The 2022-23 NHL season is fast approaching, and the league has seen some big shakeups this offseason. The Central Division enjoyed some particular success last season, as the Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche hailed from the Western Conference division. The team made some significant changes (and lost some big pieces) this offseason, and the rest of the teams in the division have seen a bit of a shakeup as well. Ahead of the October puck drop, we take a look at the Central Division’s changes and things to watch.
Arizona Coyotes
Embroiled in controversy and issues surrounding the club’s arena for the 2022-23 NHL season, the Yotes were nevertheless relatively busy this offseason. They lost Phil Kessel to the Vegas Golden Knights but picked up Zack Kassian from the Edmonton Oilers and also inked Connor Geekie in July. They signed Lawson Crouse to a five-year deal and, though there are still questions surrounding Jakob Chychrun’s willingness to stay on the roster, they still have a young team that has some flashes of offensive talent. All that said, it’s unlikely that they made enough changes to make the playoffs or rise from the bottom of this division.
Chicago Blackhawks
Big changes happened in the Windy City, as the rebuild is in full swing. The 2022-23 NHL season sees the club losing forward Alex DeBrincat in a trade, and the rumors surrounding Patrick Kane will not quit. With a huge Seth Jones contract on the books and a bunch of prospects on the pipeline, the Hawks will likely maintain a low spot in the division and conference. Look for them to miss the playoffs again this campaign, though they may improve slightly.
Colorado Avalanche
The Stanley Cup winners lost Nazem Kadri, Darcy Kuemper and Andre Burakovsky in free agency, but made some moves of their own. Specifically, the Avs replaced Kuemper with former Rangers netminder Alexandar Georgiev, who can potentially take this opportunity as a starter to shine this 2022-23 NHL season. They also re-signed Andrew Cogliano, Josh Manson and Artturi Lehkonen, three trade deadline signings that were instrumental in the club’s playoff success. If the Georgiev signing pays off, look for this team–led by Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog–to enjoy another strong year.
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Dallas Stars
Major questions surrounding huge contracts on the Stars’ payroll, including Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, who have not been as productive as their nearly $10 million cap hits would expect them to be. What’s more, the team lost blue liner John Klingberg, who took the lead on the power play, in free agency. They made relatively small transactions this summer, including signing Will Butcher and Mason Marchment, so it seems unlikely that they’ll make the playoffs for the 2022-23 NHL season. Look for them to be on the outside looking in for yet another campaign.
Minnesota Wild
Big changes happened in the Wild crease, as the club dealt Cam Talbot just days after signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a contract extension. Like the Coyotes and the Stars, the Wild have made only minor acquisitions in the offseason, but there’s one key difference in the rosters: the Wild have offensive dynamo Kirill Kaprizov to rely on and enjoyed some relative success last season with only Kirill the Thrill as the only big name on the roster, so they can reasonably be expected to make the playoffs again, or just narrowly miss them, for the 2022-23 NHL season.
Nashville Predators
After signing Filip Forsberg, the team’s all-time points leader, to an eight-year contract, the Preds stayed relatively busy with signings this offseason. They seemed to be missing one key piece last season and just narrowly missed the playoffs but, with superstar goaltender Juuse Saros leading the way, adding Nino Niederreiter could have been the key to some playoff success for the 2022-23 NHL season. They are solid on all aspects of the roster and could finally reap the benefits of a relatively fast rebuild.
St. Louis Blues
The Vladimir Tarasenko offseason drama seems to have finally quelled, but that doesn’t stop the speculation in St. Louis. The club lost goaltender Ville Husso in the offseason, leaving Jordan Bennington, who had his own share of struggles last campaign, as the starter for the 2022-23 NHL season. They showed faith in some key pieces, though, resigning both Robert Thomas and Nick Leddy to significant contract extensions. They’ve lost to the Colorado Avalanche in two straight playoffs, in the first and then the second rounds, so they’ll likely be looking to prove themselves this season.
Winnipeg Jets
Question marks surround the Jets’ roster as they head into the 2022-23 NHL season. After coach Paul Maurice left abruptly last season, the Jets named Rick Bowness the club’s new head coach, and resigned Mason Appleton after losing him in the expansion draft and then getting him back at the trade deadline. Andrew Copp also left to play in Detroit and, though Mark Schiefele seems to regret his end-of-year comments that spurred tons of speculation about his future with the club, he did note that losing Copp was a tough blow for him. They’ll likely still rely heavily on netminder Connor Hellebuyck and Schiefele to carry the team, though that may not be enough to secure them a playoff spot.
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