All five Midwest NHL teams will look different in 2022-23

By Jim den Hollander  

Editor/Publisher 

Midwesthockey.info 

In the years this website has been run the five Midwest-based NHL teams have gone through big changes. 

The Blackhawks have gone from a rebuilding team to three Stanley Cups and now back to a rebuilding team. The Columbus Blue Jackets had never won a playoff series when this site started and like the Hawks, they have gone both up and down since then. 

The St. Louis Blues won its first ever Stanley Cup a few seasons back and are hoping to stay near the top of the heap. The Detroit Red Wings saw a stretch of 25-straight playoff seasons come to an end and now are several seasons without making the dance. 

Finally, the Minnesota Wild, once an up-and-coming contender found it tough to make it far in the same division as the Chicago Blackhawks, finally said goodbye to some top players who saw their best seasons go past. 

This is an interesting off season for all five teams with at least a pair of them making major moves, both additions and subtractions.  

Every season has a slightly different look when it comes together again in the fall, but this may be the busiest off season of all. 

The next five articles will look at each team, what it has done and what should be ahead for the NHL teams, coming in alphabetical order: Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and finally, St. Louis Blues