The National Hockey League’s trade deadline has come and gone, and now clubs are concentrating on positioning for the Stanley Cup Playoffs or playing out the last few games of a disappointing season.
Here is a look at where things stand in the NHL Central Division:
NHL Central Division
Biggest Success Or Surprise
Dallas Stars (10-2-0 in March – 1st Place in the Central)
The Stars beat out Nashville for the top spot in the Central this month with an impressive 10-2-0 record. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill made one big move at the trade deadline, adding shutdown blueliner Chris Tanev in a deal with Calgary, but the secret to Stars success has been balanced and dependable scoring (seven players with 20 goals or more) and solid team defense, but their postseason fate is tied to winning the battle for first place with Colorado. It could mean a much easier path through the Western Conference Playoffs if they do.
The Dennis Green “They Are Who We Thought They Were” Award
Colorado Avalanche (9-2-1 in March – 2nd place in the Central)
The Avs came out of the All-Star break with an underwhelming 3-5-2 record in February, but GM Chris McFarland went to work before the March 8th trade deadline, adding defenseman Sean Walker in a deal with Philadelphia, solving his second-line center issue with the swap of Bowen Byram to Buffalo for Casey Mittelstadt, and adding some size up front with the acquisitions of Yakov Trenin from Nashville and Brandon Duhaime from Minnesota. Colorado moved from third to second place in March with a 9-2-1 record and trailed Dallas by three points with three weeks to go in the season.
Devils: Source: No Truth Linking Josh Anderson to the New Jersey Devils
Playoffs: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Wild Card Spots Up For Grabs In Eastern Conference
Biggest Disappointment
Winnipeg Jets (7-7-1 in March – 3rd Place in the Central)
The Jets were neck-and-neck with Colorado and Dallas to start the month, and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff did not sit on his hands at the deadline, adding a scoring winger in Tyler Toffoli and depth on defense with Colin Miller, but the absence of head coach Rick Bowness has affected the squad, as well as the injury to forward Gabriel Vilardi. Winnipeg’s .500 record in March has seen them fall seven points behind Dallas, four points in back of Colorado for second place, and only four points ahead of hard-charging Nashville for third place.
March MVP
Filip Forsberg (NAS) (22 points – 12 goals, 10 assists in 12 games)
Nathan MacKinnon will likely win the Hart Trophy, has won the monthly MVP multiple times, and had the most points (23) in March, but he played one more game than Forsberg. The Preds winger had a dozen goals in March, leading Nashville to a 9-1-2 record and creating a sizable gap between them and the St. Louis Blues in the wildcard race.
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