2022-23 Central Division Preview
The NHL season is almost underway, and here’s a preview of the central division. The Central division is home to the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche are the “top dogs” among the Central division, as they put up a 119-point season last year. The Avalanche look to repeat their historic season and put up back-to-back 100-point seasons.
Their competition this year consists of the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Arizona Coyotes.
The Central division will be a competitive race this year. Last Season, the Avalanche, the Wild, and the Blues all had 100+ point seasons.
So, there will be some fighting at the top of the division. The Blues are not far off from a Stanley cup championship team.
The Blues won the cup in 2019 when they defeated the Boston Bruins in an epic seven-game series. Since that victory, the Blues have remained a playoff team and have the talent to make a second run for their franchise's second cup.
Similar to the Blues, The Wild are coming off a 113-point season.
The Wild are one of the best teams in the league. They’re led by their star 25-year-old Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov is coming off a 100-point season and is trying to assert his name as one of the top superstars in this league.
To do so, he will have to show that he can compete and defeat the best. To beat the Avalanche and beat their star player Nathan MacKinnon, The Wild will rely heavily on Kirill Kaprizov to boost their squad and send them deep into the playoffs.
The Stars, Predators, and Jets will all look to have a good season and try to find an opening in the playoffs. These teams are not quite like the Avalanche, Wild, and Blues, but they are still competitive enough to obtain a playoff spot.
The Blackhawks and the Coyotes are two of the worst teams in the NHL. The Blackhawks are coming off a dominant run and are trying to rebuild what they once had.
The Coyotes, on the other hand, are lost. They need to have a better season this year. If they ever want to get out of being looked at as one of the weakest links in the NHL, the Coyotes need to have a positive season or else their franchise is in some serious trouble.
Max Savitt is a second-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email mrs6929@psu.edu
