The Central Division has been the property of the Detroit Red Wings for a number of years. The defending Stanley Cup champions won’t be expected to give up their division title any time soon, but the rest of the teams in the division won’t be making it as easy on them as it has been in the past. Chicago and St. Louis have both been quietly rebuilding their teams with young talent, and this upcoming season should be a coming out party for the young stars in the division.

Chicago Blackhawks may have its first real shot at making the playoffs in a number of years this season. Pat Kane and sidekick Jonathan Toews should be ready to lead this team to success. With a solid young blueline bolstered by the addition of superstar Brian Campbell, and Cristobal Huet pushing current starter Nikolai Khabibulin for his job, the Blackhawks should be solid at both ends of the ice.

St. Louis Blues crashed and burned at the end of last season, most likely due to the number of young players they were relying on. While the talent they have is ready to be developed, their young players don’t have the star power to be a fully competitive playoff team in a packed Western Conference.

Columbus Blue Jackets made a serious effort to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this offseason. The additions of RJ Umberger and Kristian Huselius should help Rick Nash bring their offense to the next level, but there’s not much in the way of the depth down the rest of the line. The defense is still suspect, but Ken Hitchcock should be able to keep these guys competitive. Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets will probably end up watching the playoffs again this year.

Nashville Predators should have the defense and goaltending to remain competitive in the West. With Dan Ellis coming off a hot season between the pipes, and most of the key parts of their defensive corps intact, Nashville should be able to keep the puck out of the net. A poor offensive team last year lost one of their top players with Alex Radulov in the middle of a controversy between the NHL and the Russian SuperLeague.

Detroit Red Wings, as expected, should remain almost invincible in the Western Conference. When the Stanley Cup champs go out and sign the top free agent (Marian Hossa) in the offseason, any other team in the league can’t be feeling good about their chances. Detroit now boasts three of the top two way forwards in the league, to go with a very deep offensive and defensive team. As long as Osgood can remain healthy, the Wings should be atop the West again come the end of the season.

Central Division Standings Prediction:
Detroit
Chicago
Columbus
Nashville
St. Louis