The Chicago Blackhawks play in a very good Central Division. What are the best- and worst-case scenarios for them this year?
The Central Division has been a powerhouse at the top for a few years now. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars have been the cream of the crop recently, but the Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth both took big steps in 2025-26.
The Avalanche boast two of the five best players in the league with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. A good supporting cast, including players like Devon Toews and Martin Necas, makes them hard to beat. Even with the rest of their roster on the decline, that core makes them a Cup contender for another year.
As for the Dallas Stars, they have been one of those elite teams that have been unable to get over the hump in recent years. They kept Jason Robertson instead of trading him away for lesser value, so they have an elite winger to complement two top centers (Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston), two elite defensemen (Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley), and a star goalie in Jake Oettinger.
Dallas's best forward, Mikko Rantanen, has Stanley Cup pedigree and is ready for another big run. With veterans like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Matt Duchene filling out the depth, it's a difficult team to face.
The Minnesota Wild lost key contributors in Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko, but they still have a very strong team. There is the Quinn Hughes shadow over the team right now, but as long as he's there, stars like Brock Faber, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek will help him form a winning core.
In Salt Lake City, something special may be brewing with the Utah Mammoth. They have an owner who took them to Utah from Arizona and has given them every resource to build a winner. Now, guys like Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Mikhail Sergachev are ready to build on a great playoff appearance a year ago with a deeper run.
At the same time, the rest of the division was mediocre to bad a year ago. That includes the Chicago Blackhawks, who are on a long run of finishing in 8th place. They have made some major improvements over the summer, but it is not wise to assume that they are locks to compete for the playoffs or even come close.
Strange things have happened in the NHL before. Teams not expected to make the playoffs do so every year. This fact should have everyone coming into the new year with a certain sense of optimism. The Blackhawks are not going to host a playoff series in round one, but a “best-case scenario” could see them as a Wild Card team.
If the Blackhawks have everything come together, that would mean that they have magnificent health, their veterans live up to what they’ve done in the past, and multiple young players start to break out. That also would mean that Connor Bedard came back from his injury a bit earlier than expected and dominated from that point on. Good goaltending from both Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom is also assumed here.
If all of that happens, they still won't finish ahead of Utah, Colorado, Dallas, or Minnesota, but they could be a 5th Central Division team that beats out all other at-large Western Conference teams. Division teams. The Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and Nashville Predators are a few of the teams that may be in that mix.
The worst-case scenario, however, is that the team shows no improvement, comes in last place in the Central Division again, and none of the young players take adequate steps to justify their finish.
To be clear, coming in last does not equal the worst-case scenario. It isn’t ideal, but if they come in last and finish knowing that Connor Bedard and 6 other under-23 players are stars, it’s a fine season.
None of these is considered the likely outcome, however. They may not sneak into the playoffs, but they also aren’t looking to be bottom-five again. Acquiring players like Bowen Byram and Patrick Kane is a sign of a desire to improve organizationally.
They may not finish 5th, but they can still finish ahead of the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, or Nashville Predators. It comes down to health and performance.
Coming in 6th place in the division, while playing meaningful games in March, is a realistic sign of improvement. Anything better than that will be overachieving, which is also on the table with all this talent.
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