In our previous Central Division Snapshot, we looked at how the division was shaping up after the initial flood of free agent signings in mid-July. With training camps now underway, let’s take a look at how the landscape shifted over the second half of the summer.
Central Division Projected Standings
The Central Division projections remained fairly stable over the latter part of the offseason, with none of the teams making any big splashes. Let’s take a look in order of the current projected standings.
Minnesota Wild
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
After trading Kevin Fiala early in the offseason due to cap limitations, the Wild were probably happy to have an uneventful late summer. They traded Dmitry Kulikov to the Ducks and signed Sam Steel to a one year deal. The minor tweaks weren’t enough to move the needle on their season projection and they remain the projected division leader.
Nashville Predators
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Predators landed Nino Niederreiter in free agency shortly after our last snapshot. Neiderreiter is a strong goalscorer and the addition bolsters the Predators’ middle six. It wasn’t enough to catch the Wild in the projected standings, but adding Niederreiter does improve the Predators depth and make them more readily able to absorb injuries in their top six without losing significant team strength.
Colorado Avalanche
Change in Projected Standings Points: +2
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Avalanche round out the likely divisional playoff teams in the Central. They signed Nathan MacKinnon to an 8 year extension that will kick in next season, setting the course for the long term late in the offseason. They also added Evan Rodrigues, who is projected to have a middle six impact this season. He heads to Colorado on a high value contract and helps fill the void created by departed UFAs like Nazem Kadri and Andrei Burakovsky.
Dallas Stars
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Stars traded a couple of draft picks to the Rangers for defenseman Nils Lundkvist just as training camps were getting underway after Lundkvist requested a trade from the Rangers. They also signed RFA goaltender Jake Oettinger to a 3 year extension. The big news in Dallas, though, is who isn’t signed as RFA Jason Robertson continues to sit on the sidelines without a new deal. The Stars only have $6.3M in cap space with a 22 player roster according to CapFriendly and most reports suggest Robertson is looking for a higher cap hit so there could be some dominoes to follow an extension. Robertson’s projected impact is very strong and it could easily cost the Stars their edge in the group of teams chasing wild card positions if he misses the start of the regular season.
Winnipeg Jets
Change in Projected Standings Points: +1
Change in Division Rank: +2
Rumors of offseason change came to a head in Winnipeg just prior to training camp with the Jets stripping Blake Wheeler of the captaincy. Otherwise, the late summer was fairly uneventful for the Jets as they signed a few depth players to new contracts. Sam Gagner was one of those as the veteran joins his 7th NHL team.
St Louis Blues
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: -1
The Blues had their roster mostly locked in when we took our last snapshot. The late summer was quiet, except for an 8 year extension signed by Jordan Kyrou that will kick in for the 23/24 season. Kyrou’s elite offensive impact is set to remain in St Louis through his prime.
Arizona Coyotes
Change in Projected Standings Points: -2
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Coyotes signed RFAs Barret Hayton and Lawson Crouse to new deals since our last update. Both are projected as middle six forwards and Hayton’s looks like the better value of the two, although Crouse’s projected impact is higher.
Chicago Blackhawks
Change in Projected Standings Points: +0
Change in Division Rank: +0
The Blackhawks closed the book on the most blatant offseason tank job in recent memory by doing very little since our last snapshot. The addition of UFA Jack Johnson may have been the most notable roster transaction in that time, as the depth defenseman heads to Chicago straight off a Stanley Cup win.
More Plots
Want to peruse the player projections behind the team profiles or browse player cards for more of the new free agent signings? Sign up for an annual membership to get access to all 22/23 team and player projection cards. Plots will be updated to track progress through the season so you can follow along with the changing landscape.
Input data for models from Natural Stat Trick. Contract data from CapFriendly.
