Way too early power rankings for the Central Division

3. St. Louis Blues

The Blues still look a lot like the 2019 Stanley Cup champions, and that is a reason to be optimistic. The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs did not go well for St. Louis, but with some extra time off following a deep run the season before, the Blues should be in position to have success again in during the 2020-21 season.

The headline this offseason has, of course, been the departure of captain Alex Pietrangelo. He was replaced on the blueline by Torey Krug, which was a fantastic add for St. Louis. As good as Krug is, though, there is a void left by Pietrangelo, and that will be an area to keep an eye on.

Also worth watching will be Jordan Binnington, who struggled a bit last year after taking the NHL by storm in route to a championship in 2019. Jake Allen is no longer behind him, so it will be important for Binnington to bounce back from a disaster of a postseason, in which he was 0-5-0 with an .851 Save Percentage and a 4.72 Goals Against Average.

Ouch.

This is the lowest team in these power rankings that I am sure will qualify for the Playoffs. The question for the Blues will be what seed can they earn, and will they return to winning ways in the postseason.

2. Dallas Stars

The Stars will enter the 2020-21 season as the reigning Western Conference champions. The problem with that is that consecutive deep runs in the NHL are difficult to come by.

With that being said, the Stars have the roster to compete again in the Central Division. I have repeated this in past articles and in conversations with friends: this offense should be better than it is, yet I continue to want more. If the offense can look like it did in the series against the Avalanche a few months ago, this team could be the best in the Central, if not the Western Conference.

Even with only a modest offensive output, the defense in Dallas is elite and will keep the Stars at the top of the standings. A healthy Ben Bishop and another solid season from Anton Khudobin will give this team one of the best goalie tandems in the league in a year where tandems seem as though they will be vital.

When this team isn’t firing on all cylinders, it is still hard to beat, but when it is firing on all cylinders, it is elite. Recent history suggests that the offense isn’t there consistently, but this is still one of the best teams in the Central.