It
is time to move onto the Western Conference for the upcoming 2012/2013 NHL
season starting with a preview of the Central Division. The following is a
brief look at each of the five teams in the Central along with their currents
odds to win the Stanley Cup as provided by Bovada.
Chicago Blackhawks 14/1
Chicago is
not that far removed from winning a Stanley Cup after a run to the title in
2010. Last season’s roller-coaster ride of extended winning and losing streaks
ended with a loss to Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs in six games
after finishing as the sixth-seed in the West. The Blackhawks ended the regular
season with 101 points and had an overall record of 45-26-11 in the highly
competitive Central. A good deal of the talent that helped lead Chicago to the
title a few years back still remains, so the expectation level for this team remains
as high as ever. If the Blackhawks can
address the consistency issues that plagued them throughout last season, they
should be right back on top in 2012/2013.
Detroit Red Wings 15/1
This is
another team that ran the gambit of highs and lows last season. Detroit
locked up the fifth-seed in the West with 103 points as a result of a 48-28-6
record, but ran into a Nashville buzzsaw in the first round of the postseason, losing the best-of-seven series against
its division rival in just five games. The Red Wings were relatively quiet this
offseason when it came to free agency, but they did sign goalie Jonas
Gustavsson from Toronto to provide a solid backup for Jimmy Howard. Detroit did
lose a couple of free agents along the way, but for the most part was able to
hold onto the players that will give this team the best chance to compete for a
division title this upcoming season.
St. Louis Blues 16/1
The
defending Central Division champions entered last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs
as the second-seed in the West. St. Louis held true to form in the first round
with a 4-1 series win over San Jose, but it was no match for the white-hot LA
Kings in the conference semifinals, getting swept 4-0. The Blues missedout
on the top spot in the West by just two points and had an overall
regular-season record of 49-22-11. They should be right back in the thick of
things this season with the goalie combination of Jaroslav Halak and Brian
Elliott, which is easily one of the best in the league. If they can add a bit
more production at the other end of the ice, there is some tremendous value in
their current odds.
Nashville Predators 25/1
Nashville
stunned quite a few people last season with its run to the conference
semifinals as the No.4 seed in the West before bowing-out to Phoenix in five
games. The Predators finished second in the division with 104 points and had an
overall record of 48-26-8. They will be hard-pressed to match those numbers
this season in one of the toughest divisions in the league, but they did an
excellent job at re-signing some of the key pieces of last year’s roster
especially restricted free-agent defenseman Shea Weber, who appeared to be
headed to Philadelphia.
Columbus Blue Jackets 150/1
Columbus comes into this season as the longest
shot on the board to win a Stanley Cup title and playing in this division only
makes matters worse. The Blue Jackets were the only team in the Central that
did not make the playoffs last season after a woeful 29-46-7 record left them
with just 65 total points, which was also the lowest amount of points in the
NHL by nine. With no dramatic improvement to the current roster along with the
loss of a few free-agents from a very shallow pool of talent, the biggest thing
that the Blue Jackets’ fans have to look forward to is hosting this season’s
All-Star Game.