The NHL season isn't even one month removed from the 2026 Stanley Cup. However, it is never to early to look forward to next season, and certain things that will occur. The Central Division of the Western Conference has some of the best teams in the NHL and the division will be hard to win, but the Utah Mammoth are definitely at the very least a playoff team. The same thing can't be said about some other Central Division teams.
8. Chicago Blackhawks
After finishing last in the Central Division last season, it should be expected for the Chicago Blackhawks to do the same. The Hawks seem to lack really good talent, and not to mention their best player, the former 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft, Connor Bedard will miss the first month of the season. Chicago did add some good talent in Bowen Byram, but that deal was a bit of an overpay, and Byram isn't going to magically turn things around. With the Central Division as stacked as it is, the Blackhawks are quite literally going to be tossed around in all likelihood.
7. Winnipeg Jets
After making the playoffs and actually winning the Central Division in the 2024-25 season, the Winnipeg Jets fell apart quickly. The goalie situation didn't help as Connor Hellebuyck struggled after winning the Hart Trophy. The situation was worsened as the defense couldn't perform well to save its life in the 2025-26 season. Things can change quickly in Winnipeg with the stars they have offensively, but if the starting goalie is Stuart Skinner, the Jets are in trouble. The Jets are likely going to have to trade Hellebuyck, and it also seems like they need to reset the team a bit, which is why they finish 7th.
6. Nashville Predators
The Hawks, Jets, and Nashville Predators probably aren't going to change much in the standings between the next two seasons. The Preds have two 40-goal scorers, which is awesome. But the division's top teams are literally insane. The Preds also allowed WAY too many goals this last season. The Preds definitely have the talent and capability to perform better next season, but their position probably isn't changing much with how good some of the top teams are, not to mention the offseason hasn't flipped this team upside down by any mean
5. St. Louis Blues
Again, this doesn't even change from last season's division standings. But again, the reason is simple: the top four teams are in a different kind of world. The St. Louis Blues are out; the last few teams have the highest chance at making some good steps forward with how well the team performed at the end of the season. Even with that, though, the next four teams are better, and the Blues' offseason has been pretty bad. Take note though, that Blues don't need to change much witht the youth of the teama and St. Louis is probably hoping to at the very least be a wildcard contender in the West.
4. Dallas Stars
This is quite the hot take, but the Dallas Stars aren't going to be as good as last season. The team can still win the division and should be easily considered a juggernaut. However, the team's defensive and offensive stats were too good to be true and should come down a bit. Even with the Stars falling a bit in overall how good the team is, that shouldn't be considered wild because of how good the Central Division is going to be. The one thing that shouldn't be as good as next season is the goals against per game, which was really amazing, but the team couldn't contain the Minnesota Wild anyway.
3. Utah Mammoth
Not many teams have won the offseason like Utah has. The team was already in a good position after making the postseason last season, and better yet, it has added several great veterans. The Mammoth also addressed their goalie situation and still have multiple VERY good prospects. The team shouldn't come together and win the division right away, but the Mammoth should no doubt give some of these great teams a run for their money. The Mammoth aren't the best team in the world, but it will be disappointing to see this team not be very good next season. Simply put, the Mammoth are more than just good, they are Stanley Cup contenders.
2. Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have a long list of superstars that will make this team insanely good next season. What is even better is that the Wild can retain their core players, and they also have two good goalies. By acquiring Quinn Hughes last season, the Wild were hoping to win the Stanley Cup, but were unsurprisingly eliminated by a great Colorado Avalanche team. The Wild, with some of the best players in the game at almost every position, just need to get over some of the better teams in the West to compete. This season, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see the Wild win the Central Division and also be the best team in the NHL.
1. Colorado Avalanche
Honestly, the playoff loss against the Vegas Golden Knights actually is funny. The loss was literally an all-time choke as the best team in the NHL, with multiple insane players, got swept with ease by a team that barely made it to the postseason. However, even with that embarrassing moment, the Av's just aren't gonna slow down. They will have to fend off teams like the Wild, Stars, and even Mammoth for the division, but the Avs have one of the best goalie rooms and offenses in the NHL. Not to mention, the team's defenders aren't even bad either. The goal for the Avalanche this season will be to be great and win the division, but the team will also probably seek to not be destroyed by a wild card team.
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