Chicago Blackhawks: Central Division preview for 2019-20

The Chicago Blackhawks are getting ready to try and get back to the playoffs but they are in a tough division that will make that quite the challenge.

The Chicago Blackhawks play in a very tough division. The National Hockey Leagues Central Division has either been the best or second-best division every year for a long time. It is stacked with teams that believe they are good enough to win the Stanley Cup, including the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Every team in the division was over NHL .500 meaning they have more regulation wins than regulation losses. With that said, no team had more than 100 points. That means that they all spent the entire season beating each other up. It is looking like it is going to be the best division once again in terms of teams from top to bottom. The last-place team and the first-place team are probably going to be similar to each other in skill but only a max of five of them will be on their way to the playoffs.

It is going to be a grind for all seven teams in this division and the Blackhawks are going to need to prepare for that. Every single night should bring some intensity and important games right from the beginning. This is one of the last few years that this will be the only division with seven teams. The Arizona Coyotes will be coming into the Central Division when the Seattle NHL team joins the Pacific Division. They are a team on the rise as well so it will only make it tougher. This is going to be an elite division so the Blackhawks need to be ready.