The regular season is over and the playoffs have started, but the Red Wings have an extra day off in their series with the Coyotes, so let's take a quick look back at the season that was. As you are aware, I took a look at the Central Division over the course of the season, but some of you may not know that I did "previews" of each of the other teams in the division prior to this season. For those not aware, I had my own blog called "The Hole in the Door", and before joining WIIM I looked at the other teams in the Western Conference and "predicted" where they would end up. I think now would be a good time to see how close I was.

Nashville Predators:

Season: 44-27-11, 99 Points (2nd in Central, 5th in West)
What I Said: My Prediction: This team is going to be good; perhaps better than people expect. I know we make fun of Bubba a lot, but they are returning a lot of their younger players that didn't tear up the league last year, but who performed adequately. If they can get any improvement out of those guys, they will be in good shape. I like the arrival of Lombardi, but Kostitsyn is going to have to show a commitment level that was not displayed in Montreal. I think the departure of Dan Ellis is going to hurt them at times, as there is not a dependable backup on the team right now that the Preds could count on should Rinne falter. However, given their previous history, that backup will end up being next year's starter anyway. The defense is very good, and as I said, look for Shea Weber to make a big impact not only on the Predators but also on the NHL as a whole. I think another 100 point season is not out of the question, and they will once again finish in the middle of the conference.
Was I Right? You know, minus my order of finish, I'd say I was pretty damn close on this one. The Predators were once again a tough team to play against. Anders Lindback stepped in as the backup and performed admirably, especially early in the season when Rinne was injured. Weber is a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate (and is the only acceptable winner if Nicklas Lidstrom doesn't get it), and Kostitsyn blossomed offensively.

Chicago Blackhawks:

Season: 44-29-9, 97 points (3rd in Central, 8th in West)
What I Said: My Prediction: The Hawks are going to learn what it's like to be the hunted rather than the hunter. I don't believe in the "Stanley Cup hangover", but I really question whether the entire team (Kane, I'm looking in your direction) can maintain the focus necessary to defend their title. The losses on offense are going to show during the regular season, and the top players are going to be relied on much more than they were last year. The team figures to be more top-heavy this year, and this will result in a tired team by the time the playoffs roll around. Ultimately, the lack of depth will be their downfall, and the Hawks will fail to make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. There's a reason that it's been over 10 years since an NHL team went back-to-back, and I fully expect this trend to continue this year. However, do not underestimate the Hawks: they are still a very good team, and if the Wings don't show any improvement over last year, they could easily find themselves looking up at the Hawks in the division for the second year in a row. I expect the Central to be a two-horse race this year between the Hawks and Wings, but ultimately the Wings will prevail in mid-March when the Hawks run out of gas. I also predict that the first time I hear "Chelsea Dagger", I am going to stab myself in the ear.
Was I Right? I think I was pretty close to being accurate. Obviously we have no idea what the Hawks are going to do in the playoffs just yet, but I was wrong about the division coming down to the Wings and Hawks (sorry, Predators). Considering the Hawks made the playoffs only because Dallas couldn't seal the deal against the Wild, this season was definitely a step back. However, the Wings did clinch the division in March, so I'm counting that as a victory.

St. Louis Blues:

Season: 38-33-11, 87 Points (4th in Central, 11th in West)
What I Said: My Prediction: The Blues are still a few years away from being true contenders. However, this season, they are going to be very hard to play against. They have one of the better defensive corps in the division, and Halak gives them a legitimate #1 goalie. They will continue to have problems scoring goals, but the potential is there for an offensive outburst. If the young forwards can get back to playing the way they did in 2008-09, a playoff appearance is not entirely out of the question. This is also a very young team, and under a new coach, this could be the start of their ascension in the division and the conference. They are going to be one of the most competitive teams in the conference this year, but I am just not sure that they have the talent to really contend for anything beyond a playoff spot and first round exit.
Was I Right? Like a lot of Blues fans, I think I overestimated the team a little. However, to be completely fair, this was a team that was decimated by injuries this year, so that really put them at a disadvantage. The Blues were a tough team to play against some nights, and others they looked like they couldn't beat a peewee team. While they didn't make the playoffs (again), they did blitz the Wings 10-3 in a meaningless regular season game a few weeks ago, giving Blues fans a reason to smile for the first time since the lockout.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Season: 34-35-13, 81 Points (5th in Central, 13th in West)
What I Said: My Prediction: I'm not going to do records or anything like that, but I will give my general impression of the team. The Blue Jackets took a tremendous step backwards last season after finally making the playoffs. Their biggest off-season move was hiring a new coach, and combined with the return of Nikita Filatov, the Blue Jackets will be looking to start fresh this season and put last year behind them. Personally, I just don't see a real ton of talent on this team outside of Nash, Filatov and Mason, and while I think they will be more competitive and a tougher team to play against this season, I don't think that's going to equate to much of a jump in the standings overall. There's been improvement, but not enough for this team to make the playoffs. The Blue Jackets are unfortunately going to spend another year being taken advantage of by the top teams in the division and the conference. However, I do think the Jackets are headed in the right direction, so this year should be about staying the course with their youth and ensuring their key guys are gaining experience and confidence.
Was I Right? Look, this one was pretty easy, because there is just not enough talent on this team to compete in what is becoming an increasingly competitive division. Steve Mason once again was unable to regain his Calder-winning form, and while the offense was better, it's still Rick Nash and then a significant drop off. Unless the BJs make some big changes in their on-ice personnel, they are going to languish at the bottom of the division for some time.

Still smarting from their road trip that saw the Red Wings lose the final 3 games, including a heart-breaker in Phoenix. While the Wings look to pick up the pieces and get ready for a March that sees the Wings only play 3 road games for the rest of the month, the rest of the Central continues to fight for playoff positioning, and in one case, the division.

Chicago Blackhawks:

Season: 37-23-6, 80 points (2nd in Central, 4th in West)
The Skinny: Objects may appear larger than they appear. The Hawks have been on a tear, winning their last 8 games to pull within 6 points of the Wings in the division. Jonathan Toews has been a stud, racking up 384 points in the last month to lead the team. Their newly formed line of Toews/Kane/Sharp is admittedly a pretty impressive trio.
Since the Hawks last loss (to the Coyotes in a shootout on February 12), they have beaten the following teams: Wild, Blue Jackets, Penguins (without Crosby/Malkin), Blues, Predators, Coyotes, Wild, Flames, Hurricanes, and Maple Leafs. Not exactly a murderer's row of teams.
Think the Hawks are good? Personally, I think they still lack the depth to do anything in the playoffs as evidenced by the fact their recent hot streak is because of the new top line. If that line gets cold, the Hawks are done. However, the next 10 games will be very telling: they play Lightning, Capitals, Sharks, Stars, Ducks, Red Wings and Bruins. If the Hawks are still chugging along after that, we'll talk.

Nashville Predators:

Season: 33-24-9, 75 Points (3rd in Central, 11th in West)
The Skinny: The Predators have played some mediocre hockey since the All-Star break, going 6-6-3.
Want to know the reason why the Preds are struggling to make the playoffs? In the last month they have beaten the Red Wings once and the Canucks twice, yet they have lost to the Blue Jackets once and the Oilers twice. A 4-0 loss to Edmonton is a game I can guarantee Preds fans will be kicking themselves over if they miss the playoffs.
As predicted by many at the beginning of the season, the Preds are having a lot of trouble scoring. They currently sit dead last in the West in goals for with a paltry 167 goals. However, they have only given up 156, and if they continue to get solid goaltending, they may just earn a spot in the playoffs.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Season: 31-26-7, 69 Points (4th in Central, 12th in West)
The Skinny: The BJs are doing their best to stay in the playoff race, but they are going down fast.
If the Jackets can find some defense or goaltending, they'd give themselves a shot; they last among all teams still within less than 10 points of the 8th playoff spot in team GAA.
Rick Nash is once again the leading scorer for the Jackets, but he's not even at a point-per-game pace. However, he has 7 GWG, tied for third in the NHL. Can you imagine how bad they would be if they did not have him?
The BJs get the Blues in a home and home beginning tonight (they are playing as I write this), and anything less than 3 points should mean the BJ fans can kiss a playoff spot goodbye.

St. Louis Blues:

Season: 28-28-9, 65 Points (5th in Central, 13th in West)
The Skinny: Stick a fork in 'em: the Blues are done.
In the Blues last 9 games, they are 2-7; their combined score in their 2 wins is 14-3, while they have been outscored 27-12 in the 7 losses.
The Blues currently sit 11 points behind Los Angeles for the last playoff spot, and have 4 teams in front of them. I think there are far too many teams and too many Bettman-point games for the Blues to make that up.
Jaroslav Halak is still on IR, ensuring that he won't get lit up by the Wings when they play next Saturday.

We're back and as an added bonus for today's look around the Central, we'll be talking trades. Every single team in the division has made a move of some kind within the last couple of weeks minus the Wings, and we'll be giving our take on not only the teams' weeks but also any moves they made. Let's get right into it.

Chicago Blackhawks:
Season Record: 34-23-6, 74 Points (2nd in Central, 6th in West)
The Skinny: The Blackhawks have won 5 straight games to get themselves back into a playoff position, but still sit 10 points behind the Wings.
The Hawks big roster move this week was the re-signing of Brent Seabrook to a 5-year extension, ensuring the Hawks will go even longer without being able to afford any quality depth players.
Trade: The Hawks were not active, and the only move they made was done out of necessity. They picked up Chris Campoli from the Senators for Ryan Potulny and draft picks going each way. This move will likely not have a ton of impact, as it was only done because the Hawks lost Jordan Hendry for the year to a knee injury.

Nashville Predators:
Season Record: 32-23-8, 72 Points (3rd in Central, 10th in West)
Skinny: Remember when the Preds were hot on the heels of the Wings for the division? Going 4-5-1 in your last 10 while the rest of the conference starts to heat up is going to drop you pretty quickly.
The Preds snapped a 4 game losing streak with a win over the surging Blue Jackets on Sunday, a game that had some nastiness at the end when Shea Weber was hit by R.J. Umberger right at the end of the game. Could we see a rivalry brewing? (Short answer: who cares? It's Nashville and Columbus).
Trade: The Predators did not make a move on deadline day, and the only trade they made was to bring Carrie Underwood's husband to Nashville in order to further her career.

Columbus Blue Jackets:
Season Record: 31-24-6, 68 Points (4th in Central, 12th in West)
Skinny: The BJs are certainly not going down without a fight, having won 7 of their last 10 games. In that time, they've beaten the following teams: Red Wings, Blackhawks, Predators, Stars, Penguins and Coyotes. That's pretty impressive.
The BJs are in the thick of the playoff race in the West, still within spitting distance of that 8th and final spot. Of course, getting in for the BJs would likely mean a first round matchup against either the Canucks or Wings, a series that might be tough to swallow for BJ fans.
Trade: The BJs were not that active on the trade market, but they did make one move yesterday, trading perennial underachiever Rostislav Klesla to the Coyotes for Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto. Upshall will give them some scoring depth and Lepisto is a solid puck moving defenseman, and the only roster player they gave up was Klesla who never developed into the number one d-man they thought he would when they drafted him.

St Louis Blues:
Season Record: 28-25-9, 65 Points (5th in Central, 13th in West)
Skinny: Talk about a schizophrenic team. The roller coaster continues as they lost 4 of their past 5 games after winning 3 straight. The Blues are going to struggle to make the playoffs (you heard it here first: they are not making it), and losing to all the teams you're chasing is not the way to make up ground (even my lousy education taught me that).
The Blues put Ty Conklin on waivers, prompting an official "Conk Block" watch on whether someone else would pick him up.
Trade: The Blues have been pretty active, trading away Eric Brewer (their captain), Erik Johnson (their former #1 overall pick), and Jay McClement (possibly their best defensive forward depending on who you read) already. In the last 24 hours, they sent Brad Boyes (former 40 goal scorer) to Buffalo for a draft pick and Brad Winchester (worth a bag of pucks) to Anaheim for a draft pick. It's pretty obvious the Blues are shedding players to restart their rebuilding or retooling or redecorating or whatever they are doing down there.

Hey, remember earlier this season when I said I was going to do a weekly column looking at the rest of the NHL? You don't? Good, because I had completely forgotten about it until about a week ago. However, now that the playoff push is in full swing, I thought it might be time to take a look around the division and see what is going on. This will be a fairly regular feature here on WIIM, and this time I mean it (don't mind my fingers crossed behind my back).

When last we left off our look at the Central, the Blues and Blue Jackets were fighting for first in the division while the Blackhawks had struggled out of the gate. The Wings were in the thick of the race, but it looked like Jarsolav Halak was never going to allow more than a goal a game, so a division crown could be hard to achieve for the Wings for the second straight season.

Follow the jump where we'll take a look at how things have progressed over the course of the year for each of the Central teams and where everyone stands right now.

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Welcome to a new feature that we will be running weekly here at Winging it in Motown. If you're like me, you probably do not have a lot of time to check out the rest of the NHL. I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the league, but with having a day job, wife and two kids, I don't have the ability to sit and watch hockey for 7 hours every night without someone telling me to get a damn life. However, I want to make sure that you, the reader, know what is happening with our divisional opponents. Every week we will be recapping the week that was in the Central, and give you a sense as to our fellow Centralians have been up to. Remember, this is our division, and we want it back. Follow me after the jump where we break down what's been happening.

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