Central Division Power Rankings

Containing a plethora of offense and great goaltending, the next Stanley Cup champion could very likely come from the Central Division. The Dallas Stars made some impressive offseason moves and Minnesota is coming off a surprising playoff run, but will it be enough to knock off the all-mighty Chicago Blackhawks?

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Players gained: Brad Richards

Players lost: Brandon Bollig

The Blackhawks made one big offseason acquisition acquiring the streaky Brad Richards out of free agency, but all the talk, as of late, has surrounded the big contract extensions for their two stars. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are locked up until the 2022-23 season and though it didn't come cheap, Hawks fans are just glad it happened. With Toews and Kane in the conversation for years to come, this team will be the top of anyone's power rankings for a very long time. Chicago knows how to keep their fans happy. Win Cups.

2. St. Louis Blues

Players gained: Paul Stastny, Carl Gunnarsson

Players lost: Ryan Miller, Roman Polak

The Blues trial run with Ryan Miller didn't exactly work out as planned. Miller couldn't give them the playoff run they hoped for, posting a .897 SV% and a 2.70 GAA in the post season. Nightmarish numbers for a goalie who has been so good for so long. But never fear, Blues fans, for as while Ryan Miller heads for Van City, Brian Elliott stays put. Elliott will bring stability to a team who has lost 2 great goaltenders in Miller and Halak in the past year. The Blues also have their offense taken care of with the offseason signing of Paul Stastny. I guess having Backes and Stastny as your top two centres isn't exactly a bad thing.

3. Dallas Stars

Players gained: Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Anders Lindback

Players lost: Aaron Rome, Alex Chiasson

The Dallas Stars will arguably have the best offensive one-two punch in the entire NHL next season. Already with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on the first line, former Ottawa Senators Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky will headline the Star's second line after a couple strategic offseason moves from GM Jim Nill. I, for one, am drooling just thinking about their power play unit.

The back line seems to be the only place where the Stars aren't stacked, actually. But where the Stars lack in defense, they surely make up for in offense. It's also going to be exciting to see what Valeri Nichushkin is capable of after having a very strong rookie season at the age of 18.

4. Minnesota Wild

Players gained: Thomas Vanek, Stu Bickel

Players lost: Clayton Stoner, Dany Heatley, Matt Moulson, Cody McCormick

After their impressive playoff run last season, the Wild are looking like the same team that knocked off the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. They might have given away a lot in Matt Moulson and Dany Heatley, but gained it back with the signing of Thomas Vanek. The Wild will be looking for Zach Parise to continue to lead by example after his strong regular season and spectacular playoff performance. With Ryan Suter leading the way on defense, and Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom providing a strong goalie tandem, the Wild could be returning to the playoffs in a big way.

5. Colorado Avalanche

Players gained: Jarome Iginla, Daniel Briere, Brad Stuart, Jesse Winchester, Zach Redmond

Players lost: Paul Stastny, Matt Hunwick, Brad Malone, P.A. Parenteau

Last year might have been a fluke. The Colorado Avalanche had an extremely impressive run as they sat atop the Central Division by the end of the regular season, but fell short in the playoffs as the Minnesota Wild knocked them out in 7 games during the first round. Maybe it was lack of experience or maybe the Avalanche just weren't the full package a lot of people thought they were.

Now, a year older, Nathan MacKinnon is going to be looked upon to carry more of the load offensively this season with the departure of Paul Stastny. The Avs made some good offseason acquisitions picking up veteran Jarome Iginla, and also took a chance on Daniel Briere who didn't quite make a home in Montreal. The Avalanche have a lot to prove if they want to show that they're not just a one-hit wonder.

6. Nashville Predators

Players gained: James Neal, Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro

Players lost: Patrick Eaves, Patrick Hornqvist, Nick Spaling


The Predators didn't improve enough on their offense in the offseason and it seems to be the only department they needed to get better in. Their blue line is stacked with players like Shea Weber and newcomer Seth Jones, and Pekka Rinne will be ready for a full season after missing most of the 2013-14 season because of a hip injury. But who knows how James Neal will play without Evgeni Malkin along his side and acquiring hit-and-miss guys like Mike Ribeiro and Olli Jokinen is also risky. It could pay off, but the Predators are going to need a lot from their big players if they're going to compete in this offensively talented Central Division.

7. Winnipeg Jets

Players gained: Mathieu Perrault

Players lost: Al Montoya, Olli Jokinen, Zach Redmond

The Winnipeg Jets won't be moving up in the standings anytime soon until they give up on Ondrej Pavelec. The 26-year old goaltender had the highest goals against total in the NHL last season, and since he arrived in Winnipeg, Pavelec hasn't had a SV% above .906. The false hope the Jets have in their goaltender is crushing the team's potential.

Also, with Evander Kane supposedly wanting out, and Dustin Byfuglien having multiple position disorder, the Jets need to get things together for the 2014-15 season or things are going to go much worse than planned.