Wild rolling, Avalanche sliding: Central Division roundup

There were no Central Division games on Thursday, but the standings stayed tight and the off-ice storylines were busy. Utah remains first with 14 points in 10 games, just ahead of Minnesota, while Dallas, Colorado and Winnipeg are packed in the middle of the table.

Wild: hot start and a looming goalie decision

In Minnesota, a 6-2-2 start has turned heads. Daily Faceoff notes that Kirill Kaprizov and Hughes are driving the offence and are a big reason the Wild sit tied with Utah atop the division. The Hockey News focuses on Jesper Wallstedt’s emergence, describing him as a potential superstar goalie and raising the question of whether that could eventually make Filip Gustavsson a trade candidate.

Sportsnet also circles back to the Blake Coleman trade. Eric Francis looks at how, more than three months after being dealt, the Texas-born winger still carries a bit of Calgary with him as he prepares for his return to the city on Thursday.

Avalanche: slower start and perception of a slide

For the Colorado Avalanche, currently fourth with 11 points in 10 games, the conversation is more about concern. Daily Faceoff points out that Colorado suffered its fourth regulation loss as early as Oct. 20, whereas last year it took until Jan. 6 to reach that mark. In updated NHL power rankings, The Hockey News says a new team has taken over top spot and the Avalanche have started to slide down the list.

The Hockey Writers describes Colorado as feeling like it is in a funk, coming off a loss to the Flyers that left the club at 5-3-1 before a 4-3 defeat against the Devils on Oct. 20. Still, The Hockey News notes that at BetMGM the Avalanche remain among the early Stanley Cup favourites alongside the Hurricanes, Oilers and Panthers.

Jets, Predators, Stars, Blues and Mammoth in focus

In Winnipeg, everything revolves around Connor Hellebuyck. Both Sportsnet and Daily Faceoff ask what the dynamic will look like if the goalie returns to the Jets when his suspension ends Friday, and what it would mean if a trade does not materialize. The Jets, fifth with 10 points in nine games, are coming off a 2-1 loss in St. Louis on Tuesday, where Jimmy Snuggerud opened the scoring before Cole Perfetti tied it up, according to The Hockey Writers.

Daily Faceoff writes that the Nashville Predators, sitting sixth, are looking to add strength on the blue line to support their status as potential playoff contenders. In Dallas, The Hockey Writers reports that Roope Hintz said he wanted the Stars to sign his friend Patrik Laine, but the team instead brought in David Perron.

Utah holds first place with 14 points in 10 games. The Hockey Writers notes that Dylan Larkin has expanded his 10-team list and that the Utah Mammoth are among the clubs mentioned, although the article argues only two of those teams are truly strong fits. For St. Louis and Chicago, it was a relatively quiet day away from the ice.