Last season, the mighty Central Division sent five teams to the postseason. Featuring a gauntlet of win-now teams and a few up-and-comers, expect the Central to be well-represented once again come playoff time.

With new faces in new places, Cup contenders looking to make the leap, and regrouping teams attempting to climb the ranks, there will be plenty to follow this season, and here are three storylines to keep an eye on:

Subban in Music City

After claiming a wild-card position last season, the Nashville Predators appear poised for a run at the top of the division with P.K. Subban in the fold.

General manager David Poile sent captain Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for Subban, making a rock-solid defensive corps even more dynamic. Tied in with the likes of Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis, Subban - and the Preds - should thrive this season.

Subban should bring the spotlight to a talented team that's generally lost in the shuffle, and in case some fans didn't take notice after Nashville knocked the Pacific-winning Anaheim Ducks out in the first round last season, the Predators are deep.

Complementing a stacked blue line, the Predators' offensive attack features the likes of Filip Forsberg and James Neal, and will get a full season this time around from Ryan Johansen.

Goaltending in Dallas

Last season's Central crown-holder, the Dallas Stars, led the NHL in goals for by a healthy margin with 265 tallies, but a shaky goaltending duo hindered the club all season.

Between Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, the Stars allowed the most goals out of any playoff team last season, and that will have to be rectified for the Stars to take the next step.

A rumor swirled over the summer that Dallas tried to acquire Ben Bishop from Tampa Bay, but it never came to fruition, leaving general manager Jim Nill to hope his veteran combination can bounce back.

Thankfully for Dallas, it realistically shouldn't take much of an improvement in net for the Stars to remain dominant in the West. Few teams can keep up with, let alone compete with, the attack that Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza, and others can create.

Bednar's initial test

Colorado's run of relevance in the Central was rather short-lived.

Enter Jared Bednar, who is tasked with recreating the magic that earned the Avalanche the division title in 2013-14, but in a more sustainable manner.

His predecessor, Patrick Roy, left the club in the summer, citing a disconnect with the organization. Roy's game plan couldn't cut it, and Colorado's putrid possession numbers during his tenure reflect back-to-back seasons outside the playoffs.

Bednar, in his first NHL gig, inherits a roster littered with youthful talent, and will be tasked with instilling defensive responsibility. If he succeeds, there could be yet another threat in the deepest division the league has to offer.

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theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.

Well stocked with young talent, the Columbus Blue Jackets will look to make the next step this season. The Blue Jackets had a quiet offseason, but will get an extended look at defenseman Seth Jones, who was acquired midseason in 2015-16. Here are three Blue Jackets to watch this season:

Nick Foligno

Captain Nick Foligno was a disappointment last year, finishing with just 37 points. It marked his lowest production since coming to Columbus in 2012, and only half the pace from the previous season, in which a 73-point campaign led to a six-year, $33-million extension.

Foligno is hoping to hit the refresh button this year, with the pressure of a new contract in the rearview mirror. Part of that rebound will depend on shots, as Foligno's shooting percentage fell to 8.1 percent last year, a career worst. He's due for a bounce back, and closer to the combined 49 goals he scored over the previous two seasons.

In looking to rediscover his offensive game, Foligno will have some added help up front, as the team infuses more of its young talent, particularly winger Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Danish winger made his NHL debut last season, scoring eight points in 12 games, and looks to build on that success this year.

Seth Jones

Acquired last January in exchange for young center Ryan Johansen, Seth Jones provides the Blue Jackets with a steady presence on the blue line.

Jones made noise through half a season with the Blue Jackets last year, scoring 20 points in 41 games, good for 0.49 points per game. That's an uptick from the 0.275 PPG he had through the first half of the year with Nashville.

Jones, 21, already has 240 games of NHL experience under his belt. The fourth overall pick from the 2013 draft is an emerging star making the most of his opportunity with the Blue Jackets. Since arriving in Columbus, Jones' ice time has climbed to 24:27, nearly a full five minutes more than the 19:38 he saw in Nashville.

Sergei Bobrovsky

Missing the majority of last season with a groin injury, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will see the bulk of work this season under head coach John Tortorella. A former Vezina Trophy winner, Bobrovsky is the Blue Jackets' key to success.

Bobrovsky posted a 15-19-1 record through 37 appearances last season, and should expect closer to 60 starts this year. He is capable of being a team's most valuable player, and that's likely a fair description of what is expected of him in Columbus.

The hope is that Bobrovsky carries forward his performance from the World Cup. As part of Team Russia, Bobrovksy was one of the tournament's top goaltenders, grabbing the crease ahead of Colorado's Semyon Varlamov, posting a .930 save percentage through four games.

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Radko Gudas was at it again Saturday.

The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman hit Boston Bruins forward Austin Czarnik with a late and high shoulder, and Gudas may be hearing from the Department of Player Safety about it.

"We saw the shoulder to the head," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said, according to CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty. "Somehow (Gudas) seems to have a knack of getting himself in trouble every game. I didn't like the hit personally. I thought it was a little bit late, and a shoulder to the head."

There's no word on Czarnik's status, who left the game after the headshot.

Earlier this week, Gudas boarded New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey, but avoided supplemental discipline.

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The Florida Panthers will be holding their breath that an apparent ankle injury to Jonathan Huberdeau is not serious.

The Panthers forward took a skate to the back of his left ankle in a preseason contest against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. The injury took place during a first-period battle behind the Devils' net with Sergey Kalinin. Huberdeau did not return.

A long-term injury would devastating for the Panthers who earlier this week learned forward Nick Bjugstad will miss approximately four weeks with a broken hand.

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The NHL expansion team in Las Vegas has a date in mind for its big reveal.

Speaking before the Vegas Hockey FanFest as part of the Frozen Fury series, owner Bill Foley confirmed the team is aiming for Nov. 18 to unveil its nickname, according to Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com.

The team name and logo have reportedly been decided, while Foley has yet to finalize the uniform colors. He previously confirmed that the team name will be one of the Golden Knights, the Silver Knights, and the Desert Knights.

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand scored a goal Saturday that probably wouldn't hold up in the regular season.

Bjorkstrand's second of the game gave the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead in their preseason tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, it appeared the puck actually went through the back of the net and off the back of Marc-Andre Fleury.

Luckily for the 21-year-old, the league isn't using video review during the preseason, so the goal stood.

Enjoy 'em while you can, Oliver.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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The clock is ticking for the Calgary Flames and Johnny Gaudreau to get a contract done, but general manager Brad Treliving is hopeful Gaudreau will be in the lineup when the Flames open the season against the Edmonton Oilers.

"Our hope, and what we're striving for, is get that done so that not only Johnny will be back here with us, but with us on Wednesday," Treliving said, according to Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald. "I have every confidence that we are going to get a contract that works for Johnny, that works for us."

Despite the GM's apparent optimism, Gaudreau's agent said last week that both sides hadn't spoken in nearly a month.

Gaudreau's camp has expressed his desire to return to the club, noting he won't ask for a trade.

The 22-year-old led the club in scoring last season, tallying 30 goals and 78 points in 79 games.

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Bruce Boudreau has a lot to like about his new team, but believes its physical game has been lacking through the preseason.

The new coach of the Minnesota Wild highlighted his team's strong work ethic and skating game, but would like to see more away from the puck.

"We went over a lot of video (Friday) morning, more than I like to do, but it shows that you can't play the game without making contact with people. You just can't do it," Boudreau told Michael Russo of The Star Tribune. "But, what is taking time to get used to a little bit is we're nowhere near as physical as the teams I've coached."

Boudreau previously coached the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals.

"So I'm trying to find sort of a halfway medium that they become more physical but don't get out of what they're good at. Like, I can't make them into a bunch of Alex Ovechkins hitting everything that moves."

The Wild finished with 87 points last season, qualifying for the postseason before falling to the Dallas Stars in the opening round. The Wild open their season against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 13.

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