Continuing with my standings predictions for the 2025-26 season, after kicking things off with the Atlantic Division, it’s time to shift focus to the best division in the other conference, the Western Conference. Next up is what most would call the next best division in the NHL after the Atlantic. The Central Division has multiple contenders, as well as teams in the midst of a full-blown rebuild, but with more teams on the rise, the playoff race could look a lot tighter than it has in the past.
Colorado Avalanche
With star power alone, the Colorado Avalanche are a playoff team. What puts this team in an even better position is that the riches don’t stop there. Their top six is spectacular with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and Valeri Nichushkin. Gabriel Landeskog, the glue that holds that locker room together, is finally ready to come back for a full season. Brent Burns and Victor Olofsson were positive adds (Burns should have no problem being impactful as a third-pairing guy, and Olofsson is there to aid in secondary scoring).
This Avalanche team is poised to finish somewhere in the top three of the Central Division, and could very well be the team that wins the entire division. The biggest thing that has held the Avalanche back over the past few years has been their goaltending. Now with Mackenzie Blackwood at the helm and Scott Wedgewood there for support, they no longer have to worry about the constant inconsistencies of Alexandar Georgiev. With decent goaltending, the Avalanche are as well-rounded as it gets.
Chicago Blackhawks
Growth is the keyword for the Chicago Blackhawks this season. It’s hard to imagine this team doing anything of significance in the standings and finishing anywhere other than eighth in the Central, but that’s okay because they aren’t expected to. The Blackhawks are right in the middle of their rebuild, and contending for a playoff spot is nowhere near their horizon at the moment. Success for the Blackhawks will equal the growth and development of their young talent, who now have more of an opportunity to play, with guys like TJ Brodie, Pat Maroon, and Alec Martinez no longer plugging up roster spots.
Allowing players like Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, Kevin Korchinski, and Artem Levshunov to compete, develop, and earn NHL roles is of the utmost importance. Connor Bedard taking that next step forward and finding another gear that sets him apart amongst the league’s best will undoubtedly be huge, but once again, he won’t have a ton of support. The Blackhawks should finally have some stability between the pipes with Spencer Knight, which again is just another piece of the puzzle for when this group is ready to take that next step in the future.
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are one of those teams in the mushy middle when it comes to the Central. They could very well have a good season and take hold of a wild card spot like they did last season, or they could fall just short. With the Central being better than the Pacific Division this season, both wild card spots could very well go to two Central teams, which would give the Blues a better chance in a very tight race. There’s nothing about this Blues roster that screams “better than last season,” which leads me to believe that they will endure a very similar outcome. The only difference is, the Utah Mammoth are poised to take a big step forward, and that could very well be the reason the Blues miss the playoffs.
Related link: Raz’s 2025-26 Standings Predictions: Atlantic Division
The Blues still have their top-end talent like Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jordan Kyrou, along with rising stars Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Phillip Broberg, but their defensive group is getting up there in age. All in all, the Blues are good enough to be a wild card team on paper. The question is, can they be better than the other teams that are also capable of competing for a wild card spot?
Winnipeg Jets
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season, the Winnipeg Jets will be looking to do the same thing this season, although the odds of them achieving that same goal aren’t too hot. One of the most significant losses league-wide was none other than Nikolaj Ehlers, who is now a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. That’s a major loss for the Jets, especially when they were unable to fill that void with other additions. Ehlers was a key offensive contributor, which is going to hinder the Jets’ offensive output.
The biggest storyline surrounding the Jets this season is what to expect from Jonathan Toews. The three-time Stanley Cup winner, now 38 years old, hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2022-23 season. The truth is, he’s a wildcard, and no one knows what to expect from him, but if anyone were to take an educated guess as to how impactful he’s going to be, I think it’s going to be minimal. The Jets will still most likely be a top-three team in the Central, and a big reason for that will be Connor Hellebuyck, who continuously dominates the regular season, no matter how rough he looks in the playoffs.
Utah Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth are the most intriguing team heading into the 2025-26 season. They have gradually been taking steps forward as their core matures, while plugging in the necessary pieces that propel them into contention. A big chunk of the Mammoth, such as Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz, Barrett Hayton, Jack McBain, Liam O’Brien, and Karel Vejmelka, have been itching to make the playoffs for years, dating back to many years in Arizona, where success was scarce. This is the first time in a while that the main core has a decent shot at reaching the postseason.
The Mammoth’s biggest offseason acquisition was JJ Peterka, and while they lost some good young talent in Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring, their choice to make that trade was a sign that this team wants to and is ready to take that next step and contend for a playoff spot. The offensive prowess the Mammoth possess is severely underrated, and they almost have that perfect mix between high-end skill and gritty bottom-six forwards. The biggest question mark for the Mammoth this season will be Vejmelka. Will he be reliable enough for this group to push for the playoffs? Because when he’s on, you will know it, but when he isn’t, it’s a sore sight.
Nashville Predators
Last season wasn’t a pretty one for the Nashville Predators, who many thought were going to do some damage after signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Nothing went as expected, and now they are left with a bunch of aging veterans with massive contracts. As far as this season is concerned, not much has changed with the roster, which would allow us to assume that no significant improvement is in the cards, unless their veterans all of a sudden improve and have big years. Aging veterans make up a majority of the top six, and it doesn’t help that the bottom six is pretty rough.
Their defensive group isn’t that much help either, aside from Roman Josi, which isn’t going to make things any easier. Juuse Saros, who struggled a bit last season, has generally been a stable netminder for the Predators and should be able to have a better season. The outlook for the Predators this season doesn’t look too great when you look at the pieces they have, and it gets a lot worse once you remember that they are in a Central Division that has a lot of good teams. I don’t see them finishing above seventh in the Central.
Dallas Stars
The Stanley Cup is where the Dallas Stars have their eyes set, and have had them set for years. It was shocking to see a team as loaded as the Stars were last season not make it to the Final. They have been in their contending window for some time now, and nothing should alter that this season. Lots were subtracted from the Stars’ roster this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they got a lot worse. Needing to be cap compliant was the main focus, and that resulted in the need to move on from some key contributors like Mason Marchment, Evgenii Dadonov, and most notably, Mikael Granlund.
Still, the Stars might have the deepest forward group in the league with their top six being absolutely stacked. They were also able to move on from Cody Ceci and Matt Dumba, which helped improve their defensive group, and Jake Oettinger is still Jake Oettinger. While the Stars may have gotten slightly worse on paper, this is still one of the best teams in the NHL, and they should have no problems winning the Central if their ship sails smoothly.
Minnesota Wild
Drama, drama, and more drama has been the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the Minnesota Wild this offseason. From the situation with Marco Rossi, who eventually re-signed, to now, the uncertainty of the Wild’s number one superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, and his future in the state of hockey, there’s been a lot going on with the Wild as of late. Whether the Wild’s roster could see some changes in the near future, as of now, both Rossi and Kaprizov are members of the Wild, and for the team’s sake, that’s great news.
In terms of offseason additions and improving the roster, the Wild weren’t that busy. However, they did sign Vladimir Taresenko, who could end up complementing the top six pretty nicely, although he hasn’t been the same goalscorer that he was during his time in St. Louis. In between the pipes is where the Wild look elite, now with a tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt. Those two could be the sole reason the Wild finish higher than expected in the standings. Playoffs are reachable for the Wild, who will most likely finish fourth or fifth, and they could secure a wild card spot depending on how the Pacific Division shakes out.
Final Rank
- Dallas Stars – X
- Colorado Avalanche – X
- Winnipeg Jets – X
- Utah Mammoth – X
- Minnesota Wild
- St. Louis Blues
- Nashville Predators
- Chicago Blackhawks
X = clinched playoff spot
Five Central Division teams have rosters that are playoff worthy, and with a Pacific Division that doesn’t have the same level of competitiveness, the two wild card spots in the Western Conference could very well end up being snagged by two Central teams. The top of the division will be a bloodbath with the Stars, Avalanche, and Jets all capable of winning the division, while the Blackhawks and Predators will most likely be near the bottom of the standings at the end of the season. That leaves it to the Mammoth, Wild, and Blues to battle it out amongst not only each other, but perhaps some Pacific teams as well.
