NHL Power Rankings: The Central Division Fear Factor

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Another NHL season is fast approaching, and in the wild Western Conference, the Central Division looks to be the most dangerous of their four counterparts, with 5 of the West’s 8 playoff teams in 2013-14. For fans of the Chicago Blackhawks, they expect their team to be at the top of the heap, but none of the 30 games against their division rivals will be easy. Today, we count down which teams the Blackhawks should be worried about this season.

#6: Winnipeg Jets

After a coaching change mid-season that saw immediate improvement, the Jets made a late playoff push in 2013-14, salvaging what was otherwise a forgettable year on the prairies. With that said head coach Paul Maurice now locked in to a four-year contract, things should be on the up-and-up, right?

No, not really. The Jets weren’t exactly the league’s most active team this summer, with their marquee addition coming in the form of career 51-goal scorer Mathieu Perrault. Granted, Perrault was a good signing for the club, but not nearly enough to give them a realistic shot at the post-season. With Al Montoya off to the Florida Panthers via free-agency, it’s up to Michael Hutchinson to fill the back-up role with 3 career NHL starts under his belt, behind a starting goaltender in Ondrej Pavelec that has been less than fantastic since the club moved north.

Between Evander Kane’s chemistry issues and a lack of defensive depth, it will take a small miracle for the Jets to end the eight-season playoff drought in 2014-15. If they don’t qualify for the post-season, fingers will be pointed at GM Kevin Chevaldayoff; the Jets simply didn’t do enough over the off-season to contend in the wicked Central Divison.

#5: Nashville Predators

The Predators joined the Jets in the division’s basement in 2013-14, and were the only other team to miss the post-season. Like their Canadian counterparts, it was time for a coaching change, and Barry Trotz was ousted after 15 seasons, with Peter Laviolette taking his place.

Unlike the Jets, however, GM David Poile didn’t rest on his laurels this summer. James Neal headlines a wild off-season of acquisitions for the Predators that includes the likes of centers Derek Roy, Mike Ribero, and Olli Jokinen, as well as defenseman Anton Volchenkov.

Sure, the additions sound good on paper, but as training camp starts, the Predators are left with nearly twice as many NHL-ready centers as they need. In an interview with The Hockey News, Poile figures it will work itself out, but acclimating several pivots to new positions on the wing is something that could hamper their offense at the start of the season. That won’t be too much of an issue, with Pekka Rinne feeling 100% heading into the season, and Volchenkov filling the no. 2 role behind Shea Weber that the Preds have been searching for since Ryan Suter’s departure.

#4: Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche took the Division title in 2013-14, so calling them the 4th-most dangerous team this coming season is a significant fall from grace. However, on the tails of a first-round exit via the Minnesota Wild, and it will be hard to duplicate the success that the Avs had last season, with every team behind them with big off-season additions.

Granted, the Avalanche did make some moves this summer, bringing in Brad Stuart, trading Danny Briere, and signing Jarome Iginla via free-agency. Solid additions, yes, but for the Avalanche, it’s more about what they lost, than what they gained.

Most importantly, the Avalanche lost their second-line center, Paul Stasny, to free-agency. With Ryan O’Reilly, Nathan MacKinnon, and Matt Duchene as natural centers, the Avalanche’s depth will be fine, but facing Stasny and his new team, the St Louis Blues, 5 times this season will cause for some tough match-ups for Jack Adams winner Patrick Roy. P.A. Parenteau, shipped to Montreal in the Danny Briere trade, will cause Erik Johnson to be in tough against other teams’ top lines, and Tyson Barrie and Nick Holden will also feel the pressure of the league’s top offenses bearing down on the Avs.

The Avalanche are solid in goal with Semyon Varlamov, and have played the Blackhawks extremely tough over the past two seasons. The Avs will be good again in 2014-15, and definitely a contender for the Central Divison crown, but compared to past seasons, the Blackhawks will be better off when facing Colorado.

With prospects like Filip Forsberg on the rise, the Predators certainly are on the road towards improvement. They got much better, however, so did everyone else ahead of them, and it will be an uphill climb if they want to make it to the Playoffs in 2014-15.

May 13, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Keith Ballard (2) takes a shot and Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) makes the save during overtime1 of game six of the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks clinch the second round with a 2-1 victory over the Wild in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

#3: Minnesota Wild

The Wild saw their post-season come to an end against the Blackhawks for the second year in a row in 2013-14, and there will certainly be some hard feelings when these two teams meet again in the coming season. With some solid moves down the depth chart, the Wild will again rely on the likes of Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, and Jason Pomminville for success in 2014-15.

Tomas Vanek will give the Wild’s offsense a huge boost, likely lining up alongside former Buffalo Sabres teammate Pomminville. Jordan Shroeder and Michael Keranen are free-agent signings that will give the Wild forwards solid depth, while the defense will enter the season with largely the same core that they had in 2013-14, including the likes of minute-muncher Ryan Suter, Keith Ballard, and Jonas Brodin.

The Wild are certainly stacked at the goaltender position, with Darcy Kuemper, Josh Harding, and Niklas Backstrom all vying for the #1 job at training camp. Although the Blackhawks have had lots of success against the Wild in seasons past, the State of Hockey won’t be friendly territory to any visiting team this year, and with one of their best rosters in recent memory, the Wild will be a dangerous opponent in 2014-15.

#2: Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars were one of the biggest movers last year, and with a summer of big off-season moves behind them, look for that upwards trend to continue into 2014-15.

The Stars went out and traded for Jason Spezza from the Ottawa Senators, losing little of their NHL roster in return. They reunited Spezza with Ottawa teammate Ales Hemsky via free-agency, and from there, it’s all about improvement from within. With Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin combining for over 160 points last season, the Stars now enter 2014-15 with one of the most dangerous offenses in the NHL. Spezza, Seguin, and Benn offer the leadership, along with proven veterans such as Shawn Horcoff down the line. With Valeri Nichuskin on the verge of a breakout season, this Stars team will certainly have no trouble filling the net.

The Stars’ biggest question lies on their blue-line, but if Jordie Benn, Trevor Daley, and Brenden Dillon can hold down the fort, Dallas should be able to rely on the 1-2 goaltending punch of Kari Lehthonen and Anders Lindback to bring home the wins on any given night. The Stars play tough against the league’s biggest teams, and with arguably no bigger team than the Blackhawks, the stage is set for some memorable battles in the coming season.

#1: St. Louis Blues

The Blackhawks put another chapter in the story with their most hated rival in last year’s post-season, and the St. Louis Blues will be primed for battle as the two teams enter the season as favourites for the Central Division crown.

The Blues’ offense is looking even more potent with the addition of Paul Stasny, and players like Jaden Swartz and Magnus Paajarvi are poised to take a bigger role with the club this coming season. The grit that the Blues are known for lies in captain David Backes, but Ryan Reaves and Steve Ott will keep opponents on their toes with each match-up

Canadian Olympic teammates Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester will again be the Blues’ top defenders, but St. Louis has tremendous depth on the blue-line with the likes of Carlo Coliacovo, Kevin Shattenkirk, and the addition of Carl Gunnarsson.

In goal, Ryan Miller’s brief stint with the club is over, and it will be up to long-time back-up Bryan Elliott to carry the load, with Jake Allen likely to start his rookie-season in the no. 2 role.

As always, the Blues play the Blackhawks hard, even at the United Center, and these teams will trade shots all year long, with a Central Division Champions banner hanging (no pun intended) in the balance. It will make for some intense rivalry, and may end up in another post-season meeting, but one thing is for certain; the Blackhawks and Blues are set to play some exiting hockey this coming season.

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