NHL Offseason Review: Central Divison

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Since we’re now a little over a week into NHL Free Agency, I figured now would be a good time to review all the Central Division teams and the moves they have made for the upcoming season. I’m going to concentrate mainly on just trades and free agency and not worry about the draft, mostly because I’m not exactly up to date on the Swedish junior leagues and whatnot. I don’t plan on starting now. Most of these kids are years away from making it to the NHL, anyway.

Colorado Avalanche

We’ll start with the team that finished last in the Central last year: the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are in full rebuild mode and aren’t planning on winning anytime soon. But, when the big newcomers to your team are Colin Wilson and Nail Yakupov, you know the fans are gearing up for another long season.

Listen, I liked Wilson with the Preds, but he was drafted 7th overall and never lived up to expectations. Sure, he had his moments, but he could never shake the Playoff Colin Wilson nickname and put it together for a full season. If Wilson is a disappointment, don’t get me started on Yakupov.

Drafted 1st overall by the Oilers and dude has been a head case since he got to the league. This will be his third team in his career after being traded to the Blues last season. He obviously didn’t impress there, since they let him go after one year of being scratched. There’s also that whole failing to trade Matt Duchene thing. Joe Sakic is wanting an absolute haul for the center. Last I heard the asking price for Duchene was an established NHL D-man under 25, two top prospects, and a first rounder. That is NEVER going to happen. Have to wonder how this will affect the locker room since it’s obvious Colorado no longer wants Duchene.

Winnipeg Jets

Next up, the Winnipeg Jets. I’ll be honest, I had to look up the moves that the Jets made so far. None of them stood out to me. Apparently, they signed Steve Mason (meh) and Dmitry Kulikov, and decent defenseman, but nothing to write home about. The best thing the Jets have going for them is Patrik Laine. The kid can flat out put the puck in the net. He also happens to look like an Eastern European serial killer. Winnipeg will obviously be leaning on him heavily if they hope to make it back into the playoffs.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars: Damn, the Stars made a lot of aggressive moves. After being one of the top teams in the West two seasons ago, they fell apart and missed the playoffs altogether this year. Management was on a freaking mission to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

They went out and traded for Ben Bishop to shore up their goaltending, traded for Marc Methot who is no fun to play against, and then signed Martin Hanzal and Alex Radulov to add to their already lethal offense. I really wanted the Preds to make a run at Hanzal, but it didn’t happen. Radulov is a little bit of a risk with a five-year deal given his history. It’ll be interesting to see if he finishes that contract with Dallas or runs back to the KHL again. Regardless, Rads and Ken Hitchcock should be a blast to watch this year. That’s prime-time TV right there.

Minnesota Wild

Moving on to the State of Hockey, the Minnesota Wild. The Wild were on an absolute tear for most of the season, and then slumped into the playoffs. Devan Dubnyk cooled off finally, and started playing like he did when he was with the Preds, which was not good. By the way, I still hold a grudge against him for being so terrible with the Preds. Couple that with the offense forgetting that the puck is supposed to go in the net, and you have a recipe for disaster.

The only real notable move they made was trading Pominville and Scandella to Buffalo for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno. A decent trade, but not sure if that move will propel them into a deep playoff run for the upcoming season.

St. Louis Blues

Now, to the second Central Division rival the Preds took care of in the playoffs, the St. Louis Blues. Another year, another relatively early playoff exit for the Blues. St. Louis always seems to be at the top of the league and then fizzle out in the playoffs. This year, they somehow sneaked by the Wild in a series they won 4-1, thanks in a large part to Jake Allen. I know they won 4-1, but it seems like the Wild gave them everything they could handle. If not for a few timely goals and Jake Allen absolutely standing on his head, it could have been a different series completely.

Then, the second round and Pekka Rinne happened. The Blues knew they needed to add some offense and traded for Brayden Schenn and dumped Ryan Reaves to the Penguins. I like those moves. They should be another force in the West this year.

Chicago Blackhawks

Everyone’s favorite team to hate is up next, the Chicago Blackhawks. By now, everyone has heard what happened in the playoffs. PEKKA RINNE WHOOPED THAT ASS. The Preds dominated the Blackhawks and I’m pretty sure they drove Stan Bowman insane in the process, and every bit of that sentence is glorious.

Bowman shocked everyone in the league by trading Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona for Connor Murphy and Laurent Dauphin, in what has to be a salary dump. Bowman wasn’t done yet though.

Literally a few minutes later, he traded Artemi Panarin and Tyler Motte to Columbus for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg. Honestly, I don’t see the net gain here. Yes, Saad is a great player, but he also let Panarin go in the process, so to me that’s kind of a wash. Forsberg is a decent goalie prospect, so there’s that. The other notable move was bringing Patrick Sharp back in the fold. Only problem is he has a lot more wear and tear on him since he was last playing for Chicago.

I also have to mention Marian Hossa, who it looks like has played his last game due to an allergy that has flared up preventing him from wearing his hockey pads. If this is the last we’ve seen from Hossa, congrats on a Hall of Fame career. Even though he was a Blackhawk, I always enjoyed watching him play.

Nashville Predators

Finally, on to the Western Conference Champions (that will never get old), the Nashville Predators. The Preds are coming into this season fresh off a historic run. They came within two wins of hoisting the Cup. Poile knows this team is just a few key pieces away, so not much was needed this offseason.

Poile went out and signed Nick Bonino to a four-year deal to add to the center depth, and brought back fan favorite Scott Hartnell to play 4th line minutes and add a little pop to the power play. We’re also still waiting to hear if Mike Fisher will retire or not.

If he retires, Bonino steps right in to Fish’s old spot and if he’s back, that’s even more center depth, which the playoffs showed you can never have enough of. Obviously, the Preds will be counting even more on their younger guys like Kevin Fiala, Colton Sissons, Pontus Aberg, and Frederick Gaudreau to take the next step in their development this year. If they can do that, there’s no reason not to believe the Preds can’t make another run.

That’s it for the offseason review. Most of the moves that are going to be made have been made by now, but if something happens and a big trade goes down, I’ll be right here with my reaction.

Herbie Brooks is the Lead Hockey Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B

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