NHL Predictions 2014-15: Preview and Picks for the Central Division

The NHL's powerhouse teams reside in the Western Conference, and three of its best are in the Central Division. A fourth team—the Dallas Stars—will be looking to crash the party in 2014-15.

The Colorado Avalanche won the division a year ago but will be challenged this season by the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues. Both teams boast veteran rosters and have added key elements to their formidable teams over the summer.

The Dallas Stars have been in constant upgrade mode since Jim Nill arrived as GM and appear poised for a trip up the standings.

All five teams made the playoffs in 2013-14 and should repeat this year. The Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets are improving but face a long climb in the Central Division.

Here's our look at the division in 2014-15.

The Favorite: The Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks are perennial contenders for the Stanley Cup, winning in 2010 and 2013. The heart of the team remains the same and should contend for some time before age impacts the group. Head coach Joel Quenneville is the most successful coach in team history and No. 3 overall in all-time regular-season wins.

Forwards Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa are top-level talents and should deliver at established levels this season. Young Brandon Saad is emerging and may be ready to step up to a higher level, giving the 'Hawks another impact player. Chicago also added center Brad Richards via free agency and look very strong at that position.

Defensively, the club once again looks strong, with veterans Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook joined by Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya and Nick Leddy. Goaltender Corey Crawford isn't considered to be the strength of the team, but he has been effective playing in front of a gifted group in Chicago.

Chicago plays an excellent possession game and are an even-strength juggernaut. Their quality up front and exceptional depth across the board make them a strong contender for the Stanley Cup.

The Challenger: St. Louis Blues

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There are two outstanding teams who can be recognized as legitimate candidates to pass Chicago in the division. The Colorado Avalanche won the Central last year, but the St. Louis Blues are the team that appears locked and loaded for 2014-15.

After the ghastly collapse to the Blackhawks in the spring, the Blues went about the business of building a team that could outlast Chicago. Their biggest addition is Paul Stastny, a talented offensive forward who gives St. Louis the kind of depth that can compete with Chicago's veteran crew.

The St. Louis defense is strong and deep, led by Norris candidate Alex Pietrangelo and veterans like Jay Bouwmeester and Kevin Shattenkirk. There may be some worry about the goaltending, but Brian Elliott is a proven veteran and Jake Allen has done everything asked, so a full audition is the correct next step. If Allen proves unworthy, the Blues can address the position at the deadline.

For coach Ken Hitchcock, the key position may come on the flanks. Although the team has quality up the middle now, there appear to be some holes in offensive slots along the wings. If T.J. Oshie, Alexander Steen, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko can deliver at or above last year's levels, St. Louis could be fine offensively. The team could use a boost from an unexpected source, especially if they plan to compete with Chicago offensively.

The Blues have been knocking on the door for a few years now, and this may be the year they move past Chicago and find their way to the finals.

The Bottom-Dweller: Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators will play their first season without Barry Trotz in 2014-15. New coach Peter Laviolette brings an impressive resume and management worked hard to supply veteran NHL players for the year ahead.

Trotz ran a button-down defensive team and had success. As recently as 2011-12, Nashville finished inside the top 10 in goals-against overall. In 2013-14, the Predators finished No. 23 in goals against, and that isn't good enough for a team built for defensive play.

Nashville added a plethora of NHL players for the coming season, including Olli Jokinen, James Neal, Mike Ribeiro, Derek Roy and Anton Volchenkov. As a group, they are famous names, but Neal is the only player in his prime. Neal cost Nashville two significant players, Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.

The Predators will likely be better in 2014-15, but the Central Division is a very difficult group.

Best Old Rivalry: Chicago-St. Louis

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The Chicago Blackhawks have won eight of the 11 playoff series with the St. Louis Blues, dating back to 1973. The 2014 series was especially galling for St. Louis fans due to being the superior regular-season team. Much of the credit for Chicago's victory went to the veteran leadership of Jonathan Toews and blame was placed on goalie Ryan Miller.

The real problem may come from coaching. As this article from Justin Bourne of The Score indicates, Ken Hitchcock's defensive style may have a lot to do with the difficulties St. Louis faced this past spring. It will be interesting to see if the addition of Paul Stastny helps the Blues overcome their offensive shortcomings.

Best New Rivalry: Minnesota-Colorado

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The Minnesota Wild are a relatively new NHL franchise and lack a rich playoff history. In the spring of 2014, the upstart Wild shocked the Colorado Avalanche in a classic seven-game series.

The series was not only decided in seven games, but in overtime of the seventh game—giving an indication about how closely matched the teams are at this time.

The exciting thing about the series is that both clubs are just coming into their respective windows of opportunity. Fans should see more classic series between the two in the coming seasons. Add the emerging Dallas Stars to the scenario, and division powers in St. Louis and Chicago may not rule the division for much longer.

Best Line: Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks

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The trio of Jonathan Toews between Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa dominated the rest of the NHL impressively in 2013-14. The line's possession stats were so strong all three players were ranked inside the top 15 forwards in the entire NHL.

According to HockeyAnalysis.com, Toews played over 700 even-strength minutes with Sharp and Hossa in 2013-14. The line's Corsi-for percentage at five-by-five was close to 60. Put another way, for every 10 shots directed at the net when the line was on the ice, six of them were in Chicago's favor. In the modern NHL, that's a dominant even-strength line—especially considering they face the toughest opposition available.

Best Defensive Pairing: Johnny Oduya, Niklas Hjalmarsson of Chicago Blackhawks

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The choice of Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson may seem unusual, but it has everything to do with how they are deployed. The Chicago Blackhawks ask them to face the toughest opposition while also taking on the most difficult zone-starts available. The fact they can deliver positive possession numbers is only part of the duo's appeal.

While Oduya and Hjalmarsson are doing the heavy lifting under difficult circumstances, it allows coach Joel Quenneville to use Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook in more offensive roles. In this way, Chicago's combination of depth and deployment gives them a major edge on the competition.

Best Goalie: Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche

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There's a lot we don't know about goaltenders, especially their year-to-year progression or regression. Often, it seems as though it's a coin flip for goaltenders every year, and very few rise above the level of average over a period of several years.

One potential elite-level goalie is Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche. He finished third in save percentage last season and is building a resume that suggests he could become one of the finest goalies of his generation.

It's generally agreed that the best way to gauge goalies is even-strength save percentage, and Varlamov scores well there. He ranked No. 4 among regular goalies at the discipline in 2013-14. Credit is due the Colorado Avalanche, as it wasn't clear Varlamov would be top quality when they acquired him for a high price.

Projected 2014-15 Standings

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1. Chicago Blackhawks—There's just too much in Chicago to resist, despite a wonderful team in St. Louis. The Blackhawks depth chart at center rivals any in the NHL, and their defense is a veteran and substantial group. Add elite wingers in Kane, Hossa and Sharp, and Chicago wins the Central in 2014-15.

2. St. Louis Blues—It's a difficult position to be No. 2, but the Blues are an excellent team and could win the division and the Stanley Cup. The addition of Paul Stastny is the biggest acquisition in the division over the summer of 2014. If Ken Hitchcock can find his way to open up the offense for the postseason, St. Louis could win it all.

3. Colorado Avalanche—The Avalanche have some questions to answer as they ran with luck all season in 2013-14. It's also true Colorado has some of the best young talent in the NHL, and that talent may be able to outrun the market correction.

4. Dallas Stars—The Stars will jump the Wild in the biggest surprise for the Central Division in 2014-15. The vast improvement at center over the last two summers added to a plethora of talented youths makes Dallas the trending team this season.

5. Minnesota Wild—The Wild have a quality group of successful veterans who are still young enough to enjoy postseason success. Question marks include goaltending and depth, with just enough doubt in both areas to see a slight slide in 2014-15.

6. Winnipeg Jets—Small steps for Manitoba's team in 2014-15 will include a strong improvement offensively. The difficulties in net and inexperience at key positions mean the team is still on the outside looking in, but they're getting closer.

7. Nashville Predators—The slide that began with the exit of Ryan Suter reaches full bloom this season, as the Predators simply can't keep pace. It could be a season of trade and upheaval for Nashville, but the 2015 draft may gift them their first elite offensive forward.