by Scott Rickenbach
Tuesday, Oct 10, 2023Central Division 2023-24 Quick Hitter Season Preview
Arizona Coyotes – There is a lot to like here. This team is on its way up. They have a lot of young players continuing to show improvement and they added some veteran guys this off-season too. Last season Arizona was great at home but struggled mightily on the road. They are building things the right way and have the right mix of guys and should start to get more bounces to go their way on the road. All factors considered, they could even challenge for a playoff berth this season. I do expect them to be in the mix at least as this club continues to build an improved roster. Team chemistry will be a key early on as they work in new guys.
Chicago Blackhawks – This is now a very young team and gone are the veteran Blackhawks like Kane and Toews. The Blackhawks have a bright future because not only is Bedard likely going to be a star, they have some other young players that appear ready to make some noise sooner rather than later as well. The problem here is with a lot of new players and with young players you have mistakes and lose games you should not. Also, I do not trust their defense or goaltending. The Blackhawks are building something positive for the future. In the meantime I will likely mostly be looking at overs for this club but that is only if the offensive cohesion jells quickly enough. The Hawks could be an exciting team to watch.
Colorado Avalanche – Very strong club again and going for another trip to the Stanley Cup finals. With some personnel turnover heading into this season, there could be a bit of a choppy start for this club. But the Avalanche are known for being a streaky team. They are strong and when they get going and are healthy you want to make sure you are riding right along with them for maximum betting value during streaks.
Dallas Stars – This is the team that will challenge Colorado for supremacy in the division and arguably is a top challenger for the Stanley Cup. Of course that also comes down to being healthy but this Dallas team has the right pieces and is strong defensively plus gets solid goaltending from Oettinger. They are also well-coached and remember last spring if they had gotten past Vegas the Stars would likely have been Cup winners instead of the Golden Knights. The fact is this is a team I will frequently look to play on.
Minnesota Wild – I think the Wild will be down a little last season from where they were last season. Keep in mind last season they were done in by inconsistent offense. Then you look at the off-season they just had and you realize Minnesota lost more than they gained so you have a tricky spot here for the Wild. If Gustavsson can play extremely well in goal, the Wild could surprise, but I just do not have enough faith in this offense and feel they should have done more maneuvering in the off-season also.
Nashville Predators – Juuse Saros is a strong goalie but this Nashville club needs to generate more offense and I am not sure where that is coming from with these guys. The Predators missed the playoffs last season and with the off-season they just had I expect them to fall just short once again. The Preds just are not quite there yet and continue to put too much of a burden on Saros to steal games for them. Unless they shock me and some guys really step up, this Nashville team appears headed for a mediocre season. Losing Duchene and Johansen did not help this team either.
St. Louis Blues – They added former Flyer Kevin Hayes and he will help boost the play at both ends of the ice but particularly the offensive zone. Therein lies a key problem with St Louis. They are still stuck with the same personnel on defense that have struggled. I know they have a new assistant coach hired specifically to help fix the defensive play but that requires a couple things too. It requires time and the right personnel. So look for the Blues to possibly get better as the season goes along but if that also requires some different players than team chemistry could be thrown off too and I am taking a bit of a “wait and see” approach with St Louis other than possibly riding their for early season overs. The one caveat to that however is that Binnington can be solid!
Winnipeg Jets – I feel this team is going to challenge for a strong season this year and possibly advance in the playoffs this time around. The Jets made some off-season changes that I feel will help the locker room chemistry. This team is well-coached and has a rock solid goalie in Connor Hellebuyck. This Jets team is going to be even stronger this season without Wheeler and DuBois. There were some positive changes made for Winnipeg and there is a commitment to what is now being built here. Of course they made the play-offs last season so this is not some full rebuild but instead it is some tweaks being made and I expect them to pay off.
Arizona Coyotes – There is a lot to like here. This team is on its way up. They have a lot of young players continuing to show improvement and they added some veteran guys this off-season too. Last season Arizona was great at home but struggled mightily on the road. They are building things the right way and have the right mix of guys and should start to get more bounces to go their way on the road. All factors considered, they could even challenge for a playoff berth this season. I do expect them to be in the mix at least as this club continues to build an improved roster. Team chemistry will be a key early on as they work in new guys.
Chicago Blackhawks – This is now a very young team and gone are the veteran Blackhawks like Kane and Toews. The Blackhawks have a bright future because not only is Bedard likely going to be a star, they have some other young players that appear ready to make some noise sooner rather than later as well. The problem here is with a lot of new players and with young players you have mistakes and lose games you should not. Also, I do not trust their defense or goaltending. The Blackhawks are building something positive for the future. In the meantime I will likely mostly be looking at overs for this club but that is only if the offensive cohesion jells quickly enough. The Hawks could be an exciting team to watch.
Colorado Avalanche – Very strong club again and going for another trip to the Stanley Cup finals. With some personnel turnover heading into this season, there could be a bit of a choppy start for this club. But the Avalanche are known for being a streaky team. They are strong and when they get going and are healthy you want to make sure you are riding right along with them for maximum betting value during streaks.
Dallas Stars – This is the team that will challenge Colorado for supremacy in the division and arguably is a top challenger for the Stanley Cup. Of course that also comes down to being healthy but this Dallas team has the right pieces and is strong defensively plus gets solid goaltending from Oettinger. They are also well-coached and remember last spring if they had gotten past Vegas the Stars would likely have been Cup winners instead of the Golden Knights. The fact is this is a team I will frequently look to play on.
Minnesota Wild – I think the Wild will be down a little last season from where they were last season. Keep in mind last season they were done in by inconsistent offense. Then you look at the off-season they just had and you realize Minnesota lost more than they gained so you have a tricky spot here for the Wild. If Gustavsson can play extremely well in goal, the Wild could surprise, but I just do not have enough faith in this offense and feel they should have done more maneuvering in the off-season also.
Nashville Predators – Juuse Saros is a strong goalie but this Nashville club needs to generate more offense and I am not sure where that is coming from with these guys. The Predators missed the playoffs last season and with the off-season they just had I expect them to fall just short once again. The Preds just are not quite there yet and continue to put too much of a burden on Saros to steal games for them. Unless they shock me and some guys really step up, this Nashville team appears headed for a mediocre season. Losing Duchene and Johansen did not help this team either.
St. Louis Blues – They added former Flyer Kevin Hayes and he will help boost the play at both ends of the ice but particularly the offensive zone. Therein lies a key problem with St Louis. They are still stuck with the same personnel on defense that have struggled. I know they have a new assistant coach hired specifically to help fix the defensive play but that requires a couple things too. It requires time and the right personnel. So look for the Blues to possibly get better as the season goes along but if that also requires some different players than team chemistry could be thrown off too and I am taking a bit of a “wait and see” approach with St Louis other than possibly riding their for early season overs. The one caveat to that however is that Binnington can be solid!
Winnipeg Jets – I feel this team is going to challenge for a strong season this year and possibly advance in the playoffs this time around. The Jets made some off-season changes that I feel will help the locker room chemistry. This team is well-coached and has a rock solid goalie in Connor Hellebuyck. This Jets team is going to be even stronger this season without Wheeler and DuBois. There were some positive changes made for Winnipeg and there is a commitment to what is now being built here. Of course they made the play-offs last season so this is not some full rebuild but instead it is some tweaks being made and I expect them to pay off.
