- Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota all came out of the summer thinner than they went in
- Utah matched an offer sheet, added a goalie and still has trade ammunition left
- Read below for the Central teams most likely to make a season-defining trade
The three teams that have run the Central Division for years all got worse this summer. Utah did not.
Alex Wiederspiel of Yardbarker walked through the division Saturday and made the Mammoth his stalking horse for the crown, calling their depth Stanley Cup caliber and pointing out they still have the pieces to add more.
Colorado shipped Valeri Nichushkin to Columbus and sent Jack Drury and Ross Colton to Nashville.
Dallas gave up Mavrik Bourque and sits over the cap with another move still to make. Minnesota lost Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko off the wing.
Utah went the other direction. The Mammoth matched New Jersey’s offer sheet on Barrett Hayton, get a full season out of MacKenzie Weegar and brought in Sebastian Cossa to back up Karel Vejmelka.
Health is the one thing working against them. Utah was among the healthiest teams in hockey last season and still played 28 games without Logan Cooley.
St. Louis is swinging again after a miserable year. The Blues brought in Connor McMichael and Mason McTavish, signed McMichael for six more seasons and moved Jordan Kyrou out.
Robert Thomas staying put matters just as much. His line was the best in hockey over the final two months, and Joel Hofer finished hot in net.
Chicago added Bowen Byram on the blue line, brought Patrick Kane home and has winger prospect Roman Kantserov arriving up front.
Winnipeg is impossible to read while Connor Hellebuyck is still on the roster. He was not himself last season, which turns any trade into a coin flip on what he is worth.
Nashville is rebuilding without calling it that. Ryan O’Reilly is in the last year of his contract, and Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos are both still on the roster.
Preseason play opens Sept. 19, and nobody in the Central has separated from the pack.
