Last year the Detroit Red Wings won the Central Division title, their 9th in 10 seasons. The way most people look at this is the Red Wings are the class of a weak division. The truth is the dominance by Detroit has forced the other four teams in the division to step up their game. Because of that the Central Division might be the toughest division in the NHL this season.
Is it still Detroit's division to lose or can one of the other teams knock them off the top? Here's my break down of the Central Division?
1. Detroit Red Wings
How They Finished: 47-25-10 104 points 1st in Central, 3rd in West. Lost in 2nd Round to San Jose.
Additions:
Mike Commodore (Columbus) Ian White (San Jose) Chris Connor (Pittsburgh) Ty Conklin (St. Louis)
Subtractions:
Derek Meech (Winnipeg) Mike Modano (Retired) Kris Draper (Retired) Chris Osgood (Retired) Brian Ralfalski (Retired)
Why They'll Succeed:
Nicklas Lidstrom returns for a 20th season.
No one player in the NHL means more to his team than Lidstrom does to Detroit. Even at 41, he skates and plays like he's 21. His presence on the blueline keeps Detroit as one of the top teams in the West.
The Red Wings also have a good group of forwards that can score. Henrik Zetteberg finished as their leading scorer with 80 points (24G, 56A). Johan Franzen led the team in goals with 28 while Dan Cleary finished 2nd with a career high 26.
Keep in mind Detroit best forward, Pavel Datsyuk, only played in 56 games last season and finished with 3rd on the team & 2nd among forwards with 59 points (23G, 36A)
Why They'll Fail:
The Red Wings had four players retire from their roster with three of them playing a prominent role on their Stanley Cup winning teams.
The retirements of Kris Draper (Four Cups) and Chris Osgood (Three Cups) were not a complete surprise. The retirement of Brian Rafalski (One Cup) was.
The task of replacing these three players will be handled by Darren Helm (Draper) Ty Conklin (Osgood) and Ian White (Rafalski)
Helm has become a regular in the last couple years while Conklin has proved himself to be a serviceable backup in the NHL. Replacing Rafalski on defense will be a little tougher.
White has had solid numbers in his career but has never shown he can be more than a number four defenseman in the NHL. The Wings are hoping that will change in Detroit & he can fill Rafalski's role.
Another concern for Red Wings fans is Jimmy Howard in goal.
Personally I like Howard in goal and I think he is going to be fine but a lot of Red Wings fans do not feel the same way. Howard doesn't give off the confidence other goaltenders do that they can steal a series. Until he does that or win a Stanley Cup he will continue to have his doubters.
Prediction:
With the four retirements the depth of the Red Wings took a big hit. Fortunately GM Ken Holland has been preparing for this the last couple years. The players mentioned above should have no problem replacing Rafalski, Draper, & Osgood.
As always with Lidstrom on the roster the Central Division is Detroit's to lose.
2. Chicago Blackhawks
How They Finished: 44-29-9 97 points 3rd in Central, 8th in West. Lost in 1st Round to Vancouver.
Additions:
Rostislav Olesz (Florida) Steve Montador (Buffalo) Jamal Mayers (San Jose) Andrew Brunette (Minnesota) Sean O'Donnell (Philadelphia) Dan Carcillo (Philadelphia) Sami Lepisto (Columbus) Brandon Segal (Dallas)
Subtractions:
Troy Brouwer (Washington) Brian Campbell (Florida) Tomas Kopecky (Florida) Jake Dowell (Dallas) Marty Turco (Free Agent) Chris Campoli (Free Agent)
Why They'll Succeed:
The core players for the Blackhawks are back for another season.
Johnathan Toews (32G, 44A) Patrick Kane (27G, 46A) & Patrick Sharp (34G, 37A) all reached the 70 point mark last season while Marian Hossa finished with 65 points (25G, 32A) all four will be counted on once again to lead the way in scoring.
In goal Corey Crawford was able to seize the job in net away from Marty Turco & never let go. Crawford finished with a record of 33-18-6 with a GAA of 2.30 and a save percentage of .917. Having him in net for a full season should only make the Blackhawks better. Of course it helps when you have one of the best defensive pairing playing in front of you.
The core of defenseman is led by Duncan Keith (7G, 38A) & Brent Seabrook (9G, 39A) Both players had down years by their standards and should bounce back strong this season.
Why They'll Fail:
The Blackhawks depth has taken a hit the last couple years because of the Salary Cap and they are still replacing players.
One of the biggest losses was Brian Campbell on defense. Campbell took a lot of grief for not living up to his contract but he finished with 5 goals & 22 assists and was a team best +28 on the ice. Chicago is hoping either Niklas Hjalmarsson or Nick Leddy can fill the void.
While the top two lines seem to be set there continues to be turnover on the bottom two lines. Andrew Brunette, Jamal Mayers & Dan Carcillo are each going to get their chance to play a role on the 3rd line.
I like the addition of Brunette, a smart hockey player and Mayers, a hard nose hockey player. I don't like the addition of Carcillo who seems to lead the league in stupidity. He is always a good bet to take a dumb penalty at the worst time.
Prediction:
Chicago is the biggest threat to Detroit in the Central Division and should be battling them for the top spot. In the end I expect them to finish 2nd and clinch a playoff spot.
3. Nashville Predators
How They Finished: 44-27-11 99 points 2nd in Central, 5th in West. Lost in 2nd Round to Vancouver.
Additions:
Brett Lebda (Toronto) Niclas Bergfors (Florida) Zach Stortini (Edmonton) Kyle Wilson (Columbus) Jack Hillen (NY Islanders) Tyler Sloan (Washington)
Subtractions:
Joel Ward (Washington) Matthew Lombardi (Toronto) Cody Franson (Toronto) Marcel Goc (Florida) Steve Sullivan (Pittsburgh) Shane O'Brien (Colorado)
Why They'll Succeed:
Last year the Predators finished 3rd in goals allowed with 190. That was due to Pekka Rinne in net and the presence of Shea Weber & Ryan Suter on defense.
Rinne was a Vezina Trophy finalist, was 33-22-9 with a GAA of 2.12 and a save percentage of .930. Weber finished tied for 2nd on the team in scoring with 48 points (16G, 32A) while Ryan Suter was team high +20 on the ice.
Another reason Nashville will be successful is because of coach Barry Trotz. Year in & Year out Trotz seems to get the most out of his roster. With Jacques Lemaire now retired Trotz might be the best coach in the NHL.
Why They'll Fail:
Somebody has to score for Nashville. Last year Sergei Kostitsyn (23G, 27A) & Martin Erat (17G, 33A) reached the 50 point mark while Patric Hornqvist (21G, 27A) was tied for 2nd with Shea Weber with 48 points.
While those are solid numbers they also are numbers you find from secondary scorers on championship rosters. Offensive numbers like that will keep you near the playoff bubble.
Having Mike Fisher for a full season will help but one thing to keep an eye on is who replaces Joel Ward and Steve Sullivan. Ward had 10 goals in the regular season but scored 7 in the playoffs. Sullivan has battled injuries the last couple years but was a productive player on the ice when he played.
Prediction:
The Predators are a hard team to play against. If their defense can take control of the game they will succeed. If they get in a shootout they are going to have their problems winning games. My guess is they will hover around the playoff bubble once again and find their way into the post-season.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
How They Finished: 34-35-13 81 points 5th in Central, 13th in West. Missed Playoffs.
Additions:
Jeff Carter (Philadelphia) James Wisniewski (Montreal) Radek Martinek (NY Islanders) Vinny Prospal (NY Rangers)
Subtractions:
Jakub Voracek (Philadelphia) Nikita Filatov (Ottawa) Scottie Upshall (Florida) Mathieu Garon (Montreal) Mike Commodore (Detroit) Jan Hedja (Colorado) Kyle Wilson (Nashville) Sami Lepisto (Chicago) Andrew Murray (San Jose) Ethan Moreau (Los Angeles)
Why They'll Succeed:
Columbus finally has the center they have been looking for.
Jeff Carter comes over from Philadelphia where he finished last season with 66 points (36G, 30A) He should fit nicely playing along side Rick Nash who led the Jackets in scoring with 66 points (32G, 34A)
The addition of Prospal gives Columbus a forward who can play the center or wing. Prospal is looking to bounce back after playing in only 29 games last season. If healthy he'll be a nice addition to the 2nd line.
On defense James Wisniewski gives Columbus a puck moving defenseman that can score. Wisniewski finished last season with 51 points (10G, 41A) playing for the Islanders & Montreal. His 51 points will be a welcome addition to the blueline.
Why They'll Fail:
Because the rest of the defense isn't that good.
Fedor Tyutin had the highest point total among defenseman with 27 (7G, 20A). What's worse is he was a team low -12 on the ice. Their best defenseman in terms of plus/minus, Sami Lepisto (+10) left as a free agent for Chicago.
The other question for Columbus is which Steve Mason are they getting. Are they getting the Steve Mason that won the Calder trophy in 2009 and led Columbus to their 1st ever playoff berth or are they getting the one that has underachieved the last couple seasons?
Prediction:
I like what the Blue Jackets have done up front by getting Carter to play with Nash. Those two are going to be fun to watch. However Columbus has a lot of work to do on the back end of their team.
Whether they get a playoff berth or not depends on the play of Mason. Playing in the Central Division makes it a more difficult path. I think Columbus is on the outside looking in.
5. St. Louis Blues
How They Finished: 38-33-11 87 points 4th in Central, 11th in West. Missed Playoffs.
Additions:
Brian Elliott (Colorado) Kent Huskins (San Jose) Brett Sterling (Pittsburgh) Scott Nichol (San Jose) Jason Arnott (Washington) Jamie Langenbrunner (Dallas) Johnathan Cheechoo (AHL)
Subtractions:
Cam Janssen (New Jersey) Ty Conklin (Detroit) Paul Kariya (Retired)
Why They'll Succeed:
The Blues battled a lot of injuries last season. By the time they were healthy they were playing catch up just missing out on a playoff spot.
One thing that will help is having Chris Stewart for a full season. Stewart came over in a trade from Colorado and finished as the 2nd leading scorer on the Blues with 28 goals & 25 assists. He'll fit nicely along side David Backes who led the team in scoring with 62 points (31G, 31A) and was a team high +32 on ice.
Jaroslav Halak returns in goal and looks to recapture his form in the 2010 playoffs. Halak was 27-21-7 with a GAA of 2.48 and a save percentage of .910. He should be a lot better in year two for St. Louis.
Why They'll Fail:
To get Stewart last year it cost St. Louis Erik Johnson. While Johnson has yet to live up to the standards of a number one draft his void on defense still has to be filled.
Alex Pieterangelo (11G, 32A) and Kevin Shattenkirk (9G, 34A) each had 43 points with Pieterangelo a +18 on the ice. While those were nice seasons I want to see each player do it again before I buy in.
Prediction:
The Blues did have a lot of roster turnover this off-season as a result of the injuries last year. Their depth may be better but I don't see any of their additions making a huge impact. My guess is the Blues miss the playoffs once again.
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