I still expect them to miss the playoffs, but would not be surprised if they made a WC spot.

The problem is there are so many good teams in the Central right now, and even non-playoff teams from the Central seem to have improved (see Chicago).

I don't see who they leapfrog in the playoff standings. The Jets and Flames might take a bit of a step back, and maybe the Blues, but of those teams, only the Jets made the playoffs. Maybe the Kings fall out of a playoff spot, but Minnesota still looks good, and I think Seattle has improved with their offseason.

Bottom line, it's going to be competitive in the mushy-middle of the WC bubble.