2019-20 NHL predictions: Standings, awards, and playoffs

The Central Division

1. Nashville Predators
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. Dallas Stars
4. St. Louis Blues
5. Winnipeg Jets
6. Chicago Blackhawks
7. Minnesota Wild

The Central Division will remain a competitive division this season, though some teams are starting to fall out of favor. Last place will likely be taken by the Minnesota Wild, who still seem a bit directionless after firing their short-lived general manager Paul Fenton. The Blackhawks may have a nice offensive core with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired.

Winnipeg’s fall from grace hasn’t been pretty this offseason, as a handful of players have exited the team from Jacob Trouba to Tyler Myers and Ben Chiarot. Dustin Byfuglien is also on a leave of absence, meaning the Jets’ defense is not as stable as it once was a few months ago.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Blues, have a tough division to contend with, but they’ll make the playoffs in the end with a more stable season than last year. Dallas added Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry to bolster their offensive production that kept them from advancing further in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Competing for the top of the Central will be the Avalanche and the Predators. Colorado showed extreme promise in last year’s playoff run, and they added Nazem Kadri in the offseason to their already potent offense. The Predators lost P.K. Subban in a trade with New Jersey, but used that cap space to add Matt Duchene to their roster to solidify the team’s offensive core.