The Wild's season has been up and down in a division full of teams vying for the top spot. Minny went on a short roll to take the top spot before falling off in the past weeks prior to Christmas where they fell back to the 4th and 5th position. No players have hit the 20 goal mark yet and the defense and goaltending have gone from shutouts to horrendous. There is still a lot of hockey to play and the Central looks to be the toughest division to come out of with a playoff position.

After a rocky 0-5-0 start to the 2040-41 season, the tides may be turning for the New Jersey Devils, who surged to three wins in four games this past week, improving their record to 3-6-0. It wasn’t just a bounce back—it was a statement.

Leading the charge is newly acquired blueliner Sawyer Burns, the reigning Norris Trophy winner. Burns has quickly proven his worth on both ends of the ice, playing heavy minutes and making key plays that have stabilized the defense and sparked transition offense.

On the forward front, Finn Wurtemberg has caught fire, finding the back of the net in four straight games. The 23-year-old winger is showcasing elite finishing ability and playing with noticeable confidence, becoming a major threat every time he steps on the ice.

The victories came against solid competition. The Devils edged out the Sabres and Canucks before rolling over the Canadiens with a convincing performance. The lone setback came against the Blackhawks, a tight contest that highlighted some ongoing growing pains but also revealed the team’s increasing competitiveness.

There’s still a long way to go, but with the top pairing clicking and goal-scoring heating up, the pieces are starting to fall into place. If this group can keep the intensity up and clean up the special teams, they might just claw their way back into contention sooner than expected.

Stay tuned—this team isn’t done yet.

The Nordiques sent shockwaves across  the PSHL today with a massive trade alongside  the Dallas Stars. The Nordiques weaponized a deep depth chart and were able to bring in top level talent while also preserving stars of the future. Joining the team is elite shut down defenseman Jens Holgersson who at the age of 23 seems like a lock for a long term contract extension with the Nordiques. Alongside Holgersson is Drake Dyck, a consistent 30 goal scorer and proven leader within the league.

Nothing comes for free of course as the Nordiques sent a significant haul back to Dallas, including 2nd and 3rd overall picks last year Eddie Minkkinen and Gabriel Tremblay, Quebec’s and Washingtons 1st overall this year, along side David Gunnarsson, Afanasy Nikolayev and recently acquired Ulrik Pederson. It’s a significant price to pay, however Quebec management seemed ok with the cost.

“We wanted to bring in top level players to supplement this squad. Minkkinen and Tremblay will carry on to have excellent careers should they stay healthy. Our pipeline is still strong with Mueller, Corrente and Mamashev ready to take the jump hopefully next season.”

Look for the Nordiques to keep an eye on future trades to earn themselves a spot back in the draft as well as contract extensions for the remaining pending UFA’s.

The Nordiques have stormed out of the gates with a 5-0-1 record to begin the season. Harrison cross leads the team with 8 goals, tops in the league and is tied for third in league scoring. Backup goalie Mitch Nicol has proven to be a reliable option to back up stalwart Berkley Adams. 
Early word has it that the Nordiques are looking to turn many of their futures into more immediate assets as the team pushes for playoff contention this year. 

The Devils have started the season with five consecutive losses, and it's hard to believe how bad they've been. First line center Elias Dahl, together with Roman Honcharenko and Colton Donaldson is obviously not a great first line, but there are no excuses for them to be -2 every game. The only bright spot has been recently acquired Sawyer Burns, and Nick Falk and Marcus Trost are always excused. But it seems the Devils are doing the best they can to land a lotto pick this year..