In a top-heavy Central Division headed by Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota, the prevailing belief entering this season is which of the five other teams can compete for one or both of the Western Conference’s wild-card playoff spots.
Not so fast, counter those on the outside looking up.
“We have a lot of good players here, and our expectations are raised,” Nashville Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly said.
“It’s a challenge we’re looking forward to,” added St. Louis Blues captain Robert Thomas.
And there’s a growing sense of belief in Utah, where the Mammoth clinched their first playoff berth in only their second year.
“I think it’s good to embrace it,” forward Logan Cooley said in assessing the challenge of cracking the top three.
Easier said than done.
The Central’s Big 3 are showing few signs of slippage following a season in which they ran away from the field and became the West’s only teams to top 100 points, led by the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche (121).
And while the rest of the division is playing catchup, Colorado made a big splash to secure its core by re-signing Cale Makar to the richest contract in NHL history. The Stars retained Jason Robertson by re-signing their leading scorer to a one-year $12 million deal. The Wild, meantime, are in talks to re-sign Quinn Hughes in a deal that could approach Makar’s.
“I think pressure is a privilege,” Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog said. “It’s not to say that you go every single day of the regular season waking up and thinking ‘Oh, it’s Cup or bust.’ But I think you’re aware of it.”
On the rise
— The Wild have reason to believe following a season in which they beat Dallas in a six-game, first-round playoff series. It was Minnesota’s first playoff series win since 2015, and only the fifth ever. Injuries hurt the Wild in losing their second-round series to Colorado.
“It was a big learning curve for sure,” Matt Boldy said. “You can’t replicate playoff hockey, so it’s the more you’re in it, the more you learn. ... So a step in the right direction, but not quite there.”
— With a talented young core already in place, the Mammoth added veteran depth this offseason by acquiring Vincent Trocheck in a trade with the New York Rangers and signing former Islander captain Anders Lee in free agency.
— The Blues’ mix of youth and experience is showing signs of blossoming for a team that has reached the playoffs just four times since winning the Stanley Cup in 2019.
“I think we’re a team that can surprise a lot of people,” Thomas said. “We don’t have much expectations outside of our locker room, and I think we can be dangerous.”
— The Chicago Blackhawks have nowhere to go but up after their fourth consecutive eighth-place finish. Their 29 wins and 72 points were the team’s most since the 2019-20 COVID-shortened season. The urgency to win was reflected in Chicago adding defensemen Bowen Byram and Ian Cole, and the return of Patrick Kane. Young captain Connor Bedard will be out early in the season recovering from an injury.
On the decline
— The Winnipeg Jets are coming off their worst season in a decade, feature an aging core and have a major question mark in net with Connor Hellebuyck suspended for refusing to report to training camp after going public with his trade demand.
— In Dallas, aside from Robertson’s uncertain future beyond this season, might this be the last hurrah for the Stars’ stalwarts, captain Jamie Benn and forward Tyler Seguin? Benn re-signed to a one-year contract while Seguin is entering the final year of his deal. The Stars took a step back last season in being eliminated in the first round after reaching the conference finals three straight times.
On the hot seat
— It’s win-now for Predators coach Andrew Brunette, who enters the final year of his contract and with Nashville overhauling its front office. Chris MacFarland left Colorado to take over as Predators GM, with Rob Blake filling the role of executive VP of hockey operations.
— In Chicago, how much more leeway does Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson have in overseeing a team that’s finished last in the division in each of his four full seasons on the job?
— Entering his 15th season, Winnipeg’s Kevin Cheveldayoff is the NHL’s longest-active-serving general manager. He took a risk by not trading Hellebuyck in June, and may be hard-pressed to now find a team willing to take on a 33-year-old goalie with five years left on his contract with an annual $8.5 million cap hit.
Predicted order of finish
Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, Dallas, St. Louis, Nashville, Chicago, Winnipeg.
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno, and AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins, Teresa M. Walker and Dave Campbell contributed. ___
See AP’s full NHL coverage here
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
