Well, the 2023-24 NHL season is rapidly approaching and plenty of questions need to be answered for the Central teams. While every team has questions, these are the most pressing.
Arizona Coyotes: Is this team ready to ascend in the standings?
The Coyotes have been the punching bag for the NHL and fans for years. Need to clear cap space? Call the Coyotes. Need a forward at the trade deadline? Call the Coyotes. Need 2 points? Coyotes are on the schedule. Well, the Coyotes are run by Bill Armstrong now and are beginning to come out of their decade-long rebuild that wunderkind John Chayka couldn't accomplish. The Coyotes were laughed at for becoming co-tenants at Arizona State's Mullett Arena, but the Yotes were six games over .500 at their new small home arena. They have a a legit star with Clayton Keller, as he outscored Steven Stamkos and Auston Matthews. They acquired Jason Zucker in free agency and traded for Sean Durzi before convincing Logan Cooley to leave college; Armstrong is building the Coyotes into a solid organization. Is Karel Vejmelka a legit Number 1 goalie? We'll find out if the Coyotes can play their first playoff games since 2020.
Chicago Blackhawks: How much pressure will be on Bedard?
Now that Connor Bedard is in Chicago, GM Kyle Davidson immediately grabbed former top overall pick Taylor Hall and Corey Perry, but how much pressure will be on Bedard? After mentioning Hall and Perry, there still isn't much in Chicago, but will that increase or decrease the pressure on their top overall generational pick? Bedard knows he will be the show and selling out everywhere he goes - especially north of the border. Sometimes, it's liberating knowing that it's all on you, but that can also end up driving him crazy if the puck isn't going in. Hall will be able to mentor him on the ups and downs of being a number one pick - after all, it's second nature to him with all the top overall picks he played with - but Chicago will find some support for him.
Colorado Avalanche: Are they still as dominant as they were?
I know it sounds like a stupid question when your roster features Nate MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen, but are they still as dominant? The Avs mystic was tarnished a little when the Seattle Kraken knocked them out in Game 7 at home, the first time an expansion team was victorious in their first series against a defending Stanley Cup Champ. Though he has some critics, Alexander Georgiev was solid in net for the Avalanche. His .919 save % was among the league's best, and his 62 games played shattered his career high of 34 games previously with the Rangers. He may have been a little gassed by the time the playoffs came around, but he should turn out another solid season in the Avs net. So what's the problem? Well, secondary scoring. The Avs got a good season out of JT Compher (52 points) and Evan Rodrigues (39 points), and both are gone. Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton replaced them. Johansen will be expected to fill the role vacated by Compher, but can he? Despite a resurgence in 2022-23, Johansen hasn't produced as well as he had in his Columbus days - and likely still won't. Plus, there's the matter of Devon Toews's contract expiring at the end of the season and what the Avs and Joe Sakic will do there. Re-sign him or move him and hope Bowen Byron can step up?
Dallas Stars: Can they meet expectations?
After Pete DeBoer came in and immediately found the potential the Stars had lacked since their Cinderella run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals. DeBoer cut down the goals against from 244 to 3rd in the league with 215, beating out defensive stalwarts like the Islanders and Rangers. However, there was plenty of offense deep in the heart of Texas. Jason Robertson notched 109 points, and Jamie Benn returned to the 30-goal mark for the first time in five years. Roopé Hintz was electric in the playoffs as he outpaced Connor McDavid for two rounds. There are many lofty expectations for the Stars, and the SKY IS THE LIMIT. Can Miro Heiskenen finally take home a Norris Trophy? Can Jake Oettinger win a Vezina trophy? Can they bring home the franchise's 2nd Stanley Cup this year? After adding Matt Duchene and his 56 points to their roster, Dallas could feature the best top 9 in the NHL. Now they have to endure 82 games and 16 playoff wins. Can they do it, or will Jamie Benn take a major in Game 3 and kill their chance to return to the Finals?
Minnesota Wild: Can this team win a playoff round?
It's hard to believe that the Minnesota Wild have been as good as they have been while dealing with almost $14m in cap penalties from buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, but they've posted back-to-back 100-point seasons, and last year's 103 followed up their franchise-best 113. The problem is that this team is stuck. After finishing 2nd in the Central in 2022, the Wild went down to the St Louis Blues in 6 games. Last season, they faced the Dallas Stars and took 2 of the first three games, but the Stars wouldn't lose another game in the series and sent them home without a playoff series win AGAIN. The Wild haven't gone to the Second Round since 2015 (4th longest in the NHL right now), and it doesn't look to be ending with juggernauts like Colorado and Dallas standing in their way. Can Kirill Kaprizov put the team on his back and lead to a first-round victory? If anyone can, it's him.
Nashville Predators: Will Barry Trotz’s new vision lead to success?
Since the beginning of the Nashville Predators, defense has ruled the philosophy. The Preds were always a defense-first team with an offense coming from defense. Now, the reigns of the franchise are turned over to their first coach, Barry Trotz, as GM, and his first hire was OFFENSIVE-minded Andrew Brunette. Brunette led the Florida Panthers to the Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22 as an interim coach and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for league's best coach. The Panthers scored 337 goals in 21-22, and NJ was among the best-scoring teams last season with Brunette as assistant coach. Does he have the personnel to run an offense that explosive in Nashville? Sure, Roman Josi is a year removed from a nearly 100-point season, but he's 33. Newly signed Ryan O'Reilly comes over from St Louis via Toronto; he's a good player but not a barn burner. Can they play an up-tempo style?
St Louis Blues: Is this team in a lull or about to rebuild?
The St Louis Blues 2019 Stanley Cup season came out of nowhere. Quite literally. Being the worst team in the NHL, they fired Mike Yeo and changed their starting goalie. Flash forward four years later, and this team looks closer to the bottom-of-the-league team than the Cup Contender. Only the pieces that led them to a Cup are still there. Craig Berube took over for Mike Yeo and guided the Blues to a couple of solid years before the bottom fell out last year. The Blues finished 6th, which they haven't done since 1974. Is it Berube's fault? Hard to say. Two seasons ago, they looked to challenge Colorado until Jordan Binnington got injured. Binnington hasn't shown that solid form since that first season. His save percentage has decreased yearly as his Goals Against has shot up like a rocket. In 2019, Binnington recorded a 1.89 GAA with a .927 save %. Last season, he recorded a 3,31 GAA with a .894 save % and did it without a ld push. Binnington IS the problem, and it's a marriage that cannot end as he's making $6m till 2027 with an NTC. Yikes. Though St Louis has pieces like Rob Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich, if they cannot get better play out of their netminder, 6th is the best they can be.
Winnipeg Jets Tear it down or transition?
When the 22-23 Jets season ended, the mild-mannered head coach Rick Bowness went on a tirade that shocked many reporters as he furiously said that the Jets lacked "push back." Kevin Cheveldayoff bought out the Jets stripped captain Blake Wheeler as he went to the New York Rangers, but Mark Scheifele remains...for now. The Jets are at a crossroads. They're finally rid of the Pierre-Luc Dubois fiasco and got back a HAUL (Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Villardi, and Rasmus Kupari), but what is this team? Yes, there are still pieces like Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, and Kyle Connor; goalie Connor Hellebuyck is in the final year of his deal and likely out of Winnipeg at the end of the season. Scheifele is likely to be moved, too, and Ehlers has one more year on his contract, so the question is: Should they tear it down? While it's a great Def Leppard song, it may not be what Jets fans want to hear. However, what can this team do? They aren't a contender (or close) or a playoff team once Hellebuyck is dealt.
Comentarios