Predators Falling Back in Our Central Division Power Rankings

We’re now into December and the Nashville Predators have found themselves falling behind in the crowded Central Division race.

The way the Central Division looks look could end up looking completely different when April gets here, and the Nashville Predators have plenty of time to push for a third-straight division title.

With that said, the Central Division is a tight race as expected at this current point. The Blues are up where everyone expected them, and the Stars have climbed back in after a horrendous first eight games. Even the Wild are sticking around.

So where do we have the Predators as we enter December? Have our thoughts changed on them, or are they still the team we thought they were? Let’s get into our third installment of the Central Division power rankings.

Minnesota Wild

So the Wild are hanging around and are no longer in last place in the divisional standings. I’m still not ready to pull them out of the division cellar. They’re one point up on the Blackhawks and just two points behind the Predators.

The Wild are sticking around longer than I thought they would, but there’s still plenty of time for them to fade. I just don’t have confidence in their roster or goaltending to stand up for the long-term. They have had a really solid November with seven wins, and some of those coming against very quality opponents like Colorado, Buffalo and Arizona twice.

Can the Wild take people by storm and keep moving up the division standings? I’ll believe it when I see and I’m not ready to move them out of last place in my power rankings. Not enough of a scoring punch and not enough stability in net. And they’ve struggled greatly against division opponents outside of one lone win over Colorado.

Chicago Blackhawks

Full disclosure I’ve been pretty wrong about the Blackhawks so far. I thought they were closer to climbing out of their rebuilding project this season, and maybe even push for a wildcard spot. They could still achieve that, but something just seems off with them.

They’ve officially taken over the last place in the Central Division at 25 points and a 10-10-5 record. Their last four games have come against Central Division opponents, with losses against Colorado and Dallas and a win over Dallas sandwiched in between those.

I have a hard time counting the Blackhawks out because they have some nice offensive firepower and a blend of veterans and young talent. Patrick Kane is blazing through his first 25 games with 32 points and 13 goals. However, the problem with this team is they’re top-heavy.

You have to have quality depth if you want to finish among the best in the division. They’re probably another year away from really contending for a top-three position in the division. Their 18-year-old rising star Kirby Dach has ten points (5 goals, 5 assists) and 21-year-old Alex DeBrincat has 19 points.

Nashville Predators

I was ready to move the Nashville Predators back up into the top-four of the division until their most recent no-show against the Florida Panthers that ended in a 3-0 shutout loss. This tea continues to be very unpredictable and not consistent.

It was a very rough month of November as the Predators went 4-7-2, including a six-game losing streak and two losses by a five-goal deficit.  Not the team we were expecting to see going into the season. Now they’re battling to climb back into the wildcard hunt and avoid being a fringe playoff team.

Is that what this team really is? Just a fringe playoff team? This upcoming month of December is going to teach us a lot about whether last month was more of a fluke or if this is truly who they are. Roster decisions have been questioned greatly and the coaching staff has been under some serious scrutiny.

If this team continues to struggle, perhaps the Predators will start entertaining starting over with just their third head coach in franchise history. I think they’re still a ways away from that, but this team really needs a long winning streak to climb back into the division race. They find themselves only five points out of the top-three so they’re not completely buried yet.

Winnipeg Jets

What a month it was for the Jets, which is the opposite of what the Predators can say. The Jets posted ten wins and got 21 points. They’re outperforming my preseason expectations for them, and are currently just just one point shy of being in second place.

We know they have big offensive weapons in Kyle Connor (10 goals), Nikolaj Ehlers (12 goals) and Mark Scheifele (9 goals). That’s not even mentioning Patrik Laine or Blake Wheeler, two other solid offensive scorers. This team is loaded with scorers.

Their goaltending is also coming around with Connor Hellebuyck. He’s carrying this Jets team right now to such a solid spot in the standings. He’s second in the league, just behind Darcy Kuemper, for save percentage at .933. That’s after a bad start in October for Hellebuyck.

If Hellebuyck continues on this pace of elite goaltending, then the Jets are going to be a force to deal with when the playoffs approach. I have them 4th for now, but only because I’m not sure they’re deep enough to be considered in the top-three of the division.

Dallas Stars

The Stars opened up the regular season horrendously with a 1-7 start. If you’re ever going to have a rough patch in your season, perhaps the first two weeks of the season is the best time to do it. That seems like a distant memory now as the Stars have been one of the most consistent teams in the league since then.

This is how I expected the Stars to be playing all along. Their top two lines are stacked with players like Alexander Radulov, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. But it’s their defensive group that’s also impressive. Miro Heiskanen has 17 points to lead their defensemen in points.

The Stars have seven players in double-digit points. They don’t lean on just a couple players to give them good games. They can beat you with their entire lineup, and they’re getting stellar goaltending as well from Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin.

Pick your poison on how you want this Stars team to beat you. They check all of the boxes and are going to be  tough out in a seven-game series for any team.

Colorado Avalanche

You want to talk about a team that has weathered some storms on the injury front, then let’s talk about the Avalanche. Despite losing Mikko Rantanen since mid-October, the Avalanche have remained firmly at the top of the Central Division race. Oh, and Rantanen has now returned and already has a four-point game to his credit.

Then you have Gabriel Landeskog also nearing a return, and will definitely be back with plenty of games left in the regular season:

The entire NHL better take notice because the Avalanche are about to be back at full strength, and they never really missed a beat even without two of their top stars. And let’s not forget their MVP-caliber star player Nathan MacKinnon who has 42 points already through 26 games played.

This team is my Stanley Cup pick as of now. I don’t see anything changing my mind. They’re the team to beat with everything they can throw at you on offense, and their goaltending and defense is just good enough to make this team the top team in the entire NHL for me.