Avalanche, Jets, and Wild lead Central Division pressure rankings for 2026-27

The 2026-27 NHL season could be a pivotal year for many teams, including some of the league’s heavyweight contenders in the Central Division like the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars. The Metropolitan Division is home to the current Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, after a two-year stay in the Atlantic, but could this be the year it comes back West?

Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks made some moves and extended their star player, so does any of that affect the pressure they are under this year? Let’s find out and get to the rankings of the Central Division teams under the most pressure.

8. Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators continue to waste the brilliance of Juuse Saros and Filip Forsberg, having advanced to the playoffs only once in the past four seasons. With most of their star players older than the franchise itself, the team will eventually need to tear it all down and start from scratch. Of course, there is pressure to win more games and get back into the playoffs, but the Western Conference is a difficult place to play and 80-point seasons will never get any team into the postseason dance.

7. Utah Mammoth

As the official/unofficial newest team in the league, the Utah Mammoth defied expectations last year and advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Moreover, they gave the Vegas Golden Knights a run for their money, pushing the conference champions to Game 6. Naturally, fans will expect more this year, especially with renovations revamping the Delta Center, improving the overall hockey experience in Utah. However, their biggest acquisition was Vincent Trocheck, and he’s not going to be a game-breaker at $5.6 million.

6. Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks turned some heads this offseason, acquiring Bowen Byram, then signing him to the richest defenseman deal in NHL history. Despite a Stanley Cup on his resume, Byram went from an Atlantic Division-winning Buffalo Sabres to the Draft Lottery-favorite Blackhawks. The hope is he helps push the rebuild forward, but he’s never been a No. 1 defenseman and will now suffer through the same pains he had with Buffalo for the past two and a half years. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that Connor Bedard is injured (again) and Patrick Kane is selling tickets to his reunion tour. On paper, things appear to be on the up and up, but until everyone skates together and they get some wins as a group, there’s no telling what the 2026-27 could look like.

5. St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues fall into the fifth spot on this pressure list, since they have yet to deal with franchise goalie Jordan Binnington. Earlier in the offseason, he found himself in the rumor mill and wasn’t dealt. Now as training camp approaches, his name is popping up in articles about unresolved questions going into the new season. Meanwhile, St. Louis made a wave by acquiring Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks, but will the former third overall pick play a big enough game to move the needle and get the Blues back into the playoffs?

4. Dallas Stars

Every year, the Dallas Stars are in contention for the Central Division crown and, depending on playoff opponents, a threat to get to the Western Conference Final. Despite their recent successes, star forward Jason Robertson isn’t interested in staying long term, agreeing to a one-year deal to run it back in what could be Jamie Benn’s last season. Employing one of the game’s elite goalies, Jake Oettinger, the Stars continue to pile up wins and be pests for other top teams, but without actually getting back to the Stanley Cup Final and winning it all, the time is ticking on their current core.

3. Minnesota Wild

Despite playing in a relatively quiet Minnesota city of St. Paul, the Wild will continue to dominate the NHL news cycle for the next nine months because Quinn Hughes is still on the roster and has yet to sign an extension. Of course, fans across the world expect him to unite with his brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey, which puts pressure on the Wild front office to either compile a Stanley Cup-winning lineup, give him the highest-paid contract in the game’s history, or try to pry the best return of all-time from the Devils in a trade.

2. Winnipeg Jets

Before this list was pieced together, the Winnipeg Jets faced moderate pressure in 2026-27, but are now facing an enormous amount of pressure to salvage their second run in Manitoba. Last year, the former Presidents’ Trophy winner bombed out and missed the playoffs, prompting former Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck to request a trade. Now that his request is public, the Jets are in a lot of trouble trying to get a return that stabilizes the franchise moving forward while moving on from arguably their greatest player of all-time. As another team with a relatively quiet summer, it’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks leading into camp. Ultimately, watching the Hellebuyck situation play out will be one of the most entertaining stories to follow in the NHL.

1. Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche were the best team in the NHL last year, but they caught the injury bug at the worst possible time, getting swept in the Western Conference Final. Any time now, the team will announce Cale Makar’s extension, which should break every financial record in league history. But even with the highest-paid players, the Avalanche are in a Cup-or-bust mode. As expected, they got caught up in the Presidents’ Trophy curse, since so many teams have tried to win both in the same season, only to fail. So will the Avalanche bounce back and avoid chasing franchise records, saving themselves for the playoffs instead? They currently possess one of the longest playoff streaks in the NHL and have won the Central four times in the past six seasons. However, they have only one Stanley Cup to show for it.

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