The Central Division feels like the easiest and the toughest division to preview.
One could easily predict the half of the standings that each of the teams in the division could attain, but the placement that they could attain is a relatively tougher question to grasp.
Still, that is the subject of my second divisional preview ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season for Oil on Whyte. Again, all teams are listed in order of finish.
Colorado Avalanche
Despite an offseason of noticeable-but-minor change, the Avalanche are still the best team in this division and perhaps the entire league. They might not be the dominant selves they were to start last season, but this is a team that finds itself in a very good position going forward.
It is worth noting that four of the last nine teams to have won the Presidents' Trophy made it to the Stanley Cup Final during the next postseason tournament; Washington completed the feat in 2018, Tampa Bay did so in 2020, Colorado went to the Final in 2022 after an abbreviated 2021 season, and Florida went from a second-round sweep in 2022 to a Stanley Cup Final in 2023. Of those four teams, three of them went on to win the Cup; only Florida was unable to convert a post-Presidents' Trophy campaign into a Stanley Cup title.
While the last three Presidents' Trophy winners failed to make it to the Stanley Cup Final during the following season and while the last two recipients didn't even make the playoffs during the next campaign, that is a promising sign for the Avalanche this season. At the very least, they're in a good position to make it back to the top of the division with relative ease.
Minnesota Wild
A great December, a solid start to 2026, a miserable spring, and an even more miserable summer.
That, my friends, is the Minnesota Wild in the most undersimplified way possible.
But outside of the Quinn Hughes saga, the Wild are in a pretty good spot. And let's not forget that the Wild went 28-15-7 since Hughes made his debut for the team after a midseason trade from the Vancouver Canucks. That's a 1.26 point-per-game pace, which would be good enough for roughly 103 points and more or less how Minnesota fared last season.
This year, that same 103-point threshold should be the bare minimum for the Wild. The only issue they have on their hands is that of goaltender Filip Gustavsson's injury status, which is almost as unknown as the answer to the question of whether life on other planets exist. For now, it's Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard who will be leading the way in net. Pickard, an ex-Oilers netminder and Wallstedt is the one who got away.
Even then, the path to a repeat performance is relatively clear. Whether they can move up the Central Division standings is another question in itself.
Utah Mammoth
Upon arriving in Utah after a relocation from Arizona, the Mammoth did well to build a passionate fanbase in the state while returning to contention in short order.
Their first season saw them return to playoff contention, while their second campaign in Salt Lake City saw the Mammoth secure the top wild card berth and force the soon-to-be Western Conference winners, the Vegas Golden Knights, to six games in the first round.
After the strides made last season, it's clear that they're not willing to sit back. They acquired Vincent Trocheck (at a relatively steep price) and Anders Lee to reinforce a forward group led by Clayton Keller. On top of that, the team still has well over $4 million in cap space to go and bring in a depth player, be it an additional top-four defenseman or a depth forward to secure the medium-to-long-term future of the group.
Either way, Utah is in a very good position going forward. A second-consecutive playoff trip should be the minimum, but don't be surprised if they make their way into the division's top-three.
Dallas Stars
The Stars got Jason Robertson re-signed. Mission accomplished.
Well ... at the expense of half of their depth.
Michael Bunting is still a free agent, Mavrik Bourque and Ilya Lybushkin are now in Nashville, and the only addition the team made was Joel Kiviranta. And they still need to find a way to clear almost $1.5 million in contracts in order to become cap compliant.
But even with the 20 goals and 41 total points that Bourque takes to Nashville in mind, the Stars will still be a dangerous team. They were ninth in the league in goals for per game, the best team in terms of total power play goals, and the second-best in power play efficiency. Dallas also led the league in shooting percentage.
Don't expect those numbers to change all too much, especially with Robertson and others like Wyatt Johnston staying put.
The problem? Even with the shorter offseason in mind, all of the pressure is going to be on the Stars to get back to the Stanley Cup Final. Just under half of the roster is heading towards free agency in some form, and six of those 10 players are over the age of 30. What's more is that just three players are locked into contracts that run into the 2030's, meaning that the Stars have to go on a run this year.
They have the roster to do that, but most of their divisional rivals made strides in improving their own lineups. Dallas remained in idle while that happened; it remains to be seen if that hurts them in terms of playoff seeding, but it will hurt them in the Central Division standings.
St Louis Blues
The second coming of the Oilers' former depth scoring, which includes forward Dylan Holloway, is back once again. This time, they'll be looking to get back into the playoffs after an end-of-season surge saw them fall four points shy of the playoffs at season's end.
And despite the turnover that occurred over the offseason - namely Jordan Kyrou getting traded to the Washington Capitals for a package that included Connor McMichael - the Blues' core is relatively stable. Robert Thomas is still in town and was just named as the franchise's new captain, while others like Pavel Buchnevich and Alexei Toropchenko are still in town despite talk of the Blues entering a new era. At the same time, goaltender Jordan Binnington remains a part of the Blues' roster, though he is on an expiring deal.
To reinforce the roster, the Blues acquired Mason McTavish and Ross Johnston from the Anaheim Ducks. They also acquired Brandon Carlo in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and drafted Tynan Lawrence out of Boston University.
While the loss of Kyrou means that the Blues will have to find a way to replace 46 points worth of offense, McMichael's arrival fills that void perfectly. McTavish and Johnston will add 55 points to that total, meaning that the Blues will come out ahead in terms of point production when considering those moves alone.
In terms of the Central Division, the Blues ended up finishing the 2025-26 campaign ahead of the Predators, Blues, and Jets. At worst, the Blues will remain ahead of all three of those teams while doing just enough to put pressure on those ahead.
Nashville Predators
Even after Barry Trotz retired, the Predators are still wandering into the new season between two different identities.
On one hand, you have a plethora of veterans, including Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos, who are still very much capable of contributing in a big way and who could help push Nashville back into the playoff picture.
On the other hand, the prospects and pieces are in place for the organization to take a step back and revamp their roster for the future. And the front office proved just this by trading Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils for two early round picks in 2028.
It's a very delicate balancing act, and committing to one approach could easily handicap the team's future. The Predators might just level out at .500 and the middle of the Central Division table once again.
Chicago Blackhawks
The good news for the Blackhawks: they won't be in the Central Division basement.
The bad news: they are likely still a year away from the playoffs.
But even with Connor Bedard out for the first chunk of the season, the Blackhawks feel poised to finally make a leap this season. Even though the team's point haul has steadily improved over the past two seasons, they haven't exactly been able to make gains in the standings. That inability has been further hampered by a sometimes-competitive Central Division and downright poor stretches of hockey.
That said, the team made some noteworthy improvements this offseason. Say what you will about overpaying Bowen Byram, but he is a capable blue-line producer and he has the postseason/big game experience required to help get the Blackhawks to that next level.
Cole Smith and Ian Cole should provide some depth and experience, but the big fish is that of Patrick Kane, who is returning to the team after stints with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. Kane's last season in Chicago saw him record 57 points in 67 games, a slight decline from the previous season though the points per game pace was slightly higher.
Outside of the additions, the Blackhawks are more or less set for success. The team is still young, but there are other pieces like Tyler Bertuzzi (who recorded 58 points last year) that are ready to contribute now. Many of the young stars like Bedard and Frank Nazar are already familiar with the NHL game, and others like Anton Frondell won't need that much time to get going.
At minimum, the Blackhawks should have a winning record. That would demonstrate more progress in the point total and a potential jump up the standings. Let's not forget that the team did start last season 10-5-4 and that their positive start was only derailed by an injury to Bedard. Even then, they held a winning record deep into December and briefly got back to .500 in January.
If Kane can help steer the ship until Bedard gets back and the other additions play their role, the Blackhawks should improve once again. There is a world where significant improvement puts them in position to contend for a playoff spot late in the season, but that still feels like it's a year away.
At least progress is progress?
Winnipeg Jets
Let's start with the former. Just one week ago, Hellebuyck made his trade request public, stating that he "privately request a trade", that "with training camp approaching, I felt that it was important to publicly confirm my request", and that "I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family."
That screams "I want out ASAP."
Even if Hellebuyck isn't traded before the Jets open the season at home against the Boston Bruins on October 2, it's hard to envision that he will actually take the ice before a deal happens. Martin Biron confirmed this possibility in a recent appearance on TSN Overdrive, claiming that Hellebuyck would be willing to sit out if the Jets cannot find a way to move him. This means that the Jets' goaltending options will be former Oiler Stuart Skinner and one of Thomas Milic, Domenic DiVincentiis, and Isaac Poulter; it is worth noting that a likely return for Hellebuyck would include a starting-calibre netminder.
It's easy to see why Skinner isn't the best possible goaltending option for the Jets; his numbers did deteriorate after being traded to Pittsburgh midway through last season and he is known to be a rollercoaster experience if such was personified. That said, he still went 23-17-9 as a starter last year, and he is capable of putting up the strong starts when needed. If the Jets can acquire or develop a goaltender to back Skinner up, they should be fine in the goaltending department for this season.
And beyond the goaltending, the roster is still intact. The likes of Mark Scheifele and Cole Perfetti are still locked down to the end of the 2030-31 season, and Kyle Connor is still in town until the end of the 2033-34 campaign.
That's where the idea of a possible retool comes into play.
But it won't involve the Jets' core five forwards and defenseman Neal Pionk. The likes of Nino Niedereitter and Morgan Barron are set to hit free agency next season, while others like Josh Morrisey are eligible for extensions next offseason.
In terms of the forward group, Niedereitter is currently 33, while three of the Jets' core forwards are below the age of 30. It's also worth noting that the Jets have a solid prospect pool at that position, meaning that a selloff shouldn't be ruled out if the team struggles to start the year.
The Jets have the pieces to be competitive this year, but the Hellebuyck situation easily takes away from any optimism surrounding the team. Though they should get a sizeable return for the veteran netminder, losing him alone is a blow to the roster. Such is made worse by the fact that the Jets didn't really do all too much outside of adding Stuart Skinner, while divisional opponents like the Mammoth and the Blackhawks all got better.
Even then, the Jets could easily finish outside of the Central Division basement. But when looking hoslitically at every other team in the division, they feel like the most logical last-place pick.
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