Chicago Blackhawks: Central Division preview for 2019-20

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are going to be so good in 2019-20. They made some noise in the playoffs after upsetting the top-seeded Calgary Flames. They are looking to build on that this year and they are in all likelihood going to live up to the expectations. Everything starts and ends with Nathan MacKinnon. He is one of the best players in the NHL and he leads them everywhere they go.

MacKinnon is in the middle of one of the best lines in the league. Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, and MacKinnon make up that line and they are so dynamic and can score any time they are out there. They are impressive to watch and they can beat you in many different ways. All three of them can pass and shoot which makes them dangerous. Teams defending them can’t stop them, they can only try and contain them.

The biggest knock on Colorado last year was that they seemed to lack a second-line center. Well, that problem appears to be fixed as they acquired Nazem Kadri from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kadri is a great player and will fit in nicely behind MacKinnon as the second-line center. They also selected Bowen Byram with the fourth overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft so that should boost their defense that they already expect to be good, led by Cale Makar who will technically be a rookie as well.

The Avalanche finished last year with a record of 38-20-14 for 90 points. They will certainly build on that this year but as long as they get into the playoffs, they will be dangerous. The Blackhawks had success against the Avalanche last year as they earned six points by going 3-2-0. They would love to have that kind of success against them this year as both teams should be even better.