In less than two weeks, the National Hockey League’s 2025-26 season will begin and after previewing the Atlantic Division last week, it’s time to shift our attention to the Central Division, which should be quite competitive once again this year.
The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping to turn the corner in the third year of the Connor Bedard era; Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Utah will be pushing for wild card positions in the Western Conference, while Colorado, Dallas and Winnipeg will certainly be the team’s to beat and the favourites for the top-three spots in the division entering the season.
Over the summer, it was the Utah Mammoth and Winnipeg Jets who were the two most active teams within the division, making some key depth signings, with a pretty big trade coming out of Salt Lake City in June that saw them add a top-six forward.
Chicago Blackhawks
It hasn’t been a very fun time for fans in The Windy City as the Blackhawks missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth straight season and while it’s quite unlikely they’ll make it back there this year, which is their Centennial Season, the club is hoping to see some progression in the rebuild, with younger players like the aforementioned Connor Bedard needing to take his game to the next level.
The Blackhawks will enter the season with a new face behind the bench as the organization hired Jeff Blashill as Head Coach. The move comes after Anders Sorensen – who will remain as an Assistant Coach on Blashill’s staff – took over on an interim basis for Luke Richardson, who was fired in December 2024.
There wasn’t a whole lot of change in terms big moves with the roster, with the Blackhawks’ most notable being a trade with the Seattle Kraken in June that saw them land Swedish forward Andre Burakovsky in exchange for Joe Veleno. Other than that, there were some minor signings and trades that should help from a depth perspective, but mentioned, don’t expect Chicago to push for a playoff spot until next year at the earliest.
Notable Additions: Andre Burakovsky (F), Dominic Toninato (F), Stanislav Berezhnoy (G).
Notable Subtractions: Pat Maroon (F), Alec Martinez (D), Joe Veleno (F), Sam Lafferty (F), Philipp Kurashev (F).
Player To Watch: Frank Nazar.
First Game: Tuesday, October 7th @ Florida Panthers at 5 p.m. ET.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have been on an impressive run in the regular season over the last four seasons, with last year being their lowest win total (49) since the Covid-shortened 2020-21 campaign, however it didn’t end as they had hoped as they fell in seven games in the first round to the Dallas Stars.
This summer, the Avalanche added some nice depth pieces to their roster including veteran defenseman Brent Burns, who is close to reaching the 1,500 game mark in the NHL, along with forwards Joel Kiviranta and Victor Olofsson, both of whom will have zero issues finding a spot in the lineup following the notable loss of Jonathan Drouin, who signed with the New York Islanders in July. The Avs also lost defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who they acquired before the trade deadline back in March, as he inked a deal with Seattle.
One thing for that the Colorado Avalanche and their fans can be pleased about heading into the 2025-26 campaign is that for the first time since 2021, captain Gabriel Landeskog will be available for the start of a season. Due to a knee injury that required four surgeries, Landeskog missed the entire 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 regular seasons and returned to professional hockey back in the spring, putting up four points in five games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Notable Additions: Brent Burns (D), Joel Kiviranta (F), Victor Olofsson (F), Alex Barre-Boulet (F), Daniil Gushchin (F).
Notable Subtractions: Jonathan Drouin (F), Ryan Lindgren (D), Calle Rosen (D), Jimmy Vesey (F).
Player To Watch: Valeri Nichushkin.
First Game: Tuesday, October 7th @ Los Angeles Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars might have the worst luck of any team in the National Hockey League. They’ve played some incredible hockey in both the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the last three seasons, but for whatever reason – whether it’s fatigue or performance issues – they can’t seem to get over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Final, bowing out in back-to-back-to-back Western Conference Finals.
Stars General Manager Jim Nill has done a great job of constructing his team’s roster, winning the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award three years in a row. This summer, Nill’s biggest task was to find a new Head Coach for his roster, hiring Glen Gulutzan as their new bench boss, replacing Peter DeBoer, who had some eye-opening comments regarding Jake Oettinger’s play after their exit from the postseason.
In regards to the team’s roster, Nill’s biggest move was bringing back 2012 first round pick Radek Faksa on a three-year contract after spending the 2024-25 campaign with the St. Louis Blues. Dallas was also able to bring in some forward depth by way of Nathan Bastian, while also re-signing Colin Blackwell.
However, one thing that might come back to haunt the Stars was not being able to find the money to re-sign Mikael Granlund, who was arguably the best deadline pickup in 2025, registering 21 points in 31 regular season games and ten points in 18 playoff contests.
Notable Additions: Radek Faksa (F), Nathan Bastian (F), Vladislav Kolyachonok (D).
Notable Subtractions: Matt Dumba (D), Cody Ceci (D), Evgenii Dadonov (F), Mikael Granlund (F), Brendan Smith (D).
Player To Watch: Wyatt Johnston.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th @ Winnipeg Jets at 8 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Wild
It has been ten years since the Minnesota Wild have made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and 11 years since they’ve won a game in round two, so something’s got to give this season, right? Well, the Wild are certainly hoping so, but the outside noise caused by Kirill Kaprizov’s contract situation could prove to be a distraction for the organization.
As was a common theme for teams in the Central Division, the Minnesota Wild went with a depth approach to make additions to their roster, signing 2025 Stanley Cup champion Nico Sturm to a two-year contract and after a long negotiation, were able to get a three-year deal done with Austrian RFA Marco Rossi.
Some familiar faces have moved on as well, with Gustav Nyqvist signing with the Winnipeg Jets, Jon Merrill remaining an unrestricted free agent, while veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury announced his retirement from professional hockey, but he will be returning to Pittsburgh after signing a professional tryout (PTO) with the future Hall of Famer appearing at practice on Friday, September 26th and suiting up for “parts” of September 27th’s preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Notable Additions: Nico Sturm (F), Cal Petersen (G), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (F).
Notable Subtractions: Marc-Andre Fleury (G), Gustav Nyqvist (F), Jon Merrill (D), Justin Brazeau (F).
Player To Watch: Marco Rossi.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th @ St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. ET.
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators were one of the most disappointing teams in the National Hockey League last season. After going out and signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei on the opening day of free agent in 2024, the Predators were hoping to make it back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the exact opposite happened.
Nashville finished second-last in the Central Division with a record of 30-44-8 and despite their poor performance, decided to hang onto Head Coach Andrew Brunette, which came as a surprise to some, but there’s no question he’s on the hot seat entering the 2025-26 season and if the Predators aren’t able to get off to a good start, don’t be shocked if he’s relieved of his duties by American Thanksgiving.
Predators General Manager Barry Trotz decided not to many any significant changes to his core this summer, giving them another opportunity to make it to the postseason this year. Trotz’s biggest moves this summer focused on the team’s blue line, adding Nic Hague in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights and Nick Perbix in free agency in early July. Nashville also reunited with Finnish forward Erik Haula, giving them some scoring depth in their bottom-six.
Notable Additions: Nic Hague (D), Nick Perbix (D), Erik Haula (F).
Notable Subtractions: Jeremy Lauzon (D), Colton Sissons (F), Marc Del Gaizo (D).
Player To Watch: Fedor Svechkov.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs Columbus Blue Jackets at 8 p.m. ET.
St. Louis Blues
After a tough start to last season, the St. Louis Blues decided to make a change behind the bench, hiring former Boston Bruins bench boss Jim Montgomery as a replacement for Drew Bannister. Montgomery’s hiring sparked the Blues, who went from 13th in the Western Conference on November 24th (the date Bannister was fired) to eighth on the final day of the regular season, which was good enough for the second wild card spot.
The Blues were close to a massive upset in the first round and were mere seconds away from advancing to Round 2 before Cole Perfetti tied it up and Adam Lowry won the series for Winnipeg in double overtime. With last year in the rearview mirror, the Blues are focused on making it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Montgomery at the helm for his first full season in St. Louis.
This summer, Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong made a couple of pretty nice signings, including centerman Pius Suter, who is coming off a career-year with the Vancouver Canucks, where he had 25 goals and 46 points. Armstrong also brought in some more center depth by signing Nick Bjugstad. On the blue line, a trade with the Montreal Canadiens saw the club land former first round pick Logan Mailloux in exchange for Zachary Bolduc.
Notable Additions: Pius Suter (F), Nick Bjugstad (F), Logan Mailloux (D).
Notable Subtractions: Radek Faksa (F), Zachary Bolduc (F), Ryan Suter (D).
Player To Watch: Dylan Holloway.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs Minnesota Wild at 8 p.m. ET.
Utah Mammoth
After going by “Utah Hockey Club” for their first season in the NHL, the organization officially announced that following a fan vote, their permanent name will now be “Utah Mammoth”, which is an ode to the state’s history. Following the name announcement was the unveiling of their new branding, new primary and secondary logos and team uniforms.
Utah missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs by seven points last season, finishing the year sixth in the Central Division and after some big additions made by General Manager Bill Armstrong, in my eyes, the Mammoth will be postseason bound in April 2026.
The biggest move Utah made over the summer was trading for German forward JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres and locking him up to a five-year, $38.5 million USD contract. Peterka is coming off back-to-back seasons with 27 and 28 goals, respectively, and will give the Mammoth a huge offensive boost in the top-six. Along with Peterka, the Mammoth added some grit to their lineup after signing forward Brandon Tanev and Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Nate Schmidt. Leaving Utah this offseason was Matias Maccelli, who was dealt to the the Toronto Maple Leafs after a significant drop in production, going from 57 points in 2023-24 to 18 in 2024-25, finding himself in the press box as a healthy scratch on occasion, including 13 straight between early February and mid March.
Notable Additions: JJ Peterka (F), Nate Schmidt (D), Brandon Tanev (F), Vitek Vanecek (G).
Notable Subtractions: Nick Bjugstad (F), Robert Bortuzzo (D), Josh Doan (F), Michael Kesselring (D), Matias Maccelli (F).
Player To Watch: Dylan Guenther.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th @ Colorado Avalanche at 9 p.m. ET.
Winnipeg Jets
For the first time in franchise history, the Winnipeg Jets were division champions, leading the Central with 56 wins and 116 points last season and after nearly falling in the first round to the St. Louis Blues, they couldn’t find a way past the Dallas Stars, losing to them in six games in Round 2.
The loss of Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency this summer was big for the club. The Danish forward recorded 20+ goals in eight of his ten seasons with the Jets, but was looking for a new challenge, somewhere that he would have a chance to win a Stanley Cup and he ended up joining the Carolina Hurricanes on a six-year deal.
Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff prioritized depth this summer and did so by bringing in a couple of players who know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup – Tanner Pearson and Jonathan Toews, the latter of whom hasn’t suited up in the NHL since April 2023 due to chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). Along with Pearson and Toews, the Jets added Gustav Nyqvist to add a bit more of a scoring punch to the team’s third line.
Notable Additions: Tanner Pearson (F), Jonathan Toews (F), Gustav Nyqvist (F), Cole Koepke (F).
Notable Subtractions: Nikolaj Ehlers (F), Rasmus Kupari (F), Mason Appleton (F), Brandon Tanev (F), Dominic Toninato (F).
Player To Watch: Cole Perfetti.
First Game: Thursday, October 9th vs Dallas Stars at 8 p.m. ET.
(Photo Credit: Sportsnet)