Mile High Sticking Central Division Power Rankings — Preseason Debut!
Mar 12, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) shoots the puck against Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) in the first period at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Power rankings! Everybody loves them, and nobody agrees with them. A new feature this season on Mile High Sticking will be the Central Division Power Rankings, updated weekly.
The Central Division was the best in hockey last season. and with the likes of Jarome Iginla, Paul Stastny, Jason Spezza, and Brad Richards finding new homes within the division, it isn’t likely to get any easier.
This week’s power rankings are a representation of how I think the teams will finish this season. Without further ado, pull up your britches, straighten your reading glasses, and let’s do this thang!
1. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
May 18, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates with the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during game one of the Western Conference Final of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Blackhawks first order of business this off-season was to ensure that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews would be playing hockey in the Windy City for a very long time. Mission Accomplished. Chicago invested $168M into the star fowards, locking each of them up for the next decade.
Chicago has been an NHL powerhouse for a while now, capturing Stanley Cup titles in 2010 and 2013. Last season the Hawks fell to the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Final, in what many claimed to be the series that actually decided who would take home the Stanley Cup. Expect the Hawks to come back hungry this season.
Last Season: 107 pts – 3rd in Division – Lost Western Conference Final
Prediction: 113 pts
Team Strength: Balance
The Blackhawks have one of the best two-way centers in the game in Toews, and Patrick Kane is an explosive play-maker on the wing. These guys are elite gamechangers. Beyond their two superstars, Chicago boasts incredible depth throughout their lineup. Patrick Sharp has always been a player I’ve coveted, and he excels at providing secondary scoring for Chicago. The Hawks were second in the NHL in scoring last season, averaging 3.18 goals per game.
Their defense is fantastic as well. The group is led by the smooth Duncan Keith, and hard-nosed Brent Seabrook. Keith led the Hawks with ridiculous 55 assists in 71 games last season. That’s nearly unheard of from the defense position, unless your name is Ray Bourque or Bobby Orr. The Hawks allowed a mere 2.58 goals per game last season, good for 12th in the NHL.
Goaltender Corey Crawford doesn’t get a lot of the headlines that some of the other goalies on the top teams in the league receive, however, he has proven to be a very reliable and steady goaltender. The Hawks have rode Crawford to a Stanley Cup before, and they seem primed to do it again.
Team Weakness: Salary cap
The Blackhawks were forced to trade away Nick Leddy to the NY Islanders this weekend to gain some cap relief. The Hawks have less than a million dollars in cap space, which in this instance cost them a solid defenseman. Leddy wasn’t one of their elite guys, but he still scored 7 goals and posted 31 assists in 82 games last season. A solid contributer for sure on the back-end.
This also could limit Chicago when the trade deadline arrives, if they look to add that final key ingredient to their postseason recipe.
2. ST. LOUIS BLUES
Sep 25, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Cody Goloubef (29) checks St. Louis Blues center Paul Stastny (26) off the puck during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The St. Louis Blues added a shiny new toy to their arsenal, and his toothless grin should be familiar to Avs fans. Paul Stastny signed a 4-year $28M dollar contract to leave the Mile High City, where he has played hockey for the past ten seasons (2 at Denver University and 8 with the Avalanche), and join the rival Blues.
Stastny most likely saw the writing on the wall in Denver. With Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene in the fold, he wasn’t likely to hold on to his top-2 center-man role for much longer. He was born in St. Louis, and they gave him 28 million reasons to sign in the city with the arch, but it still stings a bit that he went to a direct rival.
Stastny has never been a player who can do it on his own, but he is a fantastic complimentary piece, and makes his line-mates better. The Blues have some talented young wingers such as TJ Oshie, Alexander Steen, and Vladimir Tarasenko. If Stastny can facilitate for these guys, it could really boost the Blues offense, which dried up at the end of last season.
Last Season: 111 pts – 2nd in Division – Lost first round
Prediction: 108 pts
Team Strength: Toughness
The Blues are a difficult team to play against. As far as their skill guys are concerned, David Backes and TJ Oshie like to get into it more than most. The Blues also made a point to go out and acquire a bunch of not-so-likeable guys to spruce up their roster. Guys like Maxim Lapierre, Steve Ott, and Ryan Reaves.
The Blues gameplan tends to be to try and intimidate their opponent and really get into their head. Once they accomplish that, they have enough skill to put a few goals on the board, while their opponents are busy worrying about how much the Blues antics pissed them off.
Like the Blackhawks, the Blues also have excellent team balance, ranking in the top 10 in both goals scored and goals allowed last season.
Team Weakness: Handling expectations
The Blues, by most accounts have reached that elite level of NHL teams, but when it comes time to play like an elite team, they haven’t shown up. St. Louis is built to win. They have a big, tough, talented group of forwards. Their defense is solid, let by Alex Pietrangelo (the guy who made Erik Johnson expendable), and offensive whiz Kevin Shattenkirk.
Last season the Blues acquired what they thought was going to be the final piece of the puzzle, Ryan Miller. However Miller was very average in his time with a note on his sweater, and the Blues went completely flat in the final two weeks of the regular season. They found their footing somewhat in the playoffs, but still couldn’t take out Chicago.
This year, the Blues are rolling with Brian Elliott as their starting goaltender. Elliott has been good since arriving in St. Louis, but he had some pretty rough seasons in years prior. If Elliott struggles, the Blues may slip into the middle of the pack in the Central, and again face a tough opponent in the first round of the playoffs.
3. COLORADO AVALANCHE
Sep 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Jarome Iginla (12) controls the puck in the second period against the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Avalanche took the NHL by force last season, amassing 112 points and a Central Division banner. The Avs were led by elite goaltending from Semyon Varlamov, and an explosive offense let by the youthfully exuberant core of Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, and Ryan O’Reilly. Nathan MacKinnon was the biggest addition to the lineup from the prior season, and he didn’t disappoint. MacKinnon was electric, and took home the Calder trophy as the league’s top rookie.
Heading into this season, the Avalanche have experts all over the place as far as how they will finish. Some cite the Avs poor shot ratios from last season as a sign they will regress to a bubble playoff team. Others grasp on to those stats so tightly, they have the Avs falling out of the playoff picture entirely. Then you have some who say, eh, the supporting stats aren’t there, but this team is young and bound to keep improving. They have loads of talent up front, which should continue their trajectory to the upper echelon of the league.
The Avalanche went out and signed veteran sniper and power forward Jarome Iginla to a three-year deal this offseason. Iginla will be expected to come in and score goals, but also seems to be a perfect mentor for the young Gabe Landeskog. Will be interesting to see how much Iggy has left in the tank. The Avs also acquired the aging Daniel Briere and Brad Stuart. These are players with big reputations, but their play has slipped of late. If the Avs can squeeze the last of the juice out of these guys, it will improve their D and bottom six scoring depth – two major weaknesses from last season.
Last Season: 112 pts – 1st in Division – Lost first round
Prediction: 105 pts
Team Strength: Belief
When the Avalanche brought in Patrick Roy, they were a team that had been floundering for several years. Roy instantly brought back a winning mentality and culture to the squad, and got the players to buy into believing they were a good hockey team. The “why not us” catchphrase last season was cheesy, sure, but it represented a huge change in attitude for the Avs. They started to believe in themselves, and Roy implemented a style and system that gave the team confidence.
The Avs often got called lucky, because of their knack for scoring dramatic late goals, and because they often lost the shot battle, but won the game. I feel that the Avs made a lot of their own luck, because they really bought in to the belief that they can win, and are never out of any game.
Team Weakness: Defense
The Avalanche have some solid pieces in place, and are actually really close to having a pretty darn good defense. Unfortunately, holes still exist. Jan Helda’s game slipped quite a bit last season. He was statistically the worst Avalanche player at getting the puck out of the defensive zone. Brad Stuart was brought in to replace Hejda on the top pairing with Erik Johnson. Stuart’s game hasn’t been all that great either the past couple of seasons. Long story short, EJ is a stud, but the Avs still don’t have that reliable partner in crime for him on the top pairing.
The Avs second pairing of Tyson Barrie and Nick Holden actually looks like a really fun little duo. Both guys have a knack for jumping into the play on offense, and also have the skating and passing ability to exit the d-zone. With good usage, this pairing has potential to be one of the league’s best second pairs.
The third pairing is interesting. Hejda looks to have one spot, and the other spot seems a bit up in the air. I really like Zach Redmond, but it seems like Roy really has an affinity for Nate Guenin. A Hejda/Redmond pairing is servicable, but a Hejda/Guenin pairing is flat out scary. Ryan Wilson is a huge wild-card, and his play of late seems to be super volatile.
4. DALLAS STARS
Sep 29, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) and left wing Jamie Benn (14) celebrate Seguins third goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Seguin has a hat trick in the game. The Stars defeated the Panthers 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Stars are somewhat of a dark horse to really make some noise in the Central this season. They actually have a lot of similarities to the Avalanche. Both have a dynamic top-six, relatively unknown and underwhelming defenses, and a goaltender who has shown flashes of elite play, but still isn’t mentioned among the game’s elite backstops.
The Stars duo of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn is going to be a pleasure to watch, and terror to play against this season. Seguin scored 84 points in 80 games last season, good for fourth in the NHL. Benn was no slouch either finishing with 79 points, giving Dallas a pair of scorers in the top ten of the league. Only Anaheim could boast the same feat.
The problem Dallas had last season, is Benn and Seguin’s combined 71 goals accounted for over 30% of the team’s scoring. Dallas really didn’t have a great wave of secondary scoring, yet still managed to be a playoff team. In the off-season the Stars were aggressive, and signed Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. Spezza is an especially good score, and will ensure that Benn and Seguin aren’t the Lone Stars on the team this upcoming season. Spezza is only 31, and has averaged over a point a game over his career. His presence alone will give the stars another dangerous scoring line.
Last Season: 91 pts – Wildcard – Lost first round
Prediction: 104 pts
Team Strength: Under the radar
The Central Division is stacked this season, and the Stars are a team that may get overlooked a bit on the schedule. St. Louis and Chicago are teams everyone gets up for, and the Avs are the reigning champs and full of young big names. If Dallas can take advantage of a few games where teams may not bring their A+ game it could net them a few critical points towards their end of year seed.
Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby recently called Jamie Benn the most underrated player in the NHL, and Tyler Seguin is a guy you don’t hear too much about, yet he finished fourth in the league in scoring. The Stars are extremely dangerous, and yet they still seem to have the element of surprise on their side.
Team Weakness: The division of death
This is true for every team in the Central, but I feel like it really hurts the Stars. These guys could seriously contend for a division title in either Eastern Conference division, and considering the Kings don’t always post huge point totals in the regular season would probably have a shot at the Pacific too. The Central is going to be a dogfight this year, and while Dallas is no poodle, it’s going to be an uphill battle earning respect in this division.
5. MINNESOTA WILD
Sep 29, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise (11) looks on during the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Penguins 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Wild. They play in the great state of hockey, yet since they joined the league in 1997 they have never been able to call themselves an elite team. The Wild went out and spent $196 million dollars on Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in the summer of 2012, with hopes that the pair could elevate the team to that elite status. The plan hasn’t worked.
The Wild are a very good team, and have a dynamic young Finnish forward who goes by the moniker of Mikael Grandlund. Avs fans will remember the beautiful overtime goal he scored in last year’s playoff series. The Wild have a reputation of being a clog the ice trap style of team, who is boring to watch and play against. While they have incorporated a more fluid and aggressive style to an extent of late, they still are a team that returns to their roots. They were able to effectively shut down the Avalanche through the neutral zone, and take control of that series.
In round two, the Blackhawks showed that the Wild still aren’t a top team. Although they bested the Avs in the playoffs, I don’t think the Wild have the offensive weapons to keep up with Colorado or Dallas this season. St. Louis does what Minnesota tries to do better, and Chicago is in a class of their own.
Last Season: 98 pts – Wildcard – Lost second round
Prediction: 94 pts
Team Strength: Ryan Suter
Suter is the most relied upon player in the NHL. He averaged 29 minutes and 24 seconds of ice time per game last season – a full 2 minutes and 20 seconds more than the closest competition. The Wild use Suter in all situations – even-strength, penalty killing, power play, and he excels in all areas.
The Wild defense is pretty pedestrian and maybe even below average, but the fact that Suter is able to play a half an hour a night really hides a lot of their depth issues on the blueline. MVP goes to players who post gaudy stats, but I really think that Suter is the player that is most critical to his team’s success.
Team Weakness: Goaltending
The Wild used five goaltenders last season, but looked to be getting stud Josh Harding back this year. Harding was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a couple years back, and missed significant time last season. He decided to break his foot kicking a wall this off-season, so he isn’t in the mix to see time in net for the Wild any time soon.
The Wild will roll with the duo of Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Keumper this season. Backstrom was below the 0.900 save percentage line last season in 21 games, and Keumper is relatively unproven. Things may work out, but the Wild certainly are shaky in their goaltending situation heading into the season.
6. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Sep 29, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
When he is on his game, Pekka Rinne is one of the premier goalies in the NHL. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2011 and 2012, but last season he found himself a couch sitter of the year finalist. Rinne underwent arthroscopic hip surgery last May, and the hip became infected early last season. Rinne missed the majority of the year, and when he did return he wasn’t his usual self.
A full offseason of health and training may have been enough to get Rinne back to elite form, and if the Predators want any shot at claiming a wildcard playoff position from this division, Pekka is going to need to return to Vezina caliber form.
Nashville lacks elite scoring options among their forwards, but do boast a blueline full of star power. Shea Webber has one of the hardest slap-shots in the NHL, and is very tough to play against in his own end. Roman Josi is one of the underrated young players in the game, and Seth Jones is another youngster full of promise. Jones is a guy many predicted the Avalanche would take when they landed the first overall pick last spring, before the Avs decided MacKinnon was their guy.
Last Season: 88 pts – Missed Playoffs
Prediction: 84 pts
Team Strength: Defensive weapons
The predators are equipped with a lot of talented players on their blueline. Weber, Jones, Josi, and Ryan Ellis give them a top-four that many teams in this league would trade their own top-four defenseman for. For whatever reason though last season, the Preds weren’t their usual stingy selves on the defensive end. Nashville gave up 2.84 goals per game, ranking them 23rd in the NHL in that dept.
Honorable mention for team strength is having Carrie Underwood in the stands! I’m a huge fan!
Team Weakness: Loss of identity
Barry Trotz was the man behind the bench in Nashville for their entire existence, until he was fired after least season. Peter Laviolette takes over this year. The Predators had a reputation as a hard nosed team, who got a lot out of a little from their roster, with much of the credit going to Trotz. It is very possible that a new voice will benefit the team, but their still isn’t a lot of talent for Laviolette to work with.
7. WINNIPEG JETS
Mar 31, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler (26) attempts a shot against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period at Honda Center. The Anaheim Ducks won in overtime with a final score of 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Who was the leading scorer for the Winnipeg Jets last season? If you guessed Blake Wheeler, you win a fabulous prize. Just blink your eyes three times, hold out your hands, and shout out “the universe rifles a prize into my outstretched hands” in your best Doc Emrick voice. Hmmm, didn’t work? Well sorry, we’re still working the kinks out on that prize teleportation system.
The Jets have payed homage to their time in Atlanta, and struggled to win games since relocating to the True North. Evander Kane is probably the biggest name on the roster, but he had a rough season last year scoring only 41 points in 63 games.
Last Season: 84 pts – Missed Playoffs
Prediction: 78 pts
Team Strength: Headed for the draft lottery
The Avalanche found out, the best way to quickly improve your roster is score a few top five draft selections. Winnipeg has a roster that just might be capable of accomplishing that next season, especially if the Central Division proves to be as brutal as advertised. Sure, you want to play for pride, but this team is starving for talent. A truly disastrous season may be the best thing for them long term. Best case, I think the Jets are within shouting distance of the playoff race throughout March, but don’t ever have a legitimate shot at making it.
Team Weakness: Ondrej Pavelec
Pavelec is one of the worst starting goaltenders in the NHL. He posted a 3.01 GAA, and 0.901 save percentage last season, and in interviews was often quick to blame the team around him and his defense for giving up too many chances. I heard several Jets fans lament his attitude, and wish he would have held himself a bit more accountable for his performance.