Who are the contenders, pretenders in the Central Division?

Minnesota Wild

If this discussion doesn’t scream Minnesota Wild, I’m not sure what does. There may not be a single NHL team that has more often found itself walking this contender versus pretender line over the last decade or so.

Minnesota almost always makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs but almost never wins a series. That feels like it could be the case once again in 2023.

I think the Wild have a solid roster, and this isn’t a club that appears to be going anywhere any time soon, but it also doesn’t feel like it’s one that can challenge for the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Most of what this team does is good but not great, and the weaknesses that it does have are not masked, as Minnesota is not great in any category.

This isn’t a bad team, but it’s not a contender.

Nashville Predators

This is hard for me because I have tried to remain optimistic when it comes to the Nashville Predators. Like the Wild, the Preds have underachieved for quite some time, as their rosters never quite seem to fully live up to expectations.

Nashville has a real chance at qualifying for the postseason, but I don’t expect the team to pose much of a threat. I had one stipulation when I previously praised this team as having contender potential, but I believe that that ship has sailed.

As long as head coach John Hynes is still behind the bench, the Predators will not be a threat in the playoffs. Seeing as we’re nearly to the end of February, I don’t see a coaching change in Nashville’s near future. As a result, the Preds are pretenders.

St. Louis Blues

I had high hopes for the St. Louis Blues coming into the season, but the 2022-2023 campaign has been a struggle for the 2019 Stanley Cup champions.

Goaltender Jordan Binnington has been wildly inconsistent, face of the franchise Vladimir Tarasenko was traded to the New York Rangers, and captain Ryan O’Reilly was shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There have been rumors that the Blues are interested in acquiring Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks, which deviates drastically from the message they’ve sent by trading away two key players. Regardless, this is not a team that can win this spring.

Colorado Avalanche

The defending Stanley Cup champions have taken some time to find their form this season, and even as of late February, the Colorado Avalanche are still nowhere near healthy.

Still, the Avs are in the playoff picture, which speaks to how dangerous this group is even when it’s not at full strength. If that’s any indication of how lethal they’ll be when healthy, there are no teams in the West that will want to see Colorado in the playoffs.

Goals have been surprisingly difficult to come by for the Avalanche this season, so I’d like to see that addressed at the trade deadline. Either way, you can’t count out the reigning champions, and that makes this squad a contender.

Dallas Stars

If you would have asked me in October whether or not I thought the Dallas Stars would have a shot at the Cup, I would have said no without thinking twice about it. However, Dallas has lived at the top of the Central standings and cannot be ignored.

To me, their ability to be dangerous in the playoffs lies with veteran players like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin that have underachieved in past postseasons. If you’ll recall, the one time those players did not underachieve, the Stars reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2020.

I’m not totally sold on Benn and others continuing to produce at the level that they have so far, but at this point, they’ve already defied my thinking, and if they continue to do so, Dallas could be one of the favorites in the Western Conference.

Winnipeg Jets

I view the Winnipeg Jets in exactly the same way that I do the Stars. The difference is that Winnipeg’s ability to be a contender in the spring hinges on the defense continuing to step up rather than the offense.

Defenseman Josh Morrissey has been outstanding for the Jets this season on the blue line. His 59 points rank second among Jets skaters, and he leads the team in assists with 48. His ability to maintain that production will be critical for Winnipeg in the postseason.

In addition, goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has bounced back in a big way after an underwhelming 2021-2022 season. He’s spent his career proving that he can steal games, and if he gets support from both the offense and the defense, there’s no reason the Jets can’t contend.