It’s the third week of September so you know what that means. Training Camps open in a couple of days and The 2024-25 NHL season is rapidly drawing closer. Pre-season games begin this coming weekend and then it won’t be long before the Devils and Sabres kick off the regular season with two games in Prague as part of The NHL’s Global Series. So, just as we have the past two weeks, it’s time for another divisional preview. Two weeks ago, Blittner’s Blue Line answered one question about each team in The Metropolitan Division, and last week we did the same for The Atlantic Division. Now it’s time to move on to The Central Division.
So, without further ado, here are your Central Division questions and answers…
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
What does a successful sophomore season look like for Connor Bedard?
The NHL’s reigning Calder Trophy winner was mostly as advertised during his rookie campaign. A broken jaw suffered against the Devils cost him some time, but Chicago’s newest “generational” player lived up to the billing with 22 goals, 39 assists, and 61 points. With a year of NHL experience under his belt, you can expect those numbers, especially his goal output, to increase. Something like a 35-goal, 45-assist, 80-point season is a reasonable expectation. One day Bedard will be a 40+ goal player and that day could even be this year, but it’s not fair to expect that just yet. Give him another year and then, watch out!
One other area he can improve is his two-way play. Last season, on a woeful Blackhawks team, Bedard had a plus/minus rating of -44. Chicago should be at least a little better this year and Bedard should at least be able to improve enough to get within the range of a -10 rating; if not better.
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Will Captain Gabriel Landeskog actually return and if so, what type of player will he be?
Colorado’s Captain has not played a game since the Avs’ Cup-clincher against Tampa in June of 2022. A debilitating knee injury has cost him the entirety of the past two seasons and has put his career in jeopardy. In May of 2023, Landeskog had a cartilage transplant in his ailing right knee and has slowly been attempting to work his way back to The NHL.
Recent reports have stated that Landeskog could return sometime early in this season and if so, he’ll be a big boost to the Avalanche’s lineup. The 11-season veteran had been a mainstay on Colorado’s top line, forming one of The NHL’s best trios with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. If he should return, it’s not likely that he’ll be able to play at that level in the early going. But, perhaps after a month or two – likely closer to two – he could get back up to speed and give the Avalanche their best chance at another Cup. Will he be the same player he was pre-injury, probably not. But his mere presence will help the Avs and if he ends up being 70% of the player he once was, it’ll be a home run for Colorado.
DALLAS STARS
What is Wyatt Johnston’s ceiling and will he get there this season?
The Stars’ third-year center is on the precipice of a major breakout. A solid 41-point (24-G, 17-A) rookie campaign was followed by a terrific 65-point (32-G, 33-A) sophomore season. With those two seasons under his belt, there’s no reason why Wyatt Johnston can’t become a 40-goal, 40-assist machine. Essentially, we’re saying he’ll be a point-per-game player. In an absolute career-year, he might even flirt with 50 goals. But let’s focus on this year.
A modest eight-goal jump will put him at 40 goals, which by itself is a terrific season. Throw in a likely 10-assist bump and you’ve got your point-per-game player who will only just be scratching the surface of his true potential.
MINNESOTA WILD
How will Marc-Andre Fleury’s final season unfold?
Marc-Andre Fleury will one day be inducted into The Hockey Hall of Fame. There’s no doubting it; even with the fact that goaltenders often get a raw deal when it comes to the voting process. What isn’t certain is how his final season will play out. Over the past four years, Fleury has won 95 games while compiling a .909 SV% and a 2.72 GAA; all while watching his workload decrease down to a scant 36 games started last season. During that timespan, his quality start percentage is .566; that’s just above the league average of 53%. In other words, Fleury has been good, but not great.
Fleury has already announced that the 2024-25 season will be his last and with the Wild not expected to be anything more than a fringe playoff contender, there will be plenty of ink dedicated to his farewell tour. He’ll likely start somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 games and probably win around 16-18 games. During the last couple weeks of the season, he’ll see some of his former rival teams, like the Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Capitals. He’ll also see his former teammates, the Vegas Golden Knights, towards the end of March.
The one game to watch out for is on March 9, 2025, as the Penguins go to Minnesota. We can’t predict exactly which games he’ll draw the start for, but if there’s any justice in the world, he’ll get the start against Pittsburgh on what will surely be an emotional night for all involved.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Will The NHL’s off-season winners be able to win what matters most?
Steven Stamkos. Jonathan Marchessault. Brady Skjei. Those are the three big fish Barry Trotz and company brought to the Predators during the off-season. And let’s not forget, that he also managed to get a long-term extension done with goaltender Juuse Saros. If games were played on paper then The Stanley Cup would already be the property of the Nashville Predators.
Unfortunately for Nashville, games are not played on paper and teams who “win” the off-season, rarely end up winning it all when the games are played for real. Should the Preds be a playoff team? Absolutely! Can they make a deep run? They should. Will they hoist The Stanley Cup? Probably not. This is still a team that isn’t as deep as they would to think they are. They still have a couple of holes in their lineup; especially once you get further down the lineup. Are they top-heavy? They sure are and that will help them during the regular season. But champions are crowned in the post-season and this is a team that’s still a couple pieces short.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
Will there be any retribution for their two offer sheet signings?
Ofer sheets are extremely rare in The NHL. Anytime one pops up, it causes everyone to lose their minds for a week. And the amount of players who actually switch teams due to an offer sheet is even smaller. So, when St. Louis extended offer sheets – plural – to not one, but two Edmonton Oilers players, the hockey world was left gasping for air at the Blues’ aggressiveness.
Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway both agreed to the terms presented to them by the Blues and then, the Oilers chose not to match either offer sheet, making their jump to St. Louis a done deal. Multiple Oilers players are said to be unhappy about how things went down and while the chances of any on-ice retribution are slim, don’t be surprised if the Oilers attempt to get back at the Blues sometime in the next off-season or two. If you already thought NHL GMs were petty, you haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait and watch, because this movie is going to require popcorn and melted butter for sure.
UTAH HOCKEY CLUB
What does a successful first season in front of a new fan base look like?
Gone are the days of an NHL team calling Arizona home. (At least for now). Gone are the days of an NHL team having to play all of their home games at a college rink. (At least for now). The amount of people who actually know 100% of everything that happened behind the scenes of Arizona’s move to Utah can likely be counted on one hand. The long-running drama is now set up for office success.
The Utah Hockey Club – don’t worry, they say they’ll have a real name next year – is new to Salt Lake City, and the fans there couldn’t be happier. The amount of season-ticket deposits put down has already far eclipsed the seating capacity of any NHL arena, so, clearly, the demand is there. Sure, their current arena needs some renovations to fix some sightline issues and to create more seating space, but that’s all already in the works. At least initially, the team should be playing in front of a sold-out crowd every night. From a business perspective, the Utah Hockey Club should have a terrific first year.
The on-ice product is where things get a little dicey. Do they have young talent? Yes. Is this team capable of hanging around the playoff picture if everything breaks right? Yes. Could they still use a few more pieces before they can be considered serious threats to qualify for the playoffs? You bet! The atmosphere in Utah should help the players from an energy perspective. But that will only get you so far. There’s still a lot of work to be done to make this a successful team. But at least for once, we can safely say the right people are finally running the show.
WINNIPEG JETS
Will Connor Hellebuyck’s workload finally catch up to him?
Connor Hellebuyck is not only the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, but he’s actually won the award twice in the past five seasons and finished in the Top-Five of voting five times in the last seven years. In other words, he’s a top-flight goaltender. However, he’s now in his 30’s, and goalies have a rather fickle aging curve. Not only is goaltending one of the most volatile positions in terms of year-over-year performance, but with everything the masked men go through while playing the position, they tend to age in dog years.
Four times in the last seven seasons Hellebuyck has led the entire NHL in games played. The only times he’s started less than 60 games during that stretch were the two seasons that were shortened by COVID-19. Twice he’s led all goalies in The League in minutes played and four times he’s led The League in shots faced and saves made. There’s no doubt he’s a workhorse, but even the best netminders eventually wear down due to their workload.
Hellebuyck is, without a doubt, one of the best goalies in The NHL; but even he won’t be able to avoid wearing down. It might not happen this season, but it’s lurking right around the corner. If the Jets want to help him stave off the inevitable, they need to find a suitable backup who can help lighten his load.
