The Central division is fascinating. There are at least three teams in which you can make a legitimate Stanley Cup case for and chances are one of them will knock the other out early in the playoffs next spring.



But how do they stack up compared to this year’s champs in Washington? In continuing our Stanley Cup blueprint series that compares every team through the lens of the Washington Capitals’ greatest strengths, the Central certainly provides comparable teams.



The full breakdown of the Capitals model, how we came up with categories and the Metropolitan division examination came in Part 1. The Atlantic was Part 2. But to distill it all down, the categories that made the Capitals a championship team are as follows:



1. Great centers



2. A game breaker



3. Offensive defensemen



4. A core hardened by the playoffs



5. Size



Here’s how every team in the Central compares:



WINNIPEG JETS



1.