The NHL’s Central Division is super competitive. We’re predicting how it will end up by April.
Not only will you find this writer’s rankings of the divisions, but you’ll also see where each team was placed in The Hockey News’ Yearbook & Fantasy Guide 2025 and their odds of being Central Division winners, according to BetMGM.
We predicted four teams from the Pacific Division would make the playoffs, which means we predict four will make it from the Central.
1. Colorado Avalanche
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 2nd
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 3.10 (+210)
Why I’ve Ranked Them First: The changes the Avalanche made last year and this summer put them at a slightly higher level than the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars, which were picked in the Yearbook to win this year’s Central title.
Whether it’s Colorado getting a full year from captain Gabriel Landeskog, second-line center Brock Nelson, newcomers Brent Burns and Victor Olofsson or starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, the Avs are stronger all around.
Colorado’s defense corps might be the strongest in the league. Their forward group is also stellar. And they’ve got a very capable goaltending tandem. No team is perfect, but the Avalanche has so few holes – and they still have $1.3 million in salary cap space, which could increase to $6 million by the trade deadline. They have to be considered a Stanley Cup front-runner, let alone the favorite to be the Central’s top regular-season squad.
Why I Could Be Wrong: We’re still not sure how durable Landeskog will be this season, so his impact could be muted by any challenges he faces.
Burns, meanwhile, is the oldest active player in the NHL at 40 years old, and he can no longer be seen as a high-impact, top-four blueliner. Colorado also parted with veterans Jonathan Drouin, Charlie Coyle and Ryan Lindgren. So if the Avalanche’s additions don’t meet expectations, they may not leapfrog the Jets and Stars.
With The Avalanche Adding Olofsson, The Rich Get Richer
The Colorado Avalanche made another solid addition to their lineup this week with the free-agent signing of veteran left winger Victor Olofsson.
2. Winnipeg Jets
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 3rd
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 6.50 (+550)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Second: Full disclosure – in last season’s Central predictions, we had the Jets finishing fourth in the division. That was a mistake, as Winnipeg rode an MVP-caliber season from goalie Connor Hellebuyck and terrific depth on all fronts to the Presidents’ Trophy.
The post-season proved to be another story, as the Jets fell to Dallas in Round 2. But as far as regular-season prowess goes, Winnipeg had the horses to assert itself as a top squad.
We’re not making that same mistake this time, even if we do see the Jets falling one spot in the Central standings.
With stars such as left winger Kyle Connor, defenseman Josh Morrissey, center Mark Scheifele and newcomer center Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg’s depth will once again be a strength. The Jets still have something to prove in the playoffs, but in the 82 games leading up to the post-season, they have few peers.
Why I Could Be Wrong: What happens if Toews’ much-ballyhooed comeback doesn’t pan out? We’re not predicting that will happen, but you have to allow for the possibility.
And what happens if the Jets can’t keep up with the Avalanche and Stars and fall to third place in the Central? That would mean Winnipeg loses home-ice advantage in the 2026 playoffs, and given that the Jets were worse on the road than at home, that could be a problem.
It would be a massive shock if the Jets fail to make the playoffs, but that’s a far-fetched possibility. Instead, we see Winnipeg setting the standard for other Central franchises.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has doubled down on his core, and this may be the year Winnipeg’s players reward him for his faith in them. So first place in the Central certainly is possible for the Jets – and so is the type of breakthrough playoff performance Jets fans have forever been aching for.
3. Dallas Stars
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 1st
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 3.20 (+220)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Third: Few pundits have been as high on the Stars as we have in recent years. Dallas GM Jim Nill has won the GM of the year award for good reason – he’s assembled a terrifically balanced, experienced roster that made a phenomenal mid-season addition with the trade acquisition of former Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes right winger Mikko Rantanen.
A full season from Rantanen will certainly help the Stars’ cause, but Dallas does have an obvious weakness – their depth at right defense. Miro Heiskanen is terrific for the first pairing, but Ilya Lyubushkin and Nils Lundkvist in the bottom four is concerning.
Even with new coach Glen Gulutzan in tow, the Stars’ questionable depth on ‘D’ may be all that separates them from finishing ahead of the Avalanche and Jets.
Don’t get it twisted – this Dallas team could finally break through in next year’s Western Conference final and get to the Cup final for the first time since 2019-20. However, we see them as having a tougher challenge to outlast Winnipeg and Colorado in the regular season.
Why I Could Be Wrong: There’s absolutely a world in which the Stars dominate to the point the Jets and Avs are playing catch-up with them all season long. They have elite players at every position. So yes, the Stars deserve to be in the conversation as Central winners.
The way Dallas’ season ended last year – with now-former coach Peter DeBoer throwing No. 1 goalie Jake Oettinger under the bus and leading to DeBoer’s firing – doesn’t sit well with some of us. But the Stars are going to judge their season by the way they play in the playoffs, and there’s every possibility they can shake off the doubters and emerge as one of the favorites to win the division and the Cup.
4. Utah Mammoth
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 4th
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 11.00 (+1,000)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Fourth: Utah’s first season was a letdown, finishing sixth in the Central. However, the Mammoth had one of the NHL’s better off-seasons, adding up-and-coming sniper JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres, hard-nosed bottom-six winger Brandon Tanev, and former Florida Panthers blueliner Nate Schmidt. Those are all high-quality moves that will give the Mammoth more firepower and grit.
They still have $6.6 million in cap space. By the trade deadline, they can spend a lot to help them secure the first playoff berth for this core since the Arizona Coyotes squeaked into the playoffs in 2019-20.
In sum, the Mammoth have the depth of high-end talent and an ownership group determined to make a splash as soon as possible, and we see Utah breaking through and giving Mammoth fans their first taste of playoff hockey.
Why I Could Be Wrong: For quite some time now, the Mammoth/Coyotes have specialized in underperforming. Since that 2019-20 playoff appearance, the Coyotes finished no higher than fifth before the hockey operations left for Utah.
Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong has been painstakingly putting together this roster, but if Utah can’t handle the pressure and misses the playoffs again, Mammoth management will have major questions about the future of this core.
Another factor for Utah is the quality of competition in the Central. Two of the teams we’re ranking below the Mammoth – the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild – were playoff teams last season, and they could be playoff teams yet again in 2024-25. Unless Utah shows they can be a consistent threat to win night in and night out, they’re going to be passed in the Central rankings.
5. St. Louis Blues
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 6th
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 13.00 (+1,200)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Fifth: After nearly burying themselves early in the 2024-25 season with subpar play, the Blues became one of the league’s hottest teams in the second half, finishing fifth in the Central and securing a wild-card berth.
Although St. Louis fell apart in the first round against Winnipeg, they’ve made some tweaks to their roster, picking up former Vancouver Canucks center Pius Suter, veteran center Nick Bjugstad and young defenseman Logan Mailloux.
However, we’ve got a nagging suspicion the Blues will fall out of the playoff picture this coming year. The competition is one reason why, but their defense corps also has three members who are 32 or older and moving away from their primes.
Other parts of the Blues’ roster have young players who’ll be fixtures for many years to come, but the stresses on their veterans could prove to be too much to handle.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Blues had a 25-26-6 record. From that point onward, St. Louis went 19-4-3. If that’s the Blues team that kicks off the 2025-26 campaign, St. Louis will be one of the biggest threats in the Central.
The Blues will likely go as far as their starting goalie, Jordan Binnington, carries them, but as we saw at the 4 Nations, he can come through with high-impact performances. St. Louis will need more of those outings if they’re going to excel in the regular season.
6. Minnesota Wild
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 5th
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 9.00 (+800)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Sixth: We make no bones about it – we haven’t been high on Wild GM Bill Guerin’s blueprint for success for some time now.
In the last two seasons, Minnesota has finished no higher than fourth in the Central. This off-season, their only somewhat significant addition is veteran left winger Vladimir Tarasenko, acquired in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.
Consequently, Minnesota is a serious candidate for a step backward this season. The Wild have impressive talents – led by superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov and defenseman Brock Faber – but when you compare their depth at just about every position, they could have trouble keeping pace with the rest of the division.
Why I Could Be Wrong: The Wild have been embarking on a youth movement in recent years, and with youngsters Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and David Jiricek, they’ve got the makings of a team that will be fierce. They may need a couple of years before they take on the form that can make them needle-movers at the NHL level.
So while we don’t see Minnesota as a playoff team this coming season, the fact is we felt the same way about them last year, and they proved us wrong. The same thing could happen for the Wild this year.
7. Nashville Predators
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 7th
BetMGM Central Division Winner Odds: 34.00 (+3,300)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Seventh: Arguably, our biggest misstep in last year’s Central predictions was putting the Predators in second place.
Now, we weren’t the only ones who pegged Nashville as a playoff team last season and were severely let down, but we’re now putting them in “show, don’t tell” mode. Until they prove people differently, we expect them to be near the bottom of the Central.
The Preds have proud veterans who want to atone for last season’s letdown, but at best, Nashville looks and feels like a “mushy middle” team. The Predators could soon face a tough decision on how to move forward with their roster, but it will come as no surprise if they fail to contend for a playoff spot for the third time in four seasons.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Many Preds veterans were left with a bad taste in their mouths at the end of last season – most notably, left winger Steven Stamkos, defenseman Roman Josi and goaltender Juuse Saros. Could those experienced hands combine with some of Nashville’s younger players to put a scare into the Central teams we’ve listed ahead of them? Sure.
We suppose it’s plausible for them to finish sixth or fifth in the division. A lot would have to line up perfectly for that possibility, though, including the collapse of teams like the Blues and Wild, to give the Preds enough room to stick the landing. So we’re going to err on the side of caution when it comes to expectations for this Predators team.
8. Chicago Blackhawks
The Hockey News Yearbook Division Rank: 8th
BetMGM Pacific Division Winner Odds: 301.00 (+30,000)
Why I’ve Ranked Them Eighth: The Blackhawks were the second-worst team in the NHL last season, with only 25 wins and 61 points. They have foundational components, including Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov.
Still, when your biggest off-season acquisition was left winger Andre Burakovsky – who put up just 10 goals last season for the Seattle Kraken – it’s a telling situation that doesn’t generate reasonable optimism that this season will be much different for Chicago.
Once their youngsters mature into reliable performers at the NHL level, the Hawks will be able to begin climbing up the Central standings and be a year-in, year-out playoff team. Unfortunately for Chicago fans, the Blackhawks, as currently constituted, are many years away from reaching that point in their competitive trajectory.
Why I Could Be Wrong: Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson changed coaches yet again, and former Detroit bench boss Jeff Blashill is now in charge of squeezing more juice out of Chicago’s roster than his predecessors were able to. It would be a minor miracle for the Hawks to even get to fifth or sixth spot in the Central, so while anything can happen in professional sports, the chances of the Blackhawks being anything other than cannon fodder are extremely low.
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