No team in the NHL made a bigger splash this summer than the Nashville Predators. Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei all signed on July 1 in Nashville. Many people think they “won” the offseason, but will that translate over to when the games are being played?
As the summer goes on, we’ll dig into each team in more detail with how they their lineups project, but for now, here are my initial rankings for the Central Division teams as of right now. If you want to look back at last year, you can do that here.
1. Dallas Stars
I think the Stars severely downgraded their defense by bringing in two defensemen that have been trending down the last few years, but up front, they’re still just as deep as they were last year. On top of that, they have young talent that has excelled in the AHL ready to step in. Everyone in the NHL already got a peek at what Logan Stankoven can do, but they’ve also got Mavrik Bourque ready to take on minutes. You can move on from expensive veterans if you have cheap talent like that ready to play.
They still have to get Thomas Harley signed, but that will get done. Jake Oettinger had a pretty average year, but I’d still trust him over a lot of goalies in the league. Even if I think their defense took a step back, I still have them at #1.
2. Colorado Avalanche
Yes, they have question marks in their lineup, particularly up front and in net. They also have the reigning MVP in Nathan MacKinnon, the best defenseman in the world, and Mikko Rantanen. In addition to those three, they’ll have a legit 2C all season long, which matters.
Who knows how they look if guys like Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin come back, but even without them, they’re a solid team. They just might not be a “great” team.
3. Nashville Predators
I don’t buy into them being a contender just yet. Their defense beyond Roman Josi is questionable (not a Skjei fan), and while they made some big splashes, 5 of their 6 best forwards will be 30 or older when the season starts. An older team like that making a run would surprise me.
That being said, I’m a big Andrew Brunette believer and think he makes the team better. Juuse Saros is also a top flight goaltender who can make a difference. 3 and 4 are close, but I’ll give the nod to Nashville. They also have 7 picks in the first three rounds of next year’s draft if they want to get aggressive and make some additions.
4. Winnipeg Jets
Well, they never traded Nikolaj Ehlers, so that helps their outlook, but I’m not sure losing their head coach is going to be a good thing. Can Scott Arniel bring the same structure Rick Bowness brought? That was a big reason for their success, and I’m skeptical it can be repeated with that defense.
They’re still deep up front and have the best goalie in the NHL, but I’d be a little surprised if they repeat last year’s regular season.
5. Minnesota Wild
Kaprizov, Boldy, and Eriksson-Ek are fantastic up front, and Brock Faber got my Calder vote, but everything about this team screams “average.” They’ve got one more year of being hampered by the Parise and Suter buyouts, so they appear to be stuck in that mushy middle for at least one more season.
6. Utah Hockey Club
Yes, that’s still strange to write. An NHL team is in Utah, and with a real owner, the organization made some moves to get better in the immediate. They have some real talent on defense now, and some skill up front. They’re improved, but I’m not sure they’re a playoff team yet.
7. St. Louis Blues
As much as everyone dislikes Jordan Binnington (and for good reason), goaltending might be the one thing this team has going for them. Can he keep it up behind a poor defense? Even if he does, that team will still probably struggle. There’s some talent up front, but it’s hard to believe a team with that blueline can challenge for a playoff spot.
8. Chicago Blackhawks
They went out and got better this summer, adding some real NHL talent. That takes them from awful to just bad now. Even Connor Bedard taking a massive leap probably wouldn’t catapult them into a playoff spot. They’re deep in their rebuild and will likely struggle again this year.
It’s not the best division in the NHL, but it should be competitive once again. How would you rank the teams in the Central?