The NHL is officially back, and so are divisional previews here on NHLRumors.com. After things got going overseas, we dropped the Metro and Atlantic Divisional rankings.
With the puck officially dropped on the 2024-25 NHL Season, it is time to head out West and give you the Central and Pacific Division rankings.
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First up is the Central Division, where one team from Music City improved and became a Cup Contender, while another team from Windy City also enhanced as they tried to reclaim their ‘Glory Days.’
Let’s see what the Central Division has in store for this season.
NHL Central Division Rankings
1. Dallas Stars (Last year finished First)
Expectations are the Dallas Stars will finish first in the NHL Central Division again. While they lost Joe Pavelski to retirement, this Stars team is loaded. Look up and down the lineup with Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, Logan Stankoven, Mason Marchment, Miro Heiskanen, and Jake Oettinger.
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Stars GM Jim Nill signed Matt Duchene to a new deal because he liked what he brought to the club. Esa Lindell got a new contract extension on the backend as the Stars bought out Ryan Suter. Thomas Harley is back, and Matt Dumba was signed as well.
The Stars are a talented team that lost in the Western Conference Final last season. It is not the Jamie Benn or Tyler Seguin show anymore. Both players are still influential, but now they can be role players. Everyone thinks this is Dallas’s year. The real question is if they don’t get to a final, how much longer will Pete DeBoer be the head coach?
2. Nashville Predators (Last Year Finished Fourth)
You have to think the Nashville Predators will not be battling for a Wild Card spot this year in the Central Division. Their improvements this off-season make you believe they are the top three teams in the NHL Central Division.
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Predators GM Barry Trotz made some big moves on Day 1, signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, and Scott Wedgewood. Trotz wants winners in his organization, so he decided to roll with Juuse Saros and trade away Yaroslav Askarov.
This season, the Nashville Predators are a team to watch in the Central Division. Not to mention, they still have Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Ryan O’Reilly. So, this Predators team is still very dangerous and deep. Some may think this is too high for this club, but who is better in the division?
3. Colorado Avalanche (Last year finished Third)
The Colorado Avalanche are a good team. You will always be competitive with Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar. Add in Devon Toews and Josh Manson, and the Avalanche defense is solid. That has always been their strength.
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We know what MacKinnon and Rantanen can do up front, but they need help. Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen will not start the season, so that they will need more from Casey Mittlestadt, Ross Colton, Ivan Ivan, and Jonathan Drouin. Let’s see if Mittlestadt can be that second-line second the Avalanche have been looking for.
This team has not been the same since losing Gabriel Landeskog. There is no word as to when or if he will be back. While some thought he might come back at the start of this season, his knee injury is a tough one to come back from. Plus, the Avs have not been able to replace him or Nazem Kadri.
Alexandar Georgiev‘s goaltending will be an issue. Can he be the guy they traded for? His playoffs have not been great. Never underestimate the Avalanche.
4. Utah Hockey Club (Last year finished Seventh)
Let’s have some fun here. There is a lot of hype behind the Utah Hockey Club this season. And why not? New ownership, new facility. Everything is finally falling into place for the players who were formerly a part of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes.
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You can tell the players are happy to be in an NHL facility. There is an air of confidence surrounding them. Expect some good things from the Utah HC this year. Just look at the off-season moves. They acquired Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay and John Marino from New Jersey.
Utah still has a good crop of Arizona players, including Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Sean Durzi, Matias Maccelli, Barrett Hayton, and Sean Durzi. Their goaltending is good with Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka.
Expect so many good things from Utah HC this season.
5. St. Louis Blues (Last year finished Fifth)
The St. Louis Blues have the potential to be a better team this season than last year. St. Louis made a bold offer sheeting Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway this offseason. GM Doug Armstrong liked what he saw in those two players and decided to add them to a good young team.
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Jordan Binnington is still an excellent goalie in the league and has the potential to take the Blues far. Throw in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, Brandon Saad, Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, and the Blues have an excellent team.
Look, will they compete for the top spot? No, they will not, but they are better than one of their rivals this season in the division and could challenge for a playoff spot.
6. Winnipeg Jets (Last year finished Second)
The Winnipeg Jets are a team that could make or miss the playoffs this season. While they still have Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck, and Josh Morrissey, what else is there to like about the Winnipeg Jets?
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They are still a good team. Scott Arneil is the new head coach, but they lost many pieces this offseason and did not replace them. Winnipeg expects big things from Cole Perfetti this season and for him to take the next step.
And what about Nikolaj Ehlers? There is still a lot of trade chatter surrounding his name. Will he have a big season and be used as trade bait if the Jets are out of it around the trade deadline? Again, they have talent, but some teams are better than they are.
7. Minnesota Wild (Last year finished Sith)
The Minnesota Wild are an interesting team. They are still dealing with the effects of the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts. GM Bill Guerin made a bold decision with many consequences, and one of those consequences was the team might not be as good after he bought those players out.
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They have Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello, Yakov Trenin, Brock Faber, and Marco Rossi. Not to mention Filip Gustavsson, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Jesper Wallstedt.
However, they feel like they are stuck in the murky middle. They are not bad enough for a top pick, but they are just good enough to make the playoffs, and that might now happen in a stacked NHL Central Division.
8. Chicago Blackhawks (Last year finished Eighth)
Another team that improved this season was the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, will they get out of the cellar? Probably not, but you never know. They have Connor Bedard and brought in Tyler Bertuzzi, Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev, Craig Smith, Alec Martinez, T.J. Brodie, and Teuvo Teravainen.
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If you look at the young players on the team who go with Bedard, you will see Frank Nazar and Phillip Kurashev. Chicago is going to get good real soon. They have solid leadership with Nick Foligno.
Again, it will come down to goaltending for this team. Since Laurent Brossoit will not start the season, they will go with Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom. This team will be improved, but there are still ways to return to the playoffs.