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Predicting the NHL Standings and where the St. Louis Blues might fall

The St. Louis Blues just wrapped up their preseason, so let’s use some foresight and predict where they’ll end up at season’s end.

By Todd Matthews |
Oct 1, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) is congratulated by left wing Jake Neighbours (63) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) after scoring against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) is congratulated by left wing Jake Neighbours (63) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) after scoring against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Now that the preseason is over, we can predict where the St. Louis Blues may finish in the Central Division this season. Overall, it won’t be great unless they gain early momentum and stay consistent. If not, you may see a future star who saw ice time tonight see more than just a small trial with the big club, so a throwaway season shouldn’t be a downer. 

But before we talk about the Central Division and where the Blues might land, let’s predict the Atlantic, Metro, and Pacific Divisions. Teams that are bolded will be in the playoffs, and those who aren’t will be watching the postseason from home. 

Atlantic Division

  1. Florida Panthers
  2. Toronto Maple Leafs
  3. Tampa Bay Lightning
  4. Boston Bruins
  5. Detroit Red Wings
  6. Montreal Canadiens
  7. Buffalo Sabres
  8. Ottawa Senators

Until someone proves they can beat them, I’m not moving the Panthers from the top spot. Toronto has all the pieces they need to finally make a serious run, but if they stick with the same goaltending, I’m leery about their chances of overtaking Florida. 

Tampa is much better than everyone thinks, essentially moving on from an aging captain and snagging the prize free agent. Boston would be my pick to finish second, but right now, it looks like Jeremy Swayman may take the season off.  Update: Swayman did sign his deal roughly 11 hours after publication.

Detroit is a team I just feel miserable for, and they’re going to be good, but not good enough. Until they fill in a few more positions with more than stopgaps, they may be stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference for a while. 

Montreal took a blow when they lost Patrik Laine for an extended time, but this team is young and can still put up a lot of points this year. Buffalo played in two games already and has been terrible, and if it wasn’t for a fiasco ranging from a lack of true stars in Ottawa to a so-so coach, I’d have put them in last for this year. 

Metropolitan Division

  1. New York Rangers
  2. New Jersey Devils
  3. New York Islanders
  4. Washington Capitals
  5. Carolina Hurricanes
  6. Pittsburgh Penguins
  7. Philadelphia Flyers
  8. Columbus Blue Jackets

After the New Jersey Devils made the Sabres look like a minor league hockey team in back-to-back games, they should be favorites to unseat the Rangers. But until the 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy winners look vulnerable, they’re sticking around at No. 1. 

The Islanders, Capitals, and Hurricanes could all finish in the three, four, and five spots. But the sense of urgency is higher in the former two while Carolina, on paper, clearly took a step back. 

Pittsburgh is better off restructuring while the Flyers had a good run last year, but the reality they faced late is what you’ll see from their upcoming season. Columbus is likely this season’s version of what the San Jose Sharks were last year. 

  • Eastern Conference Final: New York Rangers over Florida

Pacific Division

  1. Edmonton Oilers
  2. Vegas Golden Knights
  3. Los Angeles Kings
  4. Vancouver Canucks
  5. Seattle Kraken
  6. San Jose Sharks
  7. Calgary Flames
  8. Anaheim Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers are the best team in the Pacific, and if the Vegas Golden Knights stumble out of the gate, this one may not be close. The Vancouver Canucks could struggle all season with issues at goaltender, and with a few injuries to some key players already, they could be the one team that made the playoffs last season that won’t be back in 2025 unless they get healthy. 

The Los Angeles Kings have also seen a few players banged up, but they still have enough talent, just enough talent, in the net to hold their own. Seattle is the wild card of the Pacific Division, and if there’s one team that can sneak up on everyone, it’s them. 

San Jose has new life with Macklin Celebrini and Company, and the lineup isn’t as barren as it was last season. I’d be very surprised if they didn’t sneak up and play some decent stretches of hockey this year. Meanwhile, Calgary seems to be in tank mode, while Anaheim is at least another year away from rising up in the Pacific. 

Central Division

  1. Colorado Avalanche
  2. Dallas Stars
  3. Utah Hockey Club
  4. Nashville Predators
  5. Winnipeg Jets
  6. Chicago Blackhawks
  7. St. Louis Blues
  8. Minnesota Wild

The Avalanche are one good season from Alexandar Georgiev away from taking over the Central Division. Meanwhile, the Stars aren’t as strong on paper this season, and if Georgiev looks good in Denver, the Avs should pass the Stars and their up-and-down goaltending. 

Utah is my “surprise team” this season on many accounts. For one, if Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino bounce back, this team will be hot. And remember, Utah had a good run during the first half of last season while still in Arizona, and now that they’re a year older, this team should be fun to watch. 

Nashville would be a championship-caliber team if they had this lineup two years ago, but now, it’s a toss-up. Winnipeg needs more star power to contend in the long run this season, but they’ll have enough to sneak in as a wild card as the “happy to be there” team. Chicago will make the most out of what they have before becoming more relevant next year.

Sorry, but the Blues will regress this season. As I’ve said before though, it may be a blessing in disguise. Meanwhile, Minnesota just needs to figure out the direction of its franchise. 

  • Western Conference Final: Edmonton over Colorado
  • Stanley Cup Final: New York Rangers over Edmonton 

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