While the division teams and names will be different, one of the divisions will remain. The Central Division, even with different teams in the fold, are getting ready to begin the 2021 NHL campaign. The division will contain quite a few playoff contenders, including the two Stanley Cup Finalists in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars.

With those two teams and several clubs looking to reestablish themselves in this division, it will be a fun division to watch. As the year approaches, we surveyed our writers for their predictions about the division standings and Conference finalist. After conducting the survey, how does our 2021 NHL Central Division look?

#8: Chicago Blackhawks

Starting at the bottom of the Central is the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season wasn’t really anything special nor terrible, merely average. There were young bright spots in the form of Dominik Kubalik, Kirby Dach, and Alex DeBrincat as well as Patrick Kane being the centerpiece once again. However, the defense was highly suspect with Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook starting to decline. Even after selling low on Robin Lehner at the deadline, Chicago snuck into the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as the 12th seed to face the Edmonton Oilers. While the older faces turned back the clock to pull off the upset, reality caught back up with them as Vegas beat them in six games.

Even with the success they saw in the postseason, the team realized that being a marginal contender was their fate if they kept going how they were. As a result, the team announced they were rebuilding to find a new core. With this vision, goalie Corey Crawford left as a free agent for New Jersey, and Brandon Saad was traded to Colorado. Kane is still around, but the center depth took a massive hit. Kirby Dach was injured for the long term at the World Junior Championship and Jonathan Toews is out indefinitely due to health issues. Add a goalie tandem of Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia and Chicago may be in for a long season.

#7: Detroit Red Wings

At the seventh position of our rankings are the Detroit Red Wings. Last year needs no real explanation. The team had realized they weren’t true contenders and committed to a rebuild, but several bad contracts were holding things back. However, those contracts became horrid, and Detroit suffered a disaster of a season with one of the worst defenses in hockey’s recent history. The talents of Tyler Bertuzzi, Anthony Mantha, and Dylan Larkin could only do so much as the team around them imploded. However, even in the chaos, the rebuild made strides this offseason.

Several of the team’s long time names left, including Trevor Daley to retirement, and Justin Abdelkader was bought out. After other transactions, the team didn’t make any real flashy moves but filled needs. Coming onto the blue line are Troy Stecher and Jon Merrill, along with Marc Staal for a year in a leadership role. At forward comes Vladislav Namestnikov and Bobby Ryan to complement the big three. In net, Thomas Greiss joins in on a short term deal as well. With more cap help potentially coming after this season and a strong prospect pool, things may be looking up in Detroit. 2021 will be a year of transition and helping the youth gel, but they will hang around for a bit in the NHL playoff picture in the Central.

#6: Florida Panthers

At number six comes the Florida Panthers. Last year was a bit of a dud for them considering the expectations they had. After signing Sergei Bobrovsky, they were projected to become a legit threat, but he struggled and the Panthers were very average throughout the year. Although some of it may have been due to a spotty defense, he didn’t perform like a ten million dollar goaltender. Even with the struggles, Florida had a chance to wipe the slate clean in the Qualifying Round against the New York Islanders. However, the team was always one step behind them, and New York bested them in four.

Even with former GM Dale Tallon getting fired, the team didn’t strip everything bare. Rather, they made several retooling moves to change the locker room a bit. For starters, they shipped Michael Matheson’s bad contract to Pittsburgh for Patric Hornqvist. He may not be the player he was, but it can be a gamble worth taking if all goes well, and his deal expires sooner than Matheson’s.

In free agency, the team made several non-flashy moves, including a noted scorer in Anthony Duclair, Vinnie Hinostroza, Alex Wennberg, and Carter Verhaeghe for center depth, and Markus Nutivaara and Radko Gudas for the defense. The team took a hit with Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadonov leaving, but they can be in a position where adding defense can help them moving forward. Overall, the talent of the Panthers is some of the best in the 2021 NHL Central division. However, unless Bobrovsky can turn it around, the Panthers are likely in the mud for another year.

#5: Columbus Blue Jackets

The last non-playoff team of our predictions is Columbus Blue Jackets. Last year was a year of thriving in the chaos for Columbus. After losing Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and Bobrovsky to free agency, the Jackets were expected to fall off. However, John Tortorella went into Coach of the Year mode and kept his team in the hunt all year long. Joonas Korpisalo was really good between the pipes, and Elvis Merzlikins came out of nowhere to become an NHL level goalie. Even with tremendous levels of injuries, Columbus was competitive in the regular season. However, the pause allowed the Jackets to get healthy again and stun the Toronto Maple Leafs in the qualifiers. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning were eager for revenge after the 2019 postseason, and the magic ran out for the team in five games.

The team didn’t really change that much this offseason, but it could have gotten a huge jolt. The team made attempts to clear cap for big names, including trades of Ryan Murray and Nutivaara and a buyout of Wennberg. However, the team couldn’t lure any of the big names in Hoffman or Taylor Hall, but the team did bring in Max Domi in a trade with Montreal for Josh Anderson. A Tortorella hockey team will always be in the discussion for the playoffs. The defense and goaltending are also some of the best in the NHL and Central Division. However, the lack of upgrades on offense may come back to haunt them.

#4: Nashville Predators

Squeaking into the 2021 NHL playoffs as the four seed in the Central is the Nashville Predators. The Predators are a team that may have benefited from the expanded playoff structure. Their season was somewhat average, although a sluggish start sunk them in the standings early. After a rough start where their power play struggled, longtime head coach Peter Laviolette was fired and replaced by Jon Hynes. It was an odd move at the time, but the hire propelled the Preds back into the playoff picture before the stoppage. Once the playoffs began, the team couldn’t solve the white-hot Darcy Kuemper in net. They outshot the Arizona Coyotes in every game but didn’t get the results they needed. As a result, Nashville lost in four games of the Qualifiers.

While the outlook was bleak for them heading into the offseason, the team kept most of their roster around. The talents of Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg remain, but things are different. Nick Bonino and his modest contract were traded to Minnesota for a younger player in Luke Kunin, Craig Smith left for Boston, and Kyle Turris was bought out. In their stead come Nick Cousins, Brad Richardson, a returning Mikael Granlund, and a late signing of Erik Haula. The team didn’t invest too much in high-end talent like last year with Matt Duchene, but the secondary scoring can improve this year. If the Predators get the scoring they need and Juuse Saros takes the next step, Nashville can return to the playoffs.

#3: Dallas Stars

At number three is the current Western Conference Champion, the Dallas Stars. Last year was a sensational year for the club after a shaky start. After starting the year on a 1-8 skid, the team rebounded and went back into the playoff picture in the winter months. However, head coach Jim Montgomery left the organization in December due to personal reasons, giving way to new coach Rick Bowness. Even with the sudden shakeup behind the bench, Dallas continued to play well the rest of the regular season. Their defense won them several games, and Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop were arguably the best goalie tandem in hockey.

Even with a spotty offense, Dallas retained their number three seed in the round-robin and went on a phenomenal run. They knocked off Calgary in a tight six-game series, upset the Avalanche in seven after losing a 3-1 series lead, and silenced the Golden Knights’ offense in five games.

Even though the team couldn’t quite keep up with the Lightning in the finals, Dallas had a terrific run in Edmonton. After the success, they kept most of that team together, including Anton Khudobin on a three-year contract. They did lose Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry to free agency, but the team is still in a position of strength. Roope Hintz and Dennis Gurianov are their goal scorers for the future and Miro Heiskanen is looking to be an elite defenseman. The Stars are once again a playoff contender and a dark horse cup contender after last season, and they look to build on that in 2021.

#2: Carolina Hurricanes

The runner-up in this division is the Carolina Hurricanes. Last year was one of high expectations for the organization, and the Hurricanes were in the playoff race for much of the year. However, the team suffered several setbacks, including injuries to key names such as Dougie Hamilton, underperformance from some names, and inconsistent goaltending. Even with the struggles, the Canes once again made the playoffs after sweeping the Rangers out of the Qualifiers. However, the team was outmatched by the Boston Bruins and eliminated in five.

The Hurricanes didn’t really change many pieces to their lineup. Two main pieces left the organization: Joel Edmundson in a trade to Montreal and Justin Williams due to retirement. The team did make a move to bring in an underrated commodity in Jesper Fast on a fairly cheap three-year, $2 million AAV contract, so the bottom six will be deeper. Carolina still has a very strong lineup with a strong top six and defense, but the question mark lies in goal. James Reimer and Petr Mrazek are both capable goalies, but both of them can suffer from consistency issues at times. One of them will need to carry the load this season, and if they can get the results they need, Carolina can very well make another deep run.

#1: Tampa Bay Lightning

Finishing out the list is the reigning, defending, undisputed Stanley Cup champion, the Tampa Bay Lightning. After suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2019 postseason, the team got off to a sluggish start in the next season. Jon Cooper was on the hot seat as head coach, but the team was able to rebound to the second seed in the Atlantic when the season stopped. However, when the season resumed, the team embarked on a tremendous playoff run. They finished second in the seeding games, avenged the Blue Jackets for their defeat last year, knocked off the Boston Bruins, and ended the New York Islanders’ miracle run to make it back to the Final. After facing the Dallas Stars, the team was able to keep pace and get to the top of the hockey world in six games.

In the offseason, the Bolts faced an unprecedented cap crunch. Several big names, including Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak, and Mikhail Sergachev were all RFA’s and the Lightning had several expensive contracts. The team was able to lock up all three to bridge contracts, but it came at the expense of Nikita Kucherov going to LTIR, and the departure of Cedric Paquette and Braydon Coburn. Most other depth pieces from that run remain, including Pat Maroon and Luke Schenn. Most of the team from the run still remain, and, even with the loss of Kucherov, the lineup is deep enough where it won’t hurt them that much. As a result, Tampa remains a dynamo and should finish near the top of the 2021 NHL standings and alone at the top of the Central Division.

Conference Finalist:

The voting for the Central’s Conference Final team was a dead heat between two teams: Dallas and Tampa. The two teams finished dead even in the first poll, but the Lightning pulled away in a tiebreaker. After the core finally got the elusive championship, the hunger will be there to repeat, and Tampa has the team to do it. Even without Kucherov, their lineup is ridiculously deep and can get production from anyone at any time. With the championship team still together, the Lightning are our pick to make the 2021 NHL Conference Final out of the Central.

Matthew Page

I am a first year student at Hofstra University and an avid Islanders fan. I have been writing for Drive4Five since March 2020. My family has been season ticket holders for the team since 2016, and hockey is my favorite sport. As I expand my knowledge in the field of Journalism, I am writing to express my love for the Islanders and the NHL.