The Central Division may very well be the toughest in the NHL this season and Jason Demers, a former defenseman turned analyst and broadcaster, says the Colorado Avalanche are the top dog in it.
Demers joined the "NHL @TheRink" podcast presented by SKIP on Wednesday and talked up the Avalanche as the team he believes in most in the Central Division even though they were tied for third with the Dallas Stars -- behind the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild -- entering Wednesday.
Demers, who works for NHL Network and on San Jose Sharks radio broadcasts, told podcast co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke the Avalanche solved their biggest problem when they acquired goalie Mackenzie Blackwood from the Sharks.
He said he needs to see the Jets have success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to believe in them. He also mentioned the Wild being a terrific success story this season but believes next season will be when they really shine. There are obvious concerns about injuries to forward Kirill Kaprizov, and defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Brock Faber.
In addition, Demers, who co-hosts a podcast with Adnan Virk called “Unscripted,” which is presented by iHeart and the NHL, hit on the race in the Atlantic Division with the Montreal Canadiens (8-2-0 in their past 10) and the Detroit Red Wings (five straight wins) making things interesting.
Prior to bringing on Demers, Rosen and Roarke talked about Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. Rosen said he would be surprised if Ovechkin, 23 goals away with 42 games to play entering Wednesday, doesn't get the record this season. Roarke had the opposite opinion.
They also talked about the outdoor games for next season, raving about having two in Florida. The 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic and 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series games were announced Wednesday.
Rosen and Roarke broke down their favorites for various postseason awards at the halfway point, debating the Hart Trophy contenders in depth even though they agreed on who should be the favorite.
They also talked about the United States’ win at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships and where Team USA captain Ryan Leonard might fit if he signs with the Capitals after his season at Boston College.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
