NHL division previews: 2017-18 Central Division

The NHL division previews are back and in this installment will we be taking a look at the 2017-18 Central Division. Once thought to be the best division in the league, it still provides three Stanley Cup sleeper picks.

The 2017-18 Central Division is a tight one at the top. And aside from The Colorado Avlanche, is going to be a tough one from top to bottom. Unlike divisions like the Atlantic and Pacific, this one is a bit more difficult to peg from worst to first. Let’s dive in.

7th in 2017-18 Central Division – Colorado Avalanche

It’s hard to find any sort of argument against Colorado finishing dead last in the division, and possibly even the league. It is likely they have a better season this year than in 2016-17, but that doesn’t take much doing.

They had the worst offense (165 GF) and the worst defense (276 GA) in the league last year. That likely won’t be the case again this season, especially with goaltender Semyon Varlamov returning. However, don’t expect them to push any higher than the mid-20s in either category. They are still going to be a very tough team to watch.

Assuming the roster stays relatively as is, the offense is going to be led by players like Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene (if he’s still there), and Tyson Barrie out of the back. Aside from those three, there isn’t a ton of potential for 40-plus or 50-plus point players currently on the Colorado roster.

There could be a possible surprise in point production from players like Nail Yakupov, Sven Andrighetto or even Gabriel Landeskog. It is likely that these three could find themselves in, or around, the 40-plus point range come the end of the season.

Out of the back-end, the aforementioned Barrie is the “bright spot” on an otherwise abysmal defense. Aside from Barrie there is Nikita Zadorov, Erik Johnson and Mark Barberio in the top two pairings. The third pairing will likely be a rotation of Andrei Mironov, Duncan Siemens and Chris Bigras.

As said earlier, the goals against category will likely see an improvement this season, especially if Varlamov can stay healthy. Varlamov is a quality goaltender, and his career numbers of a 2.65 goals-against-average and a .916 save percentage show that. If he can stay on par with that, he could very well help the Avlanche fight for not being the worst team in the NHL.

Player to watch in 2017-18: Nail Yakupov. Yakupov has yet to live up to the hype that followed him when he was drafted 1st overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. 120 points in 292 career games is well below expectations. Can a change of scenery help him revive his career, or will he go down as a bust?