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Central Division bold predictions for 2019-20 |
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Todd Cordell
Minnesota, fresh off their last placed finish in the Central, will make the playoffs in what should be a tough division. Hear me out.
The Wild were not as bad as their record indicated last season. They only allowed 23.47 scoring chances against (1st) and 2.45 expected goals against (2nd) per 60 minutes of play. Suffice to say, the defense was stout. This season they’re returning all the key members – plus Matt Dumba! – so that should be the case once again.
Offensively, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about improvement. Jason Zucker is a great bet to rebound. Getting a full season from Ryan Donato, who piled up 16 points in 22 games with the Wild, will help a lot. Kevin Fiala will almost certainly produce more points per game than he did down the stretch. Mats Zuccarello, while a risky bet long-term, adds some pop on the wings. Dumba’s return, as mentioned, gives them 15+ goal threat on the back end. There’s enough there for the offense to be respectable.
If Devan Dubnyk provides adequate goaltending, I think Bruce Boudreau is more than capable of getting this group back into the dance.
Peter Tessier
It appears if rumors are true that Byfuglien will probably join the Jets but that does not mean they are out of the woods yet when it comes to their positions within the central. However my hot take here is not that the Jets might be on the bubble in regards to a playoff spot, it's that if they are pushed down and miss it will be Chicago that is above them.
The death of the Blackhawks is far from certain and this year they bounce back and might even make a push for the post-season.
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