The Central Division should be a doozy as it’s a battle between a couple of heavyweights, and two middleweights as well. Dallas and Colorado return with superior lineups while the new look Predators are looking to turn some heads after a big summer in free agency.
Dallas Stars +225
The Stars racked up 113 points and took the division last season and have most of their roster returning. Joe Pavelski retired but Logan Stankoven will now be a regular and big things are expected. Another rookie expected to step into the line up is Mavrik Bourque who led the AHL with 77 points last season. The backend lost Chris Tanev and Jani Hakanpaa but the Stars still have one of the best goalies in Jake Oettinger. Barring injuries, Dallas should be in contention right until game 82.
Colorado Avalanche +240
While the Avs still have studs like Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, depth scoring will be an issue. Valeri Nichushkin won’t return until November as he serves a suspension and entered the Player Assistance Program. He scored 28 goals last season, one of three forwards to score 20 or more. But part of the slack will be picked up by defenseman Cale Makar who had 21 goals and 90 points. Goaltending will be an issue, as Alexandar Georgiev and the Avs were last for goals against in the playoffs.
Nashville Predators +400 The Predators were busy in free agency landing two of the biggest fish on the market, signing Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault. They also signed Brady Skjei to boot. The backend is bolstered as Skjei and Roman Josi will now patrol the blueline. They should increase goal production considerably and are in good shape in goal as Juuse Saros comes off a 35-win campaign. Barry Trotz is all in on this team, and for bettors they do offer the best value in the division.
Winnipeg Jets +700
Can you count out the Jets? Probably not, especially when they have Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes, he’ll give this team a chance every night. The Jets did lose several players including Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, and Hellebuyck’s backup, Laurent Brossoit. Winnipeg replaced him with Eric Comrie and Kaapo Kähkönen. The rest of the roster remains fairly similar. A lot has to go right for the Jets to come away with the division. The smart money would be leaning elsewhere.
Central Division Odds
Dallas Stars +225
Colorado Avalanche +240
Nashville Predators +400
Winnipeg Jets +700
Minnesota Wild +1000
St. Louis Blues +2000
Utah Hockey Club +2200
Chicago Blackhawks +6600
