1. Dallas Stars

Will the Stars' offseason coaching change finally get Dallas back to the Stanley Cup Final?

After three seasons at the helm and three consecutive Western Conference Final berths, the Dallas Stars have moved on from head coach Peter DeBoer, appointing Glen Gulutzan for a second stint with the team (he previously coached the Stars from 2011 to 2013, finishing his two-season tenure with a 64-57-9 record).

Considering the Stars' recently-acquired reputation of a Stanley Cup contender, there should be some optimism brewing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This is because there is a correlation of sorts between head coach appointment and championship victory. Paul Maurice got the Panthers to a Stanley Cup Final in his first season as head coach (he would lead his team to the Stanley Cup in each of the next two seasons), while former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy led the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in his first season in Las Vegas (2022-23), beating Maurice's Panthers in that year's Cup Final.

As the last two different Cup winners featured a head coach in their first or second season with the team, Stars fans should therefore feel that this could be the year they at least get over the Conference Final hump.

And they still have the team to do it. Despite offseason trade rumours, Jason Robertson is staying put, while others like Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen will be key contributors to Dallas' success this season. In addition, a full season for Mikko Rantanen in Dallas - the Finnish star was traded twice during the 2024-25 season - should be of benefit in terms of helping his team at least maintain their finish from last season.

Their matchups with the Colorado Avalanche will be key in deciding the direction of the Central Division title, but I think Gulutzan's appointment should be able to give this team a big push in the right direction, one that starts with a second division title in three season.

2. Colorado Avalanche

Last year's Colorado Avalanche team looked like one that could go all the way.

After a strong trade deadline, the Avalanche finished the regular season with a 13-5-2 record, good enough for third in the Central Division. However, despite looking dominant in their first round opener against Dallas, the Avalanche couldn't convert that Game 1 win into a deep playoff run, ultimately getting their hearts broken in epic Game 7 fashion by that same Stars team.

And with that same Dallas team poised to once again challenge for the Central Division title, the onus is on Colorado to match their division rivals and stake their own claim on the division.

Despite Erik Johnson's retirement, the Avalanche did good in filling the hole left on offence through the acquisition of Victor Olofsson. Defensively, the addition of Brent Burns should provide Colorado with some additional experience and physicality.

Even with the Avalanche's big name additions, this is still a team that is walking the line that borders Cup contention and simply being in the playoff picture. While this is still a very talented team, one that could only get even more talented should they find themselves in the battle to acquire the likes of Sidney Crosby at the trade deadline, it's also one of the oldest; according to Elite Prospects, the average age of this year's Colorado Avalanche team falls just short of 30 years.

On its own, that isn't necessarily a death sentence for Colorado's hopes. When considered the heartbreak of Game 7 against Dallas, it does raise the urgency significantly. They may not win the division, but I think the Avalanche will set themselves up well for a deep playoff run, potentially one of the last that this current roster will get.

3. St Louis Blues

The St Louis Blues were arguably the hottest team to end the 2024-25 season.

After January, the Blues were 23-25-4 and looking likely to miss the playoffs.

Over the last three months of the season, however, head coach Jim Montgomery helped to spur a 21-5-4 finish to the season, one that included a 13-2-1 stretch from mid-March onward.

That run, statistically, would put them at around a 1.53 point-per-game rate, which would translate to a 125-point pace over an 82-game season.

While I don't see the Blues entirely replicating that pace in 2025-26, I would be shocked if the Blues fall short of 90 points. Not only is Jim Montgomery still the head coach, but many of the pieces that contributed to the Blues' late-season run are still part of the team heading into the new season.

Should the Blues capitalize on a favourable early-season stretch, one that is filled with home games and that sees them play 2024-25 playoff teams just three times over the first ten games, I could see them pulling off a similar run to that of last year. That could be good enough to put them within the Central's top-three.

4. Utah Mammoth (wild card)

I've been seeing a lot of people in hockey media projecting this Utah Mammoth team as a Western Conference playoff team.

And I think they are right to do so. During their inaugural year in Salt Lake City, Utah got off to a decent start and found themselves within playoff contention for much of the season. Their roster includes young stars like Clayton Keller in addition to established veterans like Mikhail Sergachev, who was a key cog for many of Tampa Bay's recent playoff runs.

Adding J.J Peterka via trade with Buffalo should only add to the hype surrounding this Utah Mammoth team, which could also justify projecting this team as being a top-half offence.

Let's also not overlook the incredible job that owner Ryan Smith has done in building a culture around this team over the past year-and-a-bit following the team's relocation from Arizona. From investing in renovations to make the Delta Center, which also hosts Ryan Smith's Utah Jazz of the NBA, to putting money towards youth hockey projects in the state, Ryan Smith has helped to encourage fan interest in the team.

Performance-wise, a 38-31-13 / 89 point inaugural season will also help to spark interest from locals and demonstrate that a winning on-ice product is being built.

Add all that together, and you have momentum that could help take this team forward in 2025-26. Not only will Utah make the playoffs as a wild card team, but I think the Mammoth will be one of the best-performing home teams in the league.

5. Winnipeg Jets

From President's Trophy winners to ... no playoffs?

For a Jets team that was essentially gutted over the offseason, it's quite possible.

Now I understand that there isn't necessarily a correlation between winning the Presidents' Trophy and losing out on the playoffs the next season (it's quite the opposite actually), but the New York Rangers did miss out on the playoffs last year after winning the trophy in 2023-24.

Back to the Jets being essentially gutted, losing Nikolaj Ehlers and Mason Appleton will hurt Winnipeg's depth offensively. While the Jets did sign players like Phillip Di Giuseppe and Gustav Nyquist, they don't come close to filling the gap left by Ehlers and Appleton.

Adding Jonathan Toews, who will be playing in the NHL for the first time since 2023, should give the Jets a boost in morale to try and get the hometown veteran one last chance at a Cup. And while the Jets will be in the playoff conversation, I don't think that they will be able to come close to replicating their success from last season.

6. Nashville Predators

On one hand, the Predators should be significantly better than they were last year. Veterans like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, acquired prior to the 2024-25 season, should gel much better within the Predators' lineup. Goaltender Juuse Saros, who struggled throughout last season, should also find himself enjoying a better campaign.

On the other, not much was done to improve the lineup over the offseason. That does introduce the risk that Nashville remains at last year's status quo, especially if the defence doesn't improve or if Saros doesn't have a better season.

And with division rivals like Utah and Colorado all improving their lineups over the offseason, the pressure is on for Nashville to live up to the hype that surrounded the team heading into last year.

I can see the Predators being much better than last year and maybe even finding themselves within the playoff conversation heading towards the trade deadline. However, a lot will need to go right if they are to re-enter the Western Conference playoff picture; I currently don't see much of what has to go right going right.

7. Minnesota Wild

For context, I started drafting this preview when the Kaprizov extension was announced. Eight years and $136 million? That's a lot of money and a lot of commitment. A little more context, that's (checks the math) $17 million against the cap per season.

I will applaud Minnesota for getting Kirill Kaprizov, a key cog in this Minnesota Wild roster, locked in for the long term. However, they've also put themselves in a tough hole when it comes to filling out the rest of their roster and bringing in new players.

And this isn't a new position for the Wild (see the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter contract situations). That said, Kaprizov should live up to the hefty price tag being set on him.

While the few additions made by the Wild, including that of Vladimir Tarasenko, should help to make Kaprizov happy, I can't see them making it back to the playoffs this season. The forward depth beyond the two I previously mentioned isn't that reassuring; despite strong goaltending, a lack in depth scoring could be what keeps this Minnesota Wild team outside the playoff picture.

8. Chicago Blackhawks

It's not exactly panic time for Connor Bedard, who is committed to a future in Chicago, but it should be quite soon.

While Bedard is undoubtedly the leader of the Blackhawks team that is currently being built, it's not really a question of if, but rather when the reinforcements arrive. Granted, Ryan Donato has been a solid depth option for Chicago, and the likes of Frank Nazar should provide much-needed youth depth.

If the Blackhawks can consistently score, and if Spencer Knight can provide some solid numbers in net, Chicago should improve slightly on their win total. Even then, unless the teams directly above them underwhelm significantly, another last-place finish is on the books for the Blackhawks.