Staff Predictions for the Chicago Blackhawks 2021-22 season

Who will make the playoffs from the central division?

Jeremy Riback: Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Chicago. I believe that the first three teams are pretty much a lock to make the playoffs, but the fourth spot is tricky. It comes down to Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago, but I think the offseason acquisitions will pay dividends for the Blackhawks and get them back into the playoffs.

Justin Klawans: The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild are shoe ins. Beyond that, either the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets have great shots at making the playoffs, with the Blackhawks potentially nabbing a wild card spot.

Seth Stauffer: Colorado will win the division with Winnipeg right behind them. Dallas should take the third-place spot. They didn’t do anything to make themselves any worse and they probably have a lot to prove after last season’s playoff miss. After that, Chicago could realistically steal a wild card slot. The rest of the central is so up in the air that it could happen.

Matt Kamholz: Colorado, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago, St. Louis I think the Central Division shakes out something like that. The order of the four teams following Colorado is really up in the air though, the Central is going to be a dogfight. Even the sixth team in the Central might not be that far off. I don’t think the Pacific sends any teams via the Wild Card, the division is noticeably weaker.

Jimmy Lynch: Colorado, Winnipeg, Chicago, and Minnesota will make the playoffs from the central division. Obviously these are all just preseason predictions, but with how weak the pacific is there definitely could be a surprising team like Calgary or Seattle pushing for the final wild card spot that knocks St. Louis out.