Previously, we predicted the Pacific Division which can be found here. Next, we analyze the extremely close Central Division. There are six teams that have a legitimate shot of making the playoffs, so a few teams will be disappointed. Lets see how the Central Division stacks up.
8th | Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are in rebuild mode so it is no surprise they will finish last place in the Central Division for the third year in a row. The Blackhawks job right now is to build around 19-year old phenom, Connor Bedard. They did add NHL quality players to play with him this season, including, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Teuvo Teravainen. Plus, they still have Taylor Hall from last season. They have a heavy veteran presence, with no top six youngsters outside of Bedard in that forward group. That is concerning for a team looking to develop younger talent.
On defense, they have youngsters in Alex Vlasic (23), and Kevin Korchinski (20), who will be prominent players throughout this rebuild. The Blackhawks have a lot of work to do if they want to eventually make the playoffs once again. The playoffs are not in their future for a very long time. It truly is the start of a new era in the windy city.
7th | Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild had an extremely underwhelming offseason. They did not do anything to make their team better, while the St. Louis Blues and the Utah Hockey Club (HC) both improved. Therefore, the sixth place finishers last season will drop to seventh.
The Wild are led by superstar forward, Kirill Kaprizov, as well as Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy up front. They also have 22-year old blueliner, Brock Faber. But, outside of that they are just average with no star power outside of Kaprizov. They also have aging Marc-Andre Fleury, and inconsistent Filip Gustavsson in net. They needed to make a splash this off-season to compete with the top teams in the division, but they just stayed stagnant, and that will be their downfall. The Wild were not a playoff team last season, and will definitely not be one this season.
6th | Utah Hockey Club
The Arizona Coyotes era is over. The Utah Hockey Club makes their much anticipated debut this season. Utah will be competitive in this extremely tight division. Youngsters, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther look to take major steps forward this season in Utah’s top six. Utah also made major improvements to their blue line, adding Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as John Marino from the New Jersey Devils. They also have the duo of Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka between the pipes. This tandem is not outstanding by any means, but they are very serviceable NHL goaltenders.
This team should surprise some people. They will be rejuvenated and will look to impress their new fans in their new city. They should improve upon their seventh place finish from last year with the moves they made. While they are not quite a playoff caliber team, they are only a few moves away from becoming one. This franchise has made the playoffs only once since their Conference Final berth in 2012, and unfortunately, they will miss again this season.
5th | St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have a great mix of youth and veterans in their lineup. Their biggest additions came in the form of former Edmonton Oilers, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The Blues tendered offer sheets to these players in early August, which the Oilers failed to match. Holloway should slot in on the third line, while Broberg will likely play on the second defensive pair. The Blues have a solid top four defense core that consists of Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg, and Justin Faulk.
Their top six forward group is also very solid. They are led by Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich, Brayden Schenn, Brandon Saad, and Jake Neighbours. This team is fast and should play with a quick pace, which will be fun to watch. They should be in the mix for the last wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
4th | Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets did not do much this off-season, but should still be good enough for a wild card spot. This team will go as far as 2024 Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck will take them. Their forward group is not as deep as last season. They lost trade deadline acquisitions in Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan during free agency, and failed to find suitable replacements. They also lost defenseman, Brenden Dillion to the New Jersey Devils.
The Jets need to rely heavily on their top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabrial Vilardi, as well as Josh Morrissey on the backend. Despite their lack of moves, the Jets will be in the mix all season, culminating with a fourth place finish in the Central Division.
3rd | Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators were extremely busy this off-season. They went big fish hunting, which should catapult them into a divisional playoff spot. They added former Tampa Bay lightning superstar, Steven Stamkos, as well as Jonathan Marchessault, and defenseman, Brady Skjei through free agency. This Predators team needed more offensive weapons to complement Filip Forsberg. They accomplished that by adding two legitimate top six scoring wingers. Their only major concern is their center depth. Their top three centers include Ryan O’Reilly, Tommy Novak, and Colton Sissions. However, their wingers are good enough to compensate for that.
Their blue line is better than the Jets. It includes Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon, Brady Skjei, Alexandre Carrier, Luke Schenn, and Dante Fabbro. On top of that, Nashville has an elite goalie in Juuse Saros, and Scott Wedgewood as a serviceable backup. This team should be good enough to leapfrog the Winnipeg Jets in the Standings and finish third in the Central Division.
2nd | Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are still a very good team. They have superstars Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar. Makar is the best defenseman in the league. The rest of their defense core is nothing to scoff at either. They also have Devon Toews, Samuel Girard and Josh Manson to round out a very dynamic top four unit.
In net, they have workhorse, Alexander Georgiev. Georgiev appeared in 63 games last season, and 62 the year before. He can be inconsistent at times, and is often bailed out by Colorado’s elite offense. The 28-year old goaltender had a very good .919 save percentage (SV %) in his first year in Colorado, but followed that up with a measly .898 SV% last season. He is still a solid netminder, and is looking to bounce back from last season’s woes.
The X factor for this Avalanche team is the status of their captain, Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog missed the entire 2023-2024 season as he underwent surgery for a cartilage transplant in his right knee. He resumed skating in Jan, 2024, and is looking to return to the lineup this season. His presence will be a huge boost to this team on their quest for another playoff berth.
1st | Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are an elite contender in the Western Conference and are looking to win back-to-back division titles. They have talent up and down their lineup and a great mix of veterans and youth.
They have great young players in Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven, and Mavrik Bourque. Johnston was a steal in the 2021 draft, going 23rd overall. He currently leads that first-round draft class in points with 106 in 164 games. Plus, he’s still on his entry level contract (ELC), which only enhances his value to the team. Bourque was drafted 30th overall the year before, and is ready to make the jump to the NHL full time. The 22-year old center had 77 points in 71 American Hockey League (AHL) games last season, and should contribute on the third line alongside veteran, Jamie Benn.
On the blue line, they are led by Miro Heiskanen, and Thomas Harley. Harley is coming off his first full season and will only get better. Dallas also has an elite goaltender in Jake Oettinger. Oettinger is coming off his worst season in the league, and the Stars still won their division. Imagine what this team is capable of if he has a great bounce back season.
The Stars are one of the only teams in the league with no visible holes in their lineup. Dallas does an exceptional job at finding players in the draft. They have a lot of home grown talent on their roster which important when building a championship caliber team. This team is no doubt a Stanley Cup contender, and they will start their quest for the Cup by winning the Central Division.
There are many good teams in the Central Division, so it will be interesting to see how it all shapes up. Next, we will dive into the Eastern Conference and take a look at the Metropolitan Division. Keep it locked to Area 51 Sports Network for all your NHL news.
Pacific / Central / Metropolitan (Sep. 29) / Atlantic (Oct. 2)