Summer Predictions: Central Division

The hockey world is at a standstill now that August has rolled around. With all of the arbitration cases now decided and just a few restricted free agents left to sign, players and fans alike are counting the days until training camp starts. While there are still several names in free agency that could still help an NHL club, it seems like many are destined either for professional tryouts or late-summer deals after injuries strike.

So now we’ll get into our summer predictions. Before the start of the year we’ll be releasing a full season preview with projections for each club and the expected playoff teams, but first we’ll ask you to give us your take on how you believe each division will end up. We’ve looked at three of the divisions so far, with the polls pointing to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers as the top seeds. All three of those teams failed to lead their divisions in 2016-17, but are expected to take another step forward.

Today we’ll finish the series by taking a look at the Central division, which last season gave us the top two records in the Western Conference and the Stanley Cup finalists. Once again choose who you think will win the division this season, and make sure to leave your full prediction for the division standings in the comments. As a proxy for the overall standings, we’ll be sure to publish these results alongside our own PHR rankings in September.

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