Nashville Predators: Central Division Power Rankings One Month In

The massive rebuilding project of the Chicago Blackhawks might not be off to as quick of a start as I thought they would be. However, they’re still a fringe wildcard team in my book. They recently got completely dominated by the Predators despite a magnificent performance in net by Robin Lehner.

Lehner makes me think this team is going to hang around. They also still have a very formidable top line with Patrick Kane always leading the way. He’s the team-leader in points with 12, and there’s some nice young pieces that power their depth in Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome.

Defensively they rank in the middle of the pack in goals allowed per game. They’re near the bottom in goals scored per game, which is a bit surprising considering they have some quality offensive players. I think they’re going to start showing improvement in that area.

The Blackhawks sit in sixth in my power rankings of the division because simply put this division is pretty stacked. Also the Blackhawks have played just two division games so far, both ending in losses. This team has the pieces, although either aging or inexperienced, to make a jump forward and maybe find themselves playing for a wildcard spot going into the last week of the regular season.