scored. Fifth in goals allowed. and yet…the second youngest team in the NHL. THAT is crazy. Absolutely crazy….and there’s more: 12 first round draft picks in their 20 man lineup. 14 players on their 20 man roster are Homegrown (meaning they haven’t played on any other NHL team. Once you're a Jet, you're a jet for life) The question for me is their Vezina finalist goalie…I am not the biggest Hellebuyck fan. Something about his game bothers me and I wonder if last year was a one hit wonder…If he isn’t that...wow, the Jets are stacked.
Best Case: I am completely wrong about Hellebuyck and the Jets dominate.
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