St Louis Blues

Division Projected Order of Finish - 1st

Current Lineup Score... 76.4

Division Rank 1st

Financial Power Flexibility Score... 8.3

Division Rank 3rd

Quality Draft Capital... 11.0

Division Rank 1st (tied)

Wow... Eric has himself quite the team over here in the Central.  He has the best overall roster in the division, yet has plenty of quality draft picks over the next couple of seasons, and some flexibility financially going into free agency.  This is a division with Restricted Free Agents GALORE, so it is hard to estimate each team's "buying power", but Eric seemingly lands himself near the top in that category.  The superb NHL season put forth by Darcy Kuemper helps to make him the favourite of the Central, but that's not where the talent ends with this group.  Hagel, Forsberg, and Guentzel should be a formidable top line for him (though he could use to add a bit of depth in his middle-six forward group).  He's also got a solid top 4 on the back end.  The only knock there is that he could maybe use another puck-mover besides Noah Dobson.  With over 20 million in cap space, Eric might be one of the few true contenders that could really make some nice moves both during UFA and throughout the season. 

Biggest Strength: A stud in goal, and Financial Flexibility / Buying Power... whatever you wanna call it

Winnipeg Jets

Division Projected Order of Finish - 2nd

Current Lineup Score... 75.0

Division Rank 2nd

Financial Power Flexibility Score... 7.0

Division Rank 6th

Quality Draft Capital... 8.0

Division Rank 3rd (tied)

Another great roster can be found in Winnipeg with Doc's Jets.  He might be a small tier below Eric's Blues, but it is overall a younger group.  Although Doc has capitalized on the Kent Johnson fiasco, and a Red Wing's GM (me) desperate to win a cup in 2024 (mission accomplished), he has made many other moves and draft selections to set this franchise up for many seasons to come.  He has both star power and depth, both up front and on defense.  He could use another PKer or 2, though, as he's not sporting the strongest two-way team out there.  He has decent goaltending in Joseph Woll, and decent overall "buying power" and draft capital.  Doc has definitely built one of the most well-balanced young teams in the league, and has the ability to compete for the division with a couple of savvy moves. 

Biggest Strength: A balanced team and youth