CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Head coach: Luke Richardson (third season)
Last season: 23-53-6, 52 points, eighth place in Central Division
This season: Now comes the attempt for the long climb out of the basement. After bottoming out two seasons ago and being rewarded with the “Next One” in Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks hope their next star and the other up-and-comers can learn how to win.
What’s new: In an effort to add experience around their young core, Chicago included free-agent forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, defensemen T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez, and goalie Laurent Brossoit. It’s not a cast of world beaters, but it’s a step forward.
Players to watch: Injuries took away most of last season for Taylor Hall and Andreas Athanasiou. Having them healthy allows Chicago a smoother integration for its cast of young forwards.
COLORADO AVALANCHE
Head coach: Jared Bednar (ninth season)
Last season: 50-25-7, 107 points, third place in Central Division
This season: The 2022 Stanley Cup champions are not as strong as they were in that title run, but they still resemble a top-tier team — especially if a couple of players return. Captain Gabriel Landeskog has missed two seasons due to multiple knee surgeries, and Valeri Nichushkin is eligible to return from suspension in mid-November. Nichushkin violated the league’s player assistance program.
What’s new: Surprisingly, the Avalanche made few changes after last season. One player to watch is former Kontinental Hockey League star Nikolai Kovalenko, who could step into a key role, especially if Artturi Lehkonen needs more time recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Players to watch: With Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Jonathan Drouin and standout defensemen Cale Makar and Devon Toews, the Avalanche have plenty of talent to compete with the best.
DALLAS STARS
Head coach: Pete DeBoer (third season)
Last season: 52-21-9, 113 points, first place in Central Division
This season: The Stars, who lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final, rightfully have Stanley Cup expectations. The disappointment of being so close will drive this team all season.
What’s new: The retirement of Joe Pavelski may see Wyatt Johnston moved to wing on the top line. A couple of rookies in Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque will receive their opportunity to make the squad out of camp. The biggest offseason acquisition was free-agent defenseman Mathew Dumba.
Players to watch: Dumba joins a blueline brigade headed by Miro Heiskanen, but it is filled with question marks. Thomas Harley has a ton of potential, but with Esa Lindell, Ilya Lyubushkin and Brendan Smith filling out the top six, the defense remains the team’s weak point.
MINNESOTA WILD
Head coach: John Hynes (second season)
Last season: 39-34-9, 87 points, sixth place in Central Division
This season: After missing the playoffs for only the second time in 12 seasons, the Wild are a bubble playoff team. They have top-tier talent but lack depth at both forward and defense in what is to be the final season for sure-fire Hall-of-Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Frankly, Minnesota could be a 100-point playoff team or tumble to a 75-point campaign.
What’s new: In part due to being handcuffed by the contract buyouts to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, the Wild could do little to add impact players. Instead, they nabbed depth skaters Yakov Trenin and Jakub Lauko.
Players to watch: After a strong rookie season, 2020 first-round pick Marco Rossi is penciled to skate at center on the top line with dynamic forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. Minnesota’s big problem is a lack of scoring depth beyond those two.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Head coach: Andrew Brunette (second season)
Last season: 47-30-5, 99 points, fourth place in Central Division
This season: The Predators swung big in free agency and are looking to ride a veteran lineup to the upper echelon of the league. Whether it works will be an interesting study.
What’s new: The Predators made a huge splash in signing free-agents Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), Jonathan Marchessault (Vegas) and Brady Skjei (Carolina) to lucrative, long-term deals. Stamkos and Marchessault provide a dynamic second line for a club already boasting Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly as the top trio. Skjei is a big-minute defenseman who can take some load off captain Roman Josi.
Players to watch: Goalie Juuse Saros signed an eight-year, $61.92 million contract. He deservedly has been in the Vezina Trophy conversation in the past but had his struggles last season. A more potent team in front of Saros should make his job a little more manageable.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
Head coach: Drew Bannister (second season)
Last season: 43-33-6, 92 points, fifth place in Central Division
This season: After missing the playoffs in two consecutive seasons, the Blues boldly added a couple of players via offer sheets and then tinkered around the lineup. It will be a big climb back to the playoffs, even with those moves.
What’s new: The Edmonton Oilers allowed both forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Philip Broberg to depart for St. Louis. The Blues also added forwards Alexandre Texier, Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa, as well as veteran defenseman Ryan Suter.
Players to watch: The Blues have solid forward talent in Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, but little depth. Jake Neighbours is poised to take a bigger role, and the Blues need him to succeed.
UTAH HOCKEY CLUB
Head coach: Andre Tourigny (fourth season)
Last season: 36-41-5, 77 points, seventh place in Central Division as the Arizona Coyotes
This season: It’s a new beginning for the former Coyotes, who have only one playoff berth since 2012 — and that happened due in part to the expanded format during the COVID-19 stoppage in 2020. Watch for Utah to make a push for the playoffs. The club may fall short, but at least a legitimate effort will be a huge step forward.
What’s new: Utah looks much like the team that missed the playoffs in Arizona last season, but it is understandable considering the situation. With so many young players coming into their own, and no longer questions abounding about the team’s future, the next step is to see who can elevate to playoff caliber. The key acquisitions were defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino.
Players to watch: The list of young and talented forwards is long, with captain Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, Lawson Crouse, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and Josh Doan, who had five goals in 11 games down the stretch.
WINNIPEG JETS
Head coach: Scott Arniel (first season)
Last season: 52-24-6, 110 points, second place in Central Division
This season: The Jets were a top-tier team last season, in huge part due to balanced scoring, a largely unheralded above-average defense corps, and top-shelf goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. If everything clicks, they should be better than 100 points, but expect to see them in the wild-card spot dogfight if things don’t go well.
What’s new: Backup goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen is the biggest offseason acquisition, but the Jets are focused more on having a healthy Rasmus Kupari for a whole season and 2020 first-round pick Cole Perfetti taking a bigger role.
Players to watch: As well as Hellebuyck, Winnipeg has very good top-end talent in forwards Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers, Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry, plus a Norris Trophy candidate in defenseman Josh Morrissey.
–Field Level Media