Blackhawks: How the real Central Division is looking for next season

The Central Division of normal years is spread out amongst three divisions, what would the Chicago Blackhawks position in the standings look like during a normal year?

The Chicago Blackhawks normal Central Division is spread amongst a few different divisions as the league tries to limit travel due to COVID-19. The regular Central Division should be back next season, with newcomer Arizona joining the group as the league welcomes the Seattle Kraken.

The new Central Division has been fun to see as the teams are all competing for just four playoff spots. Due to every game being played against only teams within the same division, it gets easy to lose track of Hawks’ old opponents.

Today I want to highlight all the other teams from the old Central Division and maybe highlight who would be the best of the best if it was a normal season.

The Teams:

Winnipeg Jets 16-8-1 (Third in North Division) 33 points 

St. Louis Blues 14-8-4 (Second in West Division) 32 points 

Minnesota Wild 15-8-1 (Third in West Division) 31 points 

Chicago Blackhawks 13-9-4 (Fourth in Central Division) 31 points

Colorado Avalanche 14-8-2 (Fourth in West Division) 30 points

Arizona Coyotes 12-10-4 (Sixth in West Division) 28 points

Nashville Predators 11-14-1 (Sixth in Central Division) 23 points 

Dallas Stars 8-8-5 (Seventh in Central Division) 21 points

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Who would be in the playoffs during a normal year:

If this Central Division was reunited today, the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, and as of now Chicago Blackhawks would be the playoff teams. However, it is worth noting that Colorado has three-games in hand on Chicago.

I am excited to get these teams back together next season. While it is fun to have matchups with the Detroit Red Wings, I would much rather see Chicago play St. Louis than have to play Tampa Bay and Carolina so much.

The success of the Winnipeg Jets can not be ignored. As a physical team, the Jets would probably be rocking within the old Central Division. They would be a prime team to be at the top of the Central at the end of the season.

Who is hot and who is not for next season:

The Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Wild are all having pretty good seasons – better than what was predicted out of them going into the year. For Chicago and Minnesota, being in different divisions is helping them as they might not have made the playoffs if they were all together.

While the Dallas Stars are at the bottom, they have only played 21 games so far this season, a lot less in comparison to teams like Chicago that have played 27. Dallas could work their way up and back into the playoffs.

The Nashville Predators are an example of a team that really took a turn for the worse. They are the only team with a losing record within the central division. The Predators are not at the top of their game anymore and might be entering into a rebuild as the franchise tries to get back to where they were a few years ago.

The Blues and Avalanche are still just as good as they have been in the past. Hopefully by next season both of these teams will be taking a step back, as having them at the top of their game right now is nice when Chicago doesn’t have to worry about playing them.