Division Previews – Central

The Blues, Stars, Wild, Predators, Avalanche and Jets will all be trying to dethrone the defending Champion Blackhawks in the newly named central division. I mentioned the playoff rules and formats in my previous article so to avoid the Popsicle headache here’s the division preview.

1. Chicago Blackhawks: Avoiding any major injuries the defending champions will have this division locked up by March. Led by captain Jonathan Toews and conn smythe winner Patrick Kane the Hawks are locked and loaded and ready to begin the toughest journey in sports, to defend the Stanley Cup. Chicago may have a bad few weeks but I see them being a wagon and winning this division going away.

2. St.Louis Blues: The Blues are a solid team and will definitely be playing postseason hockey this season. The Blues have been one of the better teams over the past few years but both seasons ended the same way in a postseason loss to the Kings. The Blues are loaded on the blue line and in between the pipes with players like Kevin Shattenkirk, Jay Boumeester, and Alex Pietrangelo. The problem with the Blues teams over the past few years has been scoring and I think that will be what holds them back from taking the next step. Overall The Blues are a good team and a scary team come postseason time.

3. Minnesota Wild: Last summer the Wild shocked the world when they signed Ryan Suter and Zack Parise to mega deals, creating all sorts of hype. However, last years team was bounced in the first round in a rout by the Hawks. The Wild are an above average club who are going to be really good in a few years. The Wild have only two reliable defensemen in Suter and Jonas Brodin and lack depth on the backend. They also have very few forwards who can be relied on for solid minutes, so depth is an all around issue here. The Wild are building towards something good but it isn’t coming this year. Backstrom is a good goalie but at age 35 how many games can he play at a high level? The Wild have too many question marks to be competing for the division title but will be playing some postseason hockey.

4. Winnipeg Jets: The Jets were competing for a postseason spot last year in the eastern conference but fell just short. The Jets are a good young team with players like Evander Kane, Blake Wheeler, and Andrew Ladd. On the blue line Zach Bogosian, Dustin Byfuglien, and Mark Stuart all play good minutes and are steady defenseman. The problem with the Jets is depth on the blue line and forwards. That said, because this division is the weakest in the league and the top end talent for the Jets, Winnipeg will be seeing postseason hockey for the first time in a long time.

5. Colorado Avalanche: Speaking of young and talented…… Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Paul Stasney, Ryan O’Reilly, and the most recent first overall pick Nathan Mackinnon will lead the Av’s this year. The problem with the Av’s is every person I just mentioned is a forward. Erik Johnson is a solid defenseman but they really don’t have a one or a two defenseman. Come 2-3 years the Av’s will be a force but not this year. Semyon Varlamov has good weeks and bad weeks so we’ll have to see what happens there but I’m not sure how they will look in net. Overall the Av’s will be fun to watch this season and the future is very bright in Colorado.

6. Nashville Predators: The Preds are absolutely locked and loaded and ready to go on the blue line. Shea Weber, Roman Josi, and Seth Jones( Steal of the draft) is one of the best cores to a defensive unit in the league. Pekka Rinne is one of the best goaltenders in the league and has been for a long time. Led by coach Barry Trotz, who is one of the best in the business, they will be able to shut teams down from scoring. Here comes the problem, which has been the same problem for the last three to four years. Scoring. Looking at the forwards for the Preds, man oh man they are going to have trouble scoring. They have a lot of players who are good second line and third line players. If the Preds could get a legitimate scorer they would jump up the standings but as they stand now they will be watching the playoffs instead of playing in them.

7. Dallas Stars: Newly acquired Tyler Seguin will have to show up this season in ways he never did in Boston. At age 22 Seguin and Jamie Benn are good young players who have a chance to be great playing together. The Stars have no real depth at the forward position. Adding Shawn Horcoff and Rich Peverley will help their third line but the problem is the Stars don’t have a clear second line or someone to play with Seguin and Benn. The Stars will be fun to watch and to see how Seguin develops. Something tells me Seguin will light it up for a last place team.

Next up I will be previewing the Pacific division, so you can see where your Edmonton Oilers rank in my standings. Have any questions or comments? Be sure to follow me on twitter @Brendan_McLean5