Three NHL teams still await opening games heading into the first weekend of the 2020-21 season. Ottawa was the odd team out in the schedule as 30 teams were set to debut Wednesday and Thursday. The Senators, playing in the North or all-Canada division this season, host Toronto Friday night.
Next season, the addition of the Kraken will create an even number of teams so, say, all teams can open in the first two days and potentially all 32 teams compete on the final day of the regular season with crucial must-win matchups at hand.
2020-21 NHL Season Preview: Central
The regular season is under way, but two Central division teams have yet to debut as the new Central features both 2020 Stanley Cup finalists. Doing the divisional-playoff math, both cannot return to the Final
The Florida Panthers begin their season when Chicago is in town Sunday and Tuesday for a two-game set in Sunrise, FL. The Panthers were slated to open Thursday and Friday at home against Dallas, but the Stars' season start is delayed due a COVID-19 outbreak among players and staff that shut down the training facility for a stretch until last Tuesday. The team's first practice back was missing 14 players, as reported by NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. Dallas' first game will now be no sooner than Jan. 19 at Tampa.
When the Stars at back at game strength, the Dallas-Tampa Bay storyline will no doubt be a running topic in the 2020-21 version of the Central division as only one of the 2020 Stanley Cup finalists can make it out of divisional playoffs. It's only division to keep the same name during this one-season realignment to reduce travel, require all division teams to use the same hotel in NHL cities to control health and safety protocols and, if think it through, any particular rise in positive tests will be contained to affecting a group of no more than seven or eight teams.
Before Florida and Dallas drop respective pucks for regular season shifts, let's examine the trends and hopes for the Central division teams that include three holdovers from the usual Central (Chicago, Dallas, Nashville) plus three Atlantic division teams (Detroit, Florida, Tampa Bay) and two clubs from the usual Metropolitan Division (Carolina, Columbus)
Carolina Hurricanes2019-2020 finish: Lost to Boston in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: F Jesper Fast
What to know: This Stanley Cup contender is loaded with players drafted or acquired in trades by Kraken GM Ron Francis when he was running the front office in Carolina. Draft choices include Sebastian Aho and Martin Necas among many others. He traded for first-line wing Teuvo Tervainen plus others. Francis signed stalwart defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce to team-friendly content extensions that will help if the Hurricanes look to add a player or two at the trade deadline.
Outlook: This team is loaded and especially stacked with defensemen. This is a team Kraken might watch a bit on NHL Network/NHL.TV to size up D-men who might be left unprotected in the NHL Expansion Draft, plus some promising forwards that can't all be protected. Question with the answer telling a lot: Can the goalie tandem of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer perform at Cup contender levels?
Chicago Blackhawks
2019-2020 finish: As No. 12 seed upset No. 5 seed Edmonton in the Qualifying Round, then lost to Vegas and former teammate G Robin Lehner in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New faces: Defenseman Nikita Zadarov, forwards Lucas Wallmark and Mattias Janmark.
What to know: The bigger story is who's missing: Three-time Cup-winning captain Jonathan Toews out indefinitely with an undisclosed illness; Kirby Dach, the No. 3 overall 2020 NHL draft pick who impressed in the Edmonton bubble, then was named captain of Team Canada at World Juniors only to break a wrist during an exhibition game; Alex Nylander, a scorer who needed this rebuild year of experience but is out for the season with a knee injury.
Outlook: Fans will still want to watch the magic of Patrick Kane holding the puck until just the right moment to pass or shoot. But the green goaltending trio of Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen is going to be a sorting out process that leave Chicago out of the divisional playoffs and possibly finishing below Detroit altogether. One hunch: When he gets the chance, Lankinen might be the best choise in net.
Columbus Blue Jackets
2019-2020 finish: Eliminated Toronto in the qualifying round, then lost to the Cup-winning Tampa Bay in the first round
New faces: F Max Domi, F Mikko Koivu, F Mikhail Grigorenko
What to know: The Blue Jackets actually did the two young goalies thing last season and thrived with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins in net.
Outlook: This franchise is solid despite losing top free agent-eligible players (F Artemi Panarin and G Sergei Bobrosky) going into to last season. Keeping forward Pierre-Luc Dubois will be easier if CBJ keeps its rising trend of playoff success via tight defense with elite D-man Seth Jones leading that charge. Scoring was down last year, which is why Domi was acquired in a trade. This team looks like a Central divisional playoff team.
Dallas Stars2019-2020 finish:
New faces: D Mark Pysyk
What to know: Head coach Rick Bowness took over the team midseason and won the lockerroom and several playoff series. He went from interim to a big reason why Dallas can get back to the Final this season.
Outlook: As previously mentioned, Tampa Bay is in the way of the Central spot on the NHL semifinals. Maybe Dallas seeing the Lightning more in the regular season will actually make the difference. Dallas is loaded with talent. Fans should watch Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg as defensemen who join offensive attack. Goaltending is solid with playoffs star Anton Khudobin and elite goalie Ben Bishop returning (hmm, two veteran goaltenders...). There will be surprises in this one-of-kind season, and the Stars are already experiencing the first twist, but there will be no shock if there is a DAL-TBL East division second-round matchup with the winner heading to the 2021 final four.
Detroit Red Wings2019-2020 finish: Did not make the postseason round of 24.
New faces: F Bobby Ryan, F Vladislav Namestnikov, D Marc Staal, D Troy Stecher, D Jon Merrill, G Thomas Greiss
What to know: All of the new faces came at reasonable contract numbers and you get the feeling that Detroit legend, former Cup-winning Wings captain and now GM wants the younger developing players to win more games this season. Newly appointed captain Dylan Larkin is a solid choice.
Outlook: Eight games against Chicago will rev up a long-time rivalry among Original Six teams, albeit in full rebuilds for both teams. There will no doubt be comparisons of the work by Yzerman and the son of a former Detroit boss in Chicago GM (and now President too) Stan Bowman.
Florida Panthers
2019-20 finish: Lost to the New York Islanders in the Qualifying Round.
New faces: Major off-season additions: F Anthony Duclair, F Patric Hornqvist, F Alexander Wennberg, F Carter Verhaeghe, D Radko Gudas
What to know: There is talent up front with Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. Goalie Sergei Bobrosky struggled in Year 1 of a monster seven-year deal (with World Juniors stars Spencer Knight and Devon Levi on the G-depth chart). Top scorer Mike Hoffman for St. Louis in free agency.
Outlook: Joel Quenneville is a winner and a grinder. He would probably like more top-four defensive talent (it won't be Keith Yandle, who has been informed he won't get much ice time). But guess here is he figures a way to get to the divisional playoffs. That means either Columbus or Nashville stumble, so those particular season series are critical for the Panthers.
Nashville Predators
2019-20 finish: Lost to lower-seed Arizona in the Qualifying Round.
New faces: F Nick Cousins, F Brad Richardson, D Mark Borowiecki, D Matt Benning, F Luke Kunin, F Erik Haula
What to know: The new faces list is a quiet one, but will amplify depth in the condensed season. Kunin, a University of Wisconsin star, is a sleeper pickup (not just saying it because he scored in the Predators' opener). The B-men, Borowiecki and Benning, will help on D.
Outlook: Nashville will be in the mix all season for a divisional playoff spot. They need some young goal scorers to rise up. Juuse Saros looks like someone who could take the No. 1 goalie spot as Preds fan fave heads into unrestricted free agency (retirement?) this summer. Banking standings points against Chicago and Detroit will be key, along with winning seasons series with CBJ and/or FLA.
Tampa Bay Lightning
2019-20 finish: Won the Stanley Cup.
New faces: None. Not a team that needs them, thought they will miss superstar scorer Nikita Kucherov, out with hip injury but slated to return in mid-May for playoff rounds.
What to know: Every other team in this one-year-only Central is dreading TBL on the schedule. Maybe Dallas rises to the occasion and Joel Quenneville seems to rally his players for the intrastate matchup but Lightning are too loaded to feel the heat.
Outlook: Where to start. Stacked with scorers, even with Kucherov out until May. D-man Victor Hedman is top-5 (if not best) every season. That will continue. Andrei Vasilevskiy returned to elite form in the playoffs. That will continue, as will a deep run in the playoffs
