Top NHL Pick: Dallas Stars Central Division Winner (+275) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Although the Central Division isn’t one of the strongest right now, it has produced a Stanley Cup winner within the previous years, when the Colorado Avalanche lifted the cup in 2022.
The division also boasts another strong Stanley Cup favorite team in the Dallas Stars, our selection to win the division this season.
Check out why we like the Stars to finish above the Avalanche and the rest of their respective competition.
Dallas Stars (+275)
It’s as simple as this, the Dallas Stars have one of the most dynamic rosters within the Central Division, and besides Colorado, it’s by a long shot. From Jake Oettinger in the crease to Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen on the ice, just to name a few.
The Stars were just about better than the Colorado Avalanche last season and finished 2 points behind them in the division. This time around, we believe the Stars will be much better than the Avalanche, so we are more than happy to oppose them as favorites to win the Central Division this year at +150.
The Dallas Stars are the better value at +275 betting odds, as they didn’t lose many assets this offseason, with their only major loss being Max Domi. With that being said, they replaced him with a player just as reliable in Matt Duchene.
The Stars are one of the favorites to lift the Stanley Cup at +1500 odds. We would be shocked to see them finishing anywhere but 1st or 2nd in the division come the end of May.
2021/22 Points Total: 108
2022/23 Points Prediction: 113
Colorado Avalanche (+150)
The biggest problem with getting behind the Avalanche to win this division is the fact they have a lot of problems at the moment. Their captain and one of their most reliable players, Gabriel Landeskog is out for the whole season, Valeri Nichushkin is having issues with the law right now, and they changed a whole bunch of forwards during the offseason.
There are a lot more questions than answers right now when it comes to the Avalanche. They should have enough strength and experience to finish 2nd or 3rd in the division this season.
We will predict a second-place finish, as the Avalanche might not be strong enough to catch Dallas but will likely finish ahead of any other team within the division.
With one of the best players in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon, they should comfortably see another post-season.
2021/22 Points Total: 109
2022/23 Points Prediction: 106
Minnesota Wild (+600)
The fact we have the Minnesota Wild down to finish 3rd is merely because we believe they could be the best of a bad bunch. In other words, they’re not even that good, but probably strong enough to finish ahead of the remaining teams within the division, but even with that said, we wouldn’t be shocked to see them slip to 4th.
Kirill Kaprizov is their strongest attacking player right now, but overall they don’t score a whole lot of goals, which has been one of their major issues when it comes to winning games as they only score 2/3 goals per night.
However, overall the Wild are a strong team that plays tough hockey that’s hard to break down. Even their backup players can adapt to the strategy and contribute, their strength in depth isn’t even that good. They’re just a tough nut to crack but ultimately come undone when facing far superior teams.
2021/22 Points Total: 103
2022/23 Points Prediction: 95
Winnipeg Jets (+900)
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is about the only thing dragging this team from a 6-7 place finish within the division to the possibility of a 4th or 5th place finish. The Jets are like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you’re going to get.
They lost a lot of core players this offseason. With Pierre-Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler having left, it seems this team’s heyday is behind them, but their starting six isn’t the worst and might surprise a few people having seen three LA Kings players join via the Dubois trade.
This team might sneak into the playoffs. Ultimately, it’s their final shot at winning a Stanley Cup as Hellebuyck is set to become a UFA and unlikely to re-sign. They will certainly be hoping to make the playoffs at the very least and go from there, and who knows how far a goaltender like Hellebuyck could take you.
2021/22 Points Total: 95
2022/23 Points Prediction: 90
St. Louis Blues (+1200)
The final remnants of the Stanley Cup-winning team are pretty much almost gone now, and the St. Louis Blues are at the dawn of a new era. Well, kind of. The Blues have a solid and very reliable top six, it’s after that their problems arise. Defensively, they are not as strong as they used to be and their goaltending situation could be their biggest downfall this season.
Jordan Binnington doesn’t cut it anymore; he has been too unreliable for too long now and this is likely his last season to prove himself. The Blues’ forward line is scary and we would be surprised if they weren’t one of the highest-scoring teams within the division, but as we said with the issues at the blue line and in the crease, it’s not going to be easy for the Blues this season.
2021/22 Points Total: 81
2022/23 Points Prediction: 87
Nashville Predators (+1000)
The Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators will likely be the three fighting it out for a 4th to 6th place finish this season, and we believe the Predators could come out the worst of the three, but that said, next season they might be one to watch.
A new era has begun in Nashville with a new general manager and the signing of a new coach in Barry Trotz. The predators made their intentions known early when trading Matt Duchene to the Dallas Stars.
This season will be an assessment of sorts for the new GM and coach, so don’t expect big things. There’s a rebuild underway, and this team could look very different in a year’s time, but they should be strong enough all around to finish ahead of our next two teams.
2021/22 Points Total: 92
2022/23 Points Prediction: 82
Arizona Coyotes (+7500)
Arizona is still a mess, although they might not be as bad as last season. They are still almost guaranteed to not finish 5th or above, we would even argue that they won’t finish 6th, although we are boldly predicting them to not come last.
Arizona brought in a bunch of players this offseason, with the likes of Matt Dumba and Jason Zucker having joined the team, but overall nobody significant enough to change the face of the franchise.
They will struggle defensively and offensively and will no doubt have a losing record come the end of May. Long term, the Coyotes do have some solid draft picks coming up, but that’s all speculative if they can nab any gems, and that process also takes time. It’s essentially a super slow rebuild down in Arizona at the moment.
2021/22 Points Total: 70
2022/23 Points Prediction: 74
Chicago Blackhawks (+5000)
Connor Bedard. That’s all the fans care about right now. The number one draft pick Connor Bedard comes straight into the team and is the new face of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise.
That’s all that can be said for this team because overall they are beyond poor, and Bedard might literally have to drag this team from 8th to 1st in the division over the next few seasons, with help from the GM to bring in some solid players to surround him.
For now, the Blackhawks signed up a couple of veteran forwards, likely to help Bedard in his first season. The Blackhawks will be better than last season, but Bedard’s presence won’t be enough to take them from the bottom of the division just yet.
2021/22 Points Total: 59
2022/23 Points Prediction: 70
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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