NHL - Central Division Preview - Part 1

Dallas

The Stars are confident they did enough this offseason to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing them last season. The Stars were second in the NHL in goals (3.13 per game) in 2014-15 but finished tied for 26th in goals allowed (3.13 per game)."We know we can score goals, but it's still going to come down to how we play away from the puck that's going to be the biggest thing." Jim Nill GM said.
Patrick Sharp was the Stars' big-name addition from the Chicago Blackhawks, but Johnny Oduya, a two-time Stanley Cup champion in Chicago, may prove to be the more important acquisition. Oduya, 33, essentially replaces Trevor Daley, who was part of the July 10 trade with the Blackhawks that landed Sharp. Oduya, signed as a free agent July 15, brings a more stabilizing presence to the Stars than Daley did. Oduya's experience will be important for Dallas, which likely will play at least two defensemen 23 or younger most games."I'm very confident that our group of veteran guys, when things do struggle (for the younger defensemen), that's where an Oduya, it was so important to bring him in," Nill said.
The Stars acquired goalie Antti Niemi in a trade with the San Jose Sharks at the 2015 NHL Draft, then signed him to a three-year contract June 29. Niemi and incumbent starter Kari Lehtonen, each 31, will share goaltending duties, Nill said. Niemi, who was the No. 1 goalie for the Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, was 31-23-7 with a 2.59 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and five shutouts with the Sharks last season. In 2014-15, Lehtonen had his worst GAA (2.94) since 2008-09 and the second-worst save percentage (.903) of his NHL career. However, he had one of his best NHL seasons in 2013-14 (33-20-10, 2.41 GAA, .919 save percentage).
"There's been times during their seasons when they probably needed to be spelled at times, either because of injuries or being a little bit tired. They know now that they're going to get that chance to be recharged." Nill said.
Jamie Benn had offseason surgery on each hip; the first was performed April 27, the second on May 4. The Stars said his recovery would take 4-5 months, but the Art Ross Trophy winner expressed optimism for an early return when he resumed skating in early July. By early August, Benn was on the ice at the Stars practice facility in Frisco, Texas, three times per week.
"Workouts are picking up, but it's still controlled. I get pretty antsy at times, but the trainers remind me that I've got plenty of time and just take it slow." Benn told The Dallas Morning News.

St Louis

The Blues are looking for Stanley Cup Playoff success, and will look to a familiar source. Citing the styles of the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks and Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said that playing with pace and speed is the way games are won in the NHL. When the Blues played fast and furious, they were among the top teams in the League.
"What's happened here in quick order, this League has sped up. This League has pace like never before. ... I think internally, we can really quicken our team and make our pace a lot higher, and we're going to have to, to keep up to where the League's at right now. We've got to go back to reckless. It's too conservative, it's too careful, it's too much skill ahead of work. We've got to go back to reckless. We've got more skill than we've ever had since I've been here, but skill, careful hockey doesn't win. We need to get back to the reckless play we had before, and that's what [general manager] Doug [Armstrong] and I talked about. You can do it and still be responsible. We've got to ask more people to be involved both offensively and defensively." Hitchcock said.
Jake Allen, 25, had a solid finish to the regular season after splitting time with Brian Elliott, but went 2-4 against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round. Allen signed a two-year, $4.7 million contract July 3. He was 22-7-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .913 save percentage last season and is 31-11-4 in two NHL seasons. Elliott was 26-14-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .917 save percentage during the regular season and allowed one goal on seven shots in 26 minutes in the playoffs.
"I know that I don't have to be someone that I'm not; just play my game and have the success come through that," Allen said.
Troy Brouwer, who scored 46 goals the past two seasons with the Washington Capitals, is a different kind of a player than T.J. Oshie, who the Blues traded to acquire him. Brouwer, an in-your-face, crash-the-net player who can play up or down in the lineup, is expected to complement David Backes and provide grit and strength around the net that the Blues lacked in the playoffs.
"I just think [Brouwer] fits into what I think you need to have success. That size (6-foot-3, 213 pounds) is something you can't teach, and the ability to play a heavy game. You look at our conference, you have to play with size and you have to play with weight. I think this certainly makes us a more difficult team to play against." Armstrong said.

Chicago

It's been another offseason of change for the Blackhawks following a Stanley Cup championship. As was the case in the summer of 2010, the NHL salary cap has forced the Blackhawks to overhaul their roster. Chicago's talent and leadership have been pared through trades and departures in free agency, and more losses could happen before the start of the season.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said the coveted role of replacing Brandon Saad's place on the top line, might go to 20-year-old forward Marko Dano, at least to start out. Dano was acquired in the June 30 trade that sent Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's a good skater, has high-end skill, and packed on muscle the past couple years to help his play around the net. Dano's father played with Marian Hossa in Slovakia years ago, and Dano is excited to get that same opportunity in the NHL. He's always kept a close eye on Hossa's career and now might end up on Chicago's top line with Hossa and center Jonathan Toews.
"It's pretty cool that I can play with him now on [the same] team. He's a great player. He's played so many years here, so there are a lot of things I can learn from him and also from the other guys." Dano said at development camp.
As things stand now, the Blackhawks have to make more moves to get under the NHL salary cap. Chicago is $393,462 over the $71.4 million salary cap for 2015-16 with an NHL roster of 22 players (14 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies).
That figure doesn't include fourth-line forwards Marcus Kruger and Joakim Nordstrom, who remain restricted free agents. Kruger, the fourth-line center and a top penalty-killer, has played a key role in each of Chicago's past two championships. He's reportedly waiting to see if general manager Stan Bowman can free enough cap space to sign him long-term, which could be the case with Nordstrom. Either way, the Blackhawks have unfinished business heading into training camp, much like they did a year ago, when they traded defenseman Nick Leddy to the New York Islanders to get under the cap. This year, the cost might be veteran forwards Bryan Bickell or Kris Versteeg, or it could be somebody who's not thought to be on the trade block.
If the Blackhawks last season proved anything, it was that the Stanley Cup can be won with four defensemen handling the vast majority of the work. Johnny Oduya, 33, who signed a two-year contract with the Dallas Stars on July 15, was one of Chicago's top four defenders. The good news for the Blackhawks is that Trevor Daley, acquired from the Stars in the trade for Patrick Sharp, is comparable in build, age and skating ability. He moves the puck quickly, has loads of experience, and has high-end offensive instincts, scoring 16 goals in a 38-point season for the Stars in 2014-15. Daley, who turns 32 on Oct. 9, was minus-13 last season, and his 45.9 shot attempts percentage (SAT%) during 5-on-5 play also was subpar. He'll have to improve in his end to appease defensive-minded Quenneville.
"I'm coming in looking just to fit in, follow their lead and listen and learn, because I want to win [the Cup] with them. I'm willing to do whatever I'm supposed to do." Daley said July 13, three days after he and Ryan Garbutt were acquired by Chicago.

Minnesota

The Wild are returning virtually the same group that raced from an under-.500 team on Jan. 13 to the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference and a six-game win against the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round. The Wild, whose postseason ended with a four-game sweep in the second round against the Chicago Blackhawks, are likely to contend again in the competitive Central, but what's unknown is if standing pat will result in them improving.
Devan Dubnyk was rewarded with a six-year, $26 million contract after going 27-9-2 with five shutouts, a 1.78 goals-against average and .936 save percentage while playing in 39 of the Wild's final 40 games last season. Now it's up to the Vezina Trophy finalist to justify that faith and prove he's not a fluke after showing signs of fatigue in the postseason. After stopping 66 of the final 68 shots he faced in the first round, Dubnyk was 0-4 with a 2.81 GAA and .901 save percentage against the Blackhawks."He's 29 years old. He's entering the prime of his career. He's had some good seasons [with the Edmonton Oilers] and had a great season this year. We're not asking him to duplicate what he did this year every year. Maybe that's not realistic, but we believe he can be a good goaltender in this league. He's right at the stage of his career where he's ready to take off." general manager Chuck Fletcher told the Star Tribune.
Wild centers were among the least productive (49 goals) in the NHL last season. Minnesota is counting on top-line center Mikael Granlund (eight goals, 31 assists, 39 points) to take the next step after signing a two-year, $6 million contract. Behind Granlund, however, are questions. Captain Mikko Koivu scored 14 goals last season and one in 10 playoff games, and Erik Haula split time at fourth-line center and as a healthy scratch. Prospect Tyler Graovac led Iowa of the American Hockey League in scoring and may be in the mix for a full-time role, which could shift third-line center Charlie Coyle to wing.
Although the Wild converted on 33.3 percent of their chances in their first-round win against the Blues, it was a big problem in the regular season, finishing 27th at 15.8 percent. More production is needed from two players on the first unit: Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. Of Vanek's 21 goals, five were on the power play, his fewest in an NHL season. Pominville scored 18 goals (three on the power play), his lowest full-season total since his rookie season of 2005-06.
"We know that we have a group that's better than where we were in the standings last year in terms of our power-play ranking. But we're also not going to sit around and just expect that we're going to jump up to the best power play in the League. We'd like to be, but there is a lot of things that go into it. Some of that is personnel, and some of that is getting that personnel on the same page and doing the same thing." Mike Yeo said.

Winnipeg

The Jets took a big step last season by reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the franchise relocated from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season.
Though ending the franchise's playoff drought helped to validate the long-term plans of general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Jets have endured some challenges since. They added forward Alexander Burmistrov from the Kontinental Hockey League this summer, but capable veteran forwards Michael Frolik, Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty all departed.
As always, goaltending remains a big question for the Jets. Veteran Ondrej Pavelec's .920 save percentage last season was by far the best of his NHL career. With the Jets fighting to reach the playoffs in the final four weeks, Pavelec grabbed the starting job from rookie Michael Hutchinson and carried them into the postseason. He finished with a 9-2-1 record and three shutouts in his last 12 decisions and went 3-0-1 with a .965 save percentage in the final week of the season. However, wild fluctuations in performance have plagued Pavelec throughout his career, and his midseason struggles had allowed Hutchinson to take the No. 1 job. Coach Paul Maurice ended up reducing Pavelec's workload to 50 games; balancing his starts will be a challenge again for Maurice. Hutchinson endured his own ups and downs. After a strong first half, he had a save percentage of .890 in his final 15 games. When Pavelec and Hutchinson played well, the Jets were able to compete with the elite teams of the NHL.
A lack of discipline plagued the Jets for much of the season. They were shorthanded a League-leading 308 times and allowed five or more power plays in 24 games, in which they went 9-10-5. A solid penalty kill helped offset some of the discipline issues. They finished 13th in the League at 81.8 percent and tied for the League lead with 10 shorthanded goals. However, the loss of Frolik, a key penalty-killer, could further aggravate the situation if Maurice is not able to rein in the penalty issues.
Maurice was able to roll four capable lines by the end of last season. He might have trouble doing that again unless some of the prospects step up. If Nikolaj Ehlers, who was the ninth pick at the 2014 NHL Draft, can crack the lineup and contribute, he would help ease some of the pressure created by the loss of the three veteran forwards. Ehlers dominated the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 86 goals in 114 regular-season games in the past two seasons. Although Ehlers has worked to bulk up his slight frame (6-foot, 168 pounds), he will need to learn to play without the puck in order to fit into Maurice's system.
Burmistrov struggled to fit into former coach Claude Noel's system, but Maurice worked to rebuild the Jets' relationship with Burmistrov before they brought him back to North America. Burmistrov has three seasons of NHL experience and can fit in as a center or on the wing.
"I thought that [it] was a loss for our organization when [Burmistrov] left, and he is a great player to have come back to us, and he is still young. It was very important that he [come] back to our team." Maurice said.

Colorado

The Avalanche will need to tighten their defensive play for a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after falling short last season. Overworked goalies Semyon Varlamov, Reto Berra and Calvin Pickard faced 40 or more shots on goal a combined 16 times, and they permitted four or more non-shootout goals 21 times. The Avalanche also need to regain their swagger on offense. Their goal production fell from 250 to 219, the power play skidded from the fifth-best percentage in the NHL to 29th, and they were shut out eight times. Game management and puck possession were other troublesome areas.
The Avs defense remains suspect, but the additions of Francois Beauchemin and Nikita Zadorov should help. Beauchemin will be a stabilizing presence. He's 35 but logged major minutes with the Anaheim Ducks and will be expected to do the same while paired with Erik Johnson. Zadorov, 20, plays a physical game and his size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) should make him a good partner for the puck-rushing Tyson Barrie.
Carl Soderberg has likely been given the task of replacing Ryan O'Reilly. He signed a five-year, $23.75 million contract after the Avalanche acquired his rights from the Boston Bruins. Soderberg may not have as much puck-possession or faceoff skill as O'Reilly, who was traded to the Buffalo Sabres after the Avalanche determined they couldn't meet his contract demands, but he's an excellent playmaker and strong defensively. He should be able to eclipse his totals from last season (13 goals, 44 points) while centering O'Reilly's former linemates, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon.
The Avs can't afford another slow start, they played catch-up all last season after opening with 5-0 and 3-0 losses to arch rivasl Minnesota Wild. They lost six of their first seven games and 13 of the first 17. In contrast, Colorado won 12 of its first 13 games in 2013-14, when it finished atop the Central Division to end a three-year playoff drought. The Avalanche will play five of their first seven games at home this season before a severe test comes on the road. They'll play 11 of the next 14 away from Pepsi Center, a stretch that includes a seven-game trip.
"With so much success and smooth sailing the year before, I won't say it was a letdown, but we weren't expecting how other teams were going to play against us. The pressures, the expectations, they were up there, whereas (in 2013-14) we created that with how we played. Just not being ready for what that took, we had a tough start, faced a lot of adversity and it took some time for our core guys to learn to deal with that." Avalanche executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic said.

Nashville

The Predators appear to be on an upward trajectory after finishing second in the Central Division last season and with talented prospects in the pipeline. The Predators expect to take the next step this season and become one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
James Neal had 23 goals and 14 assists in 67 games last season. The Predators need him to contribute more offensively to become a Stanley Cup threat. Neal, who turns 28 on Sept. 3, scored 40 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011-12. He has shown throughout his career that he is an offensive threat, but he struggled with consistency and was bothered by injury during his first season in Nashville. Neal likely will spend significant time on a line with Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro, who are gifted passers. If Neal is able to stay healthy and can reach the 30-goal mark, the Predators should have enough offense to challenge for the Central Division title.
General manager David Poile made a low-risk move that could potentially bring a high reward when he signed center Cody Hodgson as a free agent July 1. Hodgson was a high-end prospect with the Vancouver Canucks early in his career, but his production fell off last season with the Buffalo Sabres (six goals, seven assists in 78 games). Hodgson is two seasons removed from scoring an NHL career-high 20 goals. Poile said he likely will center the third line to try to add more offense to the bottom six. Coach Peter Laviolette prefers to play an attacking, up-tempo system, and that's what drew Hodgson to Nashville.
"It's a great opportunity. We have such a good team here, and I'm looking forward to stepping in and establishing [myself]. I thought with a couple bounces, they could have beat Chicago (in the Stanley Cup Playoffs). A couple goals here and there and it would have been a different series, so I'm looking forward to try and help these guys win in whatever way I can." Hodgson said.
Pekka Rinne is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, but the Predators want to be able to rest him more than they have in the past, especially after a hip injury limited him to 24 games in 2013-14. Rinne's numbers fell off toward the end of last season and in the playoffs after being in the thick of the Vezina Trophy conversation for the majority of the season; he finished second in voting.
Carter Hutton played 18 games (6-7-4, 2.61 goals-against average, .902 save percentage) for the Predators last season and often had several weeks in between starts because of scheduling. Nashville would like him to play 20-25 games this season to provide more relief for Rinne.