Next hardest division to predict under the Atlantic.

Colorado lost a lot of key pieces. My concern for them is goaltending and could be similar to TOR last year.

STL loses Husso which could sting bad.

NSH is the team not to sleep on. Quietly they had a nice off-season and if Duchene and Ryjo play well again, this is a team that becomes the dark horse for the SCF.

1) NSH
2) COL
3) MIN
4) STL
5) DAL
6) WPG
7) CHI
8) AZ

I don't think it would be wise to bet on Johansen and Duchene replicating the seasons they just had. Even if they did, Nashville still wouldn't be a cup contender, let alone better than Colorado

I know Colorado, St. Louis, and Minnesota all lost/were forced to give up key pieces from their respective teams, but I still very much see Colorado as a lock to win the Central, because their high-end talent still blows the top guys on all the other Central teams out of the water. I can see Nashville finishing as high as 2nd in the division, but they would need a ton of things to break their way. Johansen and Duchene would need to put up similar numbers to last season for one. Regarding St. Louis, they would have to struggle or be subpar defensively, and Binnington would have to be just average. Regarding Minnesota, Matthew Boldy would have to undergo a sophomore slump and Marco Rossi would need to struggle out of the gate

We know Dallas and Winnipeg both have playoff aspirations, but they're going to have a real tough time overcoming Colorado, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Nashville as we know. If both those teams miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, I would not be surprised to see a changing of the guard in upper management for either club

I don't need to get into the final two teams in the central for obvious reasons

Colorado probably takes the division they get Girard back and a duo with potential

Only team who might challenge is the Blues

I don't see the Blues challenging for 1st, they lost an awful lot to Detroit this off-season in Perron and Husso, and they haven't really done anything to replace them, not that they can because they're capped out, but they didn't have to bring back Nick Leddy at the cost they spent to keep him, not when they have Scandella still on the books. The Blues could end up finishing behind Nashville and Minnesota as far as I can see

avs but the blues and wild a very underrated teams.

If Colorado doesn’t win the division I don’t know who does

NSH's offense and defense got upgrades. They have solid goaltending and quality depth. If Ryjo and Duchene can repeat last year's performance, you add them adding Nino and McD and this team becomes VERY tough.

COL is not a lock IMO. Goaltending is too big of a deal and I don't like their moves. Everyone thinks the TOR model of last year means all teams can do that and they can't. It's not sustainable. Doesn't mean they can't, but my point is it doesn't make them a lock.

Well let's look at what they lost:
Kadri
Burakovsky
Kuemper
Kubel

Who do they replace them with? Georgiev and ERod.

Georgiev is coming off a very underwhelming season with the Rangers. Is he a true starter? Not to me and while I'm a big fan of ERod and I hope he kills it this year, he's not a Kadri replacement. Nobody is saying they won't be very good, but they're certainly not a lock.

The Avs "add" a full regular season from Lehkonen, Manson, Cogliano, and Ben Meyers; in addition to ERod and Georgiev.

Nobody is saying we have a Kadri replacement but their moves at the TDL that were extended in the off season have to factor in towards their regular season prediction.

Newhook and Byram development will offset EJ regression and some of Kadri's loss.

I see E-Rod as more of a Burky replacement; he floated between 2nd and 3rd lines; scored well but defensively had holes which got him scratched at times. ERod won't likely score 60-70 points but he can do 50 while playing a 200 foot game.

The only really concerning loss was Kuemper for Georgiev. But with Darcy's age and injury history we couldn't take that risk.

Whoever said "Toronto's model" is being followed by the Avs is missing the point. The Avs have proven they can win a Cup without "elite" goaltending not the TML. We won playoff games with a one-eyed Kuemper, backup Frankie, and nearly won with 3rd and 4th stringers in prior years.

The hope is that an improved and deeper defense and defensively minded forwards will provide a stronger support system for either Georgiev or Francouz.

On the OP. I can see Minnesota challenging for the division crown; they have the most complete and deepest roster of anyone outside of Colorado.

Nashville will challenge St. Louis for that 3rd spot.

Dallas and Winnipeg have enough talent to fight for a wildcard spot against the 4th team in the Pacific (either Vancouver or Seattle).

Yeah, I have to respectfully disagree with everything lol

Your goaltending argument lacks nuance. Yeah, you don't need elite goaltending, but you need above average goaltending and Georgiev was well below average this past season. Could Francouz emerge? Who knows. He was very good, but the goaltending took a MAJOR step back.

The defense is fine, but the players you mentioned: Newhook, Lehkonen, Cogliano... you had them already. I'm factoring the total lineup at the end of the season and COL lost FAR more than they gained and that will sting. You cannot prognosticate the steps of development Newhook and Byram will take this year, so please realize that a lot of my predictions are based more on KNOWS, not unknowns which is what I preface in the explanation of my predictions.

Now, let's be clear, because I think some people mistake regular seasons standings vs. playoff success. Just because I'm saying COL doesn't win the division doesn't mean I'm saying they fail all-around. I still have them at 2nd for christ sake lol. I'm not saying they can't win the division, but it's not a gimme. The roster losses that COL and STL both suffered will allow teams like MIN and NSH to be more competitive in the division.

Why do I pick NSH as first? Well, we know the following

-Duchen and Ryjo found their game
-Their defense was already good and got better by adding McD
-Their goaltending is excellent
-Their added forward power by getting Nino

I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I'm calculating the losses COL and STL took into how it will affect the other teams' chances of moving up. I'm not sure how they'll do it, but I fully expect COL to address their goaltending somehow if Georgiev falls on his face. Sakic is anything but passive.

I don't think McDonagh and Niederreiter are as big of upgrades as you think they are. I see them more so as acting as a cushion to try and offset Johansen and Duchene regressing somewhat next season. I don't see anything to suggest either of their performances last year were sustainable considering the ages of both players, but hey, I'd love to be proven wrong.

Colorado is absolutely still a playoff lock. Believe me, I'm just as suspicious of their goaltending tandem as you are, but the team in front of them is just too good to not make it to the post-season

I think you misread what I said about Colorado. Of course they're a playoff lock. I'm saying they're not a division winning lock.

McD and Niederreiter are impactful upgrades because they're adding to a team that already had solid depth on both ends. It would be different if NSH was lacking major pieces to begin with, but they weren't. They were missing some extra oomph and they got it.

Nashville's forward depth is decent, but they sure as hell aren't loaded up front. I expect some regression from McDonagh, cause if he wasn't due to regress, the Lightning wouldn't have moved him.

Never said NSH was loaded up front, but they do have quality players up front.

They do, I just can't see how Nashville is in any position to be able to turn themselves into a contender with the current core. By the time Tomasino's impact becomes more fully realized, by the time Kemell is ready to step in, guys like Josi, Johansen, Duchene, and Ekholm are going to be older and past their primes.

As for Colorado, even if they don't win the division, I have a hard time seeing them finishing behind Minnesota or St. Louis who have also regressed this off-season

Well if they don't win the division they have finish behind someone. I don't see why NSH can't be that team. MIN lost Fiala which stings, but that's still less than COL lost, so they didn't regress as hard and I fully expect Boldy to take a bigger step this year.

There's also one thing that rings true and to deny it is foolish. EVERY YEAR, even coming from the top hockey minds, there's at least one team that they and nobody else expected to either make the playoffs or finish high.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Rangers weren't picked by many analysts to take their next step last season and neither were the Kings. Every season is the same, so there's always going to be a few teams we all miss on in our projections and NSH if that team for me.

I will agree on STL which is why I put them at 4th.

I expect Boldy to take a step this coming season as well, but I won't rule out the possibility of a sophomore slump. I agree that Nashville has the potential to leapfrog Minnesota and maybe St. Louis, but I already listed the factors that need to break right for the Preds in order for that to happen.

It would surprise me to see the Rangers miss the playoffs next season, but it wouldn't surprise me if they got knocked out in the 1st or 2nd round next post-season.

Back to the Central, Dallas will still be competitive (assuming they get Robertson re-signed), but they've undeniably taken a step back with losing Klingberg. I could see Winnipeg making a bit of a resurgence under a new coach, but I'm not sure it will be enough to get into the post-season

Holy crap, did you actually omit the Blues from the poll?

Well, not initially. Unless there's a way to fix it, it only allows for three choices. Personally, I don't think STL wins the division. These type of threads are funny though. Every fan of every team thinks their team will finish first and gets offended if you don't.

I think STL's offseason compared to the other teams hurts their chances of finishing higher up. I still think they make the playoffs, but Husso was so key for you guys and losing Perron will sting. I'm also not saying there's going to be a large margin either between 1st and 4th. I don't think there will be.

COL and EDM fans have been especially offended lol

I don't think they'll finish first, but if Colorado doesn't they're just as likely to finish 1st as those two teams, if not more so than Minnesota. But I'm not offended, I find it humorous. I actually welcome underestimating the Blues. Hell, I encourage it.

Still, I'm not underestimating. We're all guilty of our own team blinders at times. Out of COL, MIN, STL and NSH, NSH is the only team that improved their roster this off-season and given how they found their ground late last season, they're due for improvement this regular season. COL, STL and MIN all lost more than they gained.

And let's be honest, you know how big Husso was through Binnington's struggles. STL is a playoff team, but losing Husso and Perron is pretty substantial.

Look how far NASH was behind them last season. Yes, they gained and we lost a bit. Was it enough? Arguable, at best, I think. And the Blues still have way more experience. Plus, shiny toys don't always blend right away. Same thing happened to the Blues in their Cup season. I like the track record of cohesiveness.

I think again that some people, and possibly you, are mistaking what I'm projecting as regular season success vs. playoff success. Those are two very different things.

Binnington struggled last year and Husso was a big piece for you. I'm not saying Binnington will struggle again, I think he's a solid goalie, but over the course of the regular season if he plays any bit similar to last year there's no way you're finishing 1st or 2nd.

If you have The Athletic, you should check out the interview with him they just posted. Honestly, I'm more worried about keeping him healthy than I am about how well he'll play this season. His elite puck handling is so important to our system.