The closest race in the NHL will likely be in the Central.

The Central has been boiling with close competition in the last few seasons, and this one won’t be any different. You’ve got a Division that produced BOTH wildcard teams out of the West last year, the leagues ‘dark horse,’ and a team with two Cups in 5 years.

You should see my notes on the Central. The top three on the other 3 Divisions didn’t have many second guesses, but the Central, it took me a plethora of tries to get it where it is, and I’m still second, third, fourth guessing myself. Amongst all these scribbles and eraser marks, I think I’ve got it nailed down.

Who else but Chicago to be on top. It’s hard to bet against this team. They have everything it takes, it seems. Good goaltending (not great, but good,) solid blue line and the scoring dynamo forward core. Last years goal differential of only +49 seems low for how great this team plays. Heaven forbid this team gets a brick wall in net, they would be unstoppable. With Toews, Kaner, and Hossa locked up on contract until they can get Social Security, it’s not a secret that in the next 2 seasons they will have a serious salary cap issue. They will have 14 contracts coming to an end before the 2016-2017 season. But that’s in the future. This year, they are solid. They have what it takes to win the Division again. Not much needs to be said about the ‘hawks.

Now, this is where my picks become wonky in the eyes of most. Who is going to finish second in the Central? Col…. No, wait, St. Lo…. no. Ummm. Nashv… Ha, no. Minnesota? No, wait, YES! The Minnesota Wild will finish second in the Central. The Wild have to improve from their +1 goal differential from last year to lock up a spot in the Playoffs, but I think they are fully capable. They have 3 goalies that they can rotate out, Kuemper, Harding, and Backstrom. The big question is, will they have to? Josh Harding was diagnosed with MS in the 2012 offseason. If you are unfamiliar, MS, or multiple sclerosis, can flare up at anytime and attacks can last days, weeks, or even months. Symptoms during these attacks include reduced reflexes, disabling fatigue, blurred vision, and memory loss. If Harding were to have an attack during the season, the Wild would be limited to the 36-year-old Backstrom, and the 24-year-old Darcy Kuemper. One is arguably too old to be good, and one too young to be good. Which is why it’s good that they have a pretty good defense core, and a group of forwards who SHOULD be able to produce some great numbers this year. Along with the usual scoring leaders of Pominville, Parise, and Koivu, there will be a couple of other names to watch. After coming to Minnesota, Nino Niederreiter had a breakout year, and I expect him to maintain that pace, if not pick up some more points. He ended the season with 36 points, and I hope to see at least 45 out of him this year. The other big name I’m watching on this team is Thomas Vanek. He’s been an almost point-per-game player for a good portion of his career, and most expect him to start declining. I think he will be a very solid addition to this team. Expect at least 50 points from Vanek playing with this Wild team.

Third was another nail-biter for me. I had to go with Colorado though. The Av’s have too much talent to fail. That’s a dangerous phrase in hockey though. I mean, look at Edmonton. The Avalanche added a huge name with Jarome Iginla. Don’t get me wrong, Iggy has been one of my favorite players for a long time, and I was extremely excited to see him play with my Bruins, but I don’t think he will click as well with the Avalanche as he did in Boston. I expect to see a slight drop in his production with this change of scenery. That being said, though, he’s still going to put points up. With a top 6 that includes Iginla, Duchene, Mackinnon and Landeskog, it’s hard not to score. Their two weakest links will be their goalie depth, and their defense. Varlamov is a top 5 goalie if he repeats his performance last year, but if he’s out, they don’t have that many good options. Neither Pickard, Aittokallio, or Berra (their AHL goalies, and their backup) have performed better than a 2.50 GAA or a .905 SV%. On the blue line, you have a mild group of talent. They are definitely better than a lot of other teams defense, but they aren’t top-tier. No matter what number I look at, be it blocked shots, takeaways, hits, turnover +/-, they don’t have anyone in the top 15, sometimes top 25 of these stats. And I know, numbers don’t mean everything. Except, they do. Points are numbers, and it takes points to make it to the Playoffs. Let’s see if Colorado has what it takes this year.

Just to briefly touch on the rest of the Division, if Pekka Rinne stays healthy, Nashville might raise some eyebrows, St. Louis and Dallas will take the Wildcard spots, sorry Pacific-bros. Winnipeg, well, I think they will be Winnipeg. As much as I want them to win, I don’t think this is the year, I don’t think Pavs is the goalie.

To finish off, here is where I see the Central ending up.

Chicago – 108pts

Minnesota – 104pts

Colorado – 100pts

St. Louis – 95pts

Dallas – 94pts

Nashville – 90pts

Winnipeg – 80pts