Central Division shuffle

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This article was published 09/08/2023 (788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Welcome to the dog days of the NHL summer.

The free-agent dust has long settled. The trade winds are barely a whisper. The majority of general managers have headed to the cottage to enjoy a bit of downtime before business starts to pick up again.

Here in Winnipeg, Kevin Cheveldayoff only has two mandatory items left on his to-do list — get depth defencemen Logan Stanley and Declan Chisholm, both restricted free agents, signed to new contracts.

Sure, there’s still the question of what happens with Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck, who can both walk away in free agency next summer. The odds of both players starting the season with the Jets are growing by the day. Cheveldayoff could also swing a move or two when it comes to his crowded blue line, but all is quiet on that front right now.

And so we wait. Not for too much longer, however, with training camps set to open six weeks from now.

With the majority of roster moves now in the rear-view mirror, it seems like a good time to take a peek at the current state of the Central Division. A top-three finish puts you in the playoffs. Finishing fourth or fifth gives you a shot at a wild-card spot. A bottom-three result is a one-way ticket to next year.

Here, in order of last season’s standings, is what the Jets and their closest rivals have been up to this offseason.

COLORADO AVALANCHE

• 2022-23 record: 51-24-7 (1st in Central, lost to Seattle in the first round)
• Key adds: F Ryan Johansen, F Ross Colton, F Jonathan Drouin, F Miles Wood
• Key losses: F J.T. Compher, F Alex Newhook, F Evan Rodrigues, D Erik Johnson

Summary: Winning a championship comes with a price in a flat-cap league, and the Avalanche were unable to build off their 2022 triumph with a shocking first-round exit to the Seattle Kraken.

It’s not going to get any easier, especially with captain Gabriel Landeskog set to miss the entire season with a knee injury that could end his career.

There’s still plenty to love about the club, and they’ve attempted to fill some holes (Compher is the biggest) with intriguing additions such as Johansen and Drouin.

With Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, they can still run-and-gun with the best of them and should remain a force.

 

DALLAS STARS

• 2022-23 record: 47-21-14 (2nd in Central, lost to Vegas in Conference Final)
• Key adds: F Matt Duchene, F Craig Smith, F Sam Steel
• Key losses: F Max Domi, D Colin Miller

Summary: Duchene, who was bought out by Nashville, is a good bet at a bargain price. The Stars are in an interesting spot with a proven older core (Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski and now Duchene) blending with some explosive young talent (Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston).

After finishing just one point behind the Avalanche last year and then making it to the final four, the Stars might just be the favourites to finish on top this year — especially with Jake Oettinger looking like one of the next great No. 1 netminders in the league.

 

MINNESOTA WILD

• 2022-23 record: 46-25-11 (3rd in Central, lost to Dallas in the first round)
• Key adds: F Patrick Maroon
• Key losses: D Matt Dumba, D John Klingberg, F Oskar Sundqvist, F Gustav Nyquist, F Sam Steel, F Ryan Reaves

Summary: It’s been an extremely quiet summer for Minnesota, which is in salary cap hell and has no easy out. They’ve lost more than they’ve gained, which means they’ll need to lean on stars such as Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy (93 combined goals between that trio last year) more than ever.

Still, they seem like a good bet for a team that might be due for a dip.

 

WINNIPEG JETS

• 2022-23 record: 46-33-3 (4th in Central, claimed second wild-card playoff spot, lost to Vegas in the first round)
• Key adds: F Gabe Vilardi, F Alex Iafallo, F Rasmus Kupari, G Laurent Brossoit
• Key losses: F Pierre-Luc Dubois, F Blake Wheeler

Summary: The Dubois blockbuster and Wheeler buyout are the big stories, and how the three players acquired from Los Angeles fare should go a long way to determining Winnipeg’s fate.

Getting Brossoit back to push Hellebuyck and hopefully having full seasons from Nino Niederreiter and Vlad Namestnikov (trade deadline adds), and Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti (who both missed significant time with injuries last year) gives the Jets a lot more depth than we’ve seen in recent years.

The blue line is status quo, for now, which means players such as Chisholm and Ville Heinola could again be on the outside looking in. If second-year coach Rick Bowness can get this group on the same page — an ever-present challenge around here — Winnipeg could do some damage.

 

NASHVILLE PREDATORS

• 2022-23 record: 42-32-8 (5th in Central, missed playoffs)
• Key adds: F Ryan O’Reilly, F Gustav Nyquist, D Luke Schenn, F Dennis Gurianov
• Key losses: F Matt Duchene, F Ryan Johansen

Summary: New GM Barry Trotz is trying to change the culture in Music City, and showing Duchene and Johansen the door, while bringing in the likes of O’Reilly and Schenn was a dramatic step in that direction.

The pesky Predators nearly forced their way into the playoffs last spring despite a stripped-down and injury-ravaged roster. If they can pick up where they left off, then look out.

 

ST. LOUIS BLUES

• 2022-23 record: 37-38-7 (6th in Central, missed playoffs)
• Key adds: F Kevin Hayes, F Oskar Sundqvist
• Key losses: None

Summary: The 2019 Cup champs are opting for a re-tool, rather than a full-blown re-build. It remains to be seen just how effective that will be.

Not much has happened this summer for a team that finished a whopping 14 points out of the second wild-card spot, so it would appear they’ve banking on internal improvement and development more than anything.

Good luck with that.

 

ARIZONA COYOTES

• 2022-23 record: 28-40-14 (7th in Central, missed playoffs)
• Key adds: D Matt Dumba, D Sean Durzi, D Travis Dermott, D Troy Stecher, F Logan Cooley, F Alex Kerfoot, F Jason Zucker, F Nick Bjugstad
• Key losses: None

Summary: The desert dogs have been proverbial NHL doormats, in addition to looking like a dead team walking when it comes to their never-ending arena saga.

There’s no doubt management has gone out this summer with the intention of trying to improve the sad-sack squad and build around a promising group of young prospects in the system.

Durzi and Dumba will give the blue line a much different look, although both defenceman typically do their best work in the offensive end of the rink. Perhaps Stecher and Dermott can help in the “keeping the puck out of their net” department.

The Coyotes have added some scoring punch by re-acquiring Bjugstad (who was sent to Edmonton at the trade deadline last year) and bringing in a couple of competent middle-six skaters in Kerfoot and Zucker.

Getting 2022 third-overall pick Cooley to turn pro, rather than return for a second season at the University of Minnesota, has been the biggest development. Along with 2021 first-rounder (9th overall) Dylan Guenther and the likes of Clayton Keller and Matias Maccelli, the future seems bright.

Still, Arizona is likely a few years away from really making some noise, but they won’t be an easy out most nights.

 

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

• 2022-23 record: 26-49-7 (8th in Central, missed playoffs)
• Key adds: F Connor Bedard, F Taylor Hall, F Corey Perry, F Nick Foligno, F Ryan Donato
• Key losses: F Jonathan Toews

Summary: The Connor Bedard era is upon us. A draft lottery win should help this once-proud franchise get back on track, and the 18-year-old phenom will begin the year as the hands-down favourite to win the Calder Trophy.

Chicago held a fire sale at the deadline last year, bidding farewell to future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane along with several other pieces. The result is an extremely lean roster and likely plenty of more losing in the short term.

The clear plan here is to surround Bedard with some talent (like Hall), muscle (Perry) and veteran leadership (Foligno, Donato), especially with long-time captain Toews now gone as well.

Another tough year is likely in the forecast — the blue line and goaltending still need a lot of work — but the Blackhawks should at least be a ton of fun to watch with Bedard in the fold.

 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg