The NHL is a funny league. No one would argue that the two best divisions in hockey are the Central and Atlantic. There are high-end teams in each, but there is also depth.

And yet, at the end of this season, no team from either of those divisions represented their conference at the Stanley Cup Final. It was the least likely outcome of them all, but that’s why they play the games. Still, because of the absurd playoff format the NHL continues to stick with, you have to have a game plan on how to beat the teams inside your division if you plan on going far.

The Colorado Avalanche won the Central Division by a decent margin, finishing nine points ahead of the Dallas Stars with 10 more regulation wins under their belt. Much has changed since then. It’s not unfair to say the teams at the top have taken a small step back, while the teams chasing them are improving.

As the meaty part of the NHL offseason is already complete, here’s where things stand in the Central with each team.

Colorado Avalanche

We’ll dig deeper into the Avalanche in the coming days, but there’s no doubt they’re not as good a team as they were a month ago. That’s the reality in a salary cap league and the second they acquired Nazem Kadri and his contract at the deadline, they knew they would have cap casualties. Out are Valeri Nichushkin, Jack Drury and Ross Colton, with Jaden Schwartz, Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov replacing them.

While they’ve lost some important pieces and had an underwhelming offseason, this is still, on paper, the team to beat in the Central. They still employ Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas and they’ll get a full season out of Kadri, Nicolas Roy and Brett Kulak. They seem content to address any of their question marks, and there are question marks, in the trade market between now and the deadline.

Dallas Stars

They tried to swap Thomas Harley with Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, only to have Werenski nix a deal to Dallas. Before that, they were rumored to have an agreed-upon trade with Seattle that would have sent their top scorer Jason Robertson to the Kraken for a package. That didn’t go through because Robertson wouldn’t sign an extension with Seattle.

They’re left with as many questions as answers. Can they afford to re-sign Robertson or be forced to look elsewhere for a trade? How will Harley react to knowing they were ready to ship him elsewhere? Robertson specifically holds the key to their offseason. For now, he’s in Dallas, which means they’ll be very good again, but if they can’t sign him, it changes the complexion of the division dramatically.

Minnesota Wild

Have the Wild improved this summer? If we had to answer that today, the answer would be no. They acquired veteran utility winger Blake Coleman in a nice trade Thursday, but also lost Mats Zuccarello and his near point-per-game production in free agency.

More than anything, they haven’t made any moves to address the gaping hole they have at center. There’s no denying that Dylan Larkin would accept a trade to Minnesota, but Steve Yzerman isn’t sending him there for scraps and the Wild lack the cap room to fit him onto their roster. They’re still a good team, but their current roster doesn’t scream “great.”

Utah Mammoth

They made the playoffs comfortably for the first time and have been aggressive to ensure they take another step next season. Vincent Trocheck is a nice addition for them down the middle and Anders Lee adds some size and scoring ability to a forward group that’s a little undersized. They had to trade a good defenseman in Sean Durzi to get Trocheck, but they’ve got a strong group of forwards.

The wild card for them is the addition they made in net of young goaltender Sebastian Cossa. Karel Vejmelka had a heavy workload last season that seemed to impact his game in the playoffs, so if Cossa can steal some starts from him and play well, they become even more dangerous. This is a good team that is trying to show they belong with the three in front of them.

Nashville Predators

Chris MacFarland has been aggressive, that’s for sure. He’s gone and added five NHL forwards to his roster in the last three weeks. The only problem is that none of them are impact players, so it could just push them further into the mushy middle. On top of that, they’ll be entering the season with the same subpar defense that hinges on 36-year-old Roman Josi staying healthy. Whereas Utah could compete for a top-three spot in the division, the Preds have a roster that will either see them sneak into a wild-card spot or finish high enough to where they won’t get a top draft pick.

And that’s not where anyone really wants to be.

St. Louis Blues

The ceiling for the Blues seems a little higher than the Predators because of the young talent they’ve accumulated. Whether it’s Jimmy Snugerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours, Connor McMichael or Dylan Holloway, they’ve got talent up front. Philip Broberg has developed into a really good defenseman and they seem ready to hand the reins in net over to Joel Hofer. They could use another defenseman, but they have the assets to get one and have been sniffing around Carolina’s Alex Nikishin. Perhaps the biggest wild-card team in the West because if their young players keep improving, you’re looking at another potential playoff team in the division.

Winnipeg Jets

It feels like it’s just a matter of time before Connor Hellebuyck is traded, and the second that happens, this team needs to enter a rebuild. They comfortably missed the playoffs and have done nothing to improve.

Chicago Blackhawks

Bowen Byram believes he’s a No. 1 defenseman, and considering he is (temporarily) set to be the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL a year from now, they better hope he is. If by some miracle he becomes one, they’re in significantly better shape, but Connor Bedard still has no one to play with up front. They will be a fun watch because of some of their young talent, but it would take a miracle for them to make a run at the playoffs.

What I’m hearing

• Former first-round pick Mikhail Gulyayev opted to stay in Russia as opposed to come to North America this summer. I asked Avalanche director of player development Brian Willsie if that was a disappointment. “Nope. There was discussions there, but close contact with (his coaches) … just the way he finished the year is what really excited them. They were very, very excited about his growth. We talked about what’s the best path for him going forward, and still a very young player, but watching him play there and getting the role he’s getting and being around good players, we’re happy with his development.”
• Ilya Nabokov was not present at development camp, but Nikita Novosyolov, a 22-year-old Russian goaltender the Avalanche signed this summer, was and was easily the most polished goalie present. Given his age, that’s not a huge surprise. With the two Russians and Trent Miner, Willsie said they want to have a strong tandem with the Eagles and have one goalie with their new ECHL partner in New Mexico. Odds are that will be Novosyolov, barring a trade. While Nabokov was not at camp, he spent time with the Eagles at the end of the season, which Willsie said will be “invaluable” for him come September.

What I’m seeing

• Alex Ovechkin is returning for another season in the NHL, and his Capitals might be the second-best team in the Metro now. It will be fascinating to see how he’s deployed next season because they now have a ton of wingers. They might not need him to be anything more than a power-play specialist at this point in his career.
• The Montreal Canadiens are primed to be a nightmare in the East if they can find another center. They’ve locked up their entire young core for the foreseeable future and none of them will carry a cap hit greater than $9.5 million. They are set up to win soon if they can find a few more pieces.

What I’m thinking

• Very bold of Zach Werenski to ask for a trade, block a trade and then get mad at the media just because it all became public. I’d still bet on him getting moved out of Columbus at some point.
• The Avalanche are an older team, but the Los Angeles Kings one-upped them on the opening day of free agency by signing players who are 32, 35, 38 and 41. Don’t think that’s the best strategy to get them out of the first round.