ESPNChicago.com's Scott Powers counts down the days to the opening of Blackhawks training camp on Sept. 19 with a look at 20 storylines facing the team this season.

And you thought the Central Division was competitive last season ...

The Chicago Blackhawks should have their work again cut out for them within their division. Four teams finished with a division record better than .500 last season, and the Blackhawks weren't one of them. The Blackhawks finished third in the Central based off points, but they had a 13-13-3 divisional record.

Here's a glance at the Central for the upcoming season:

Colorado Avalanche (52-22-8 overall last season, 19-6-3 Central)

The Avalanche won't surprise anyone this season. They got everyone's attention by excelling under first-year coach Patrick Roy and winning the Central last season. Their success was short-lived as the Wild knocked them out in the first round. The Avalanche weren't a terribly successful possession team last season, but were able to get by without it. They will have plenty of players with scoring ability again as they return Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O'Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon. They lost Paul Stastny to free agency and added Jarome Iginla. The Avalanche have a lot of defensive depth. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was often the difference last season. It could be difficult for him to duplicate such a career season.

St. Louis Blues (52-23-7 overall, 21-6-2 Central)

The Blues were ousted in the first round for the second consecutive season. To help fix that problem, the Blues went out and signed the 28-year-old Stastny, who had 25 goals and 35 assists in 71 games for the Avalanche last season. The Blues return plenty of other offensive weapons in David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Alexander Steen, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. Alex Pietrangelo again leads the defensemen. The Blues hand the net over to Brian Elliott, who has a .911 save percentage in 235 career NHL games. He has never started more than 36 games in a season for the Blues.

Minnesota Wild (43-27-12 overall, 14-12-3 Central)

The Wild proved themselves to be a legit playoff team by first eliminating the Avalanche and then pushing the Blackhawks to six games. The Blackhawks pulled out the series by winning the final two games with 2-1 scores. The Wild return Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and Mikko Koivu and added Thomas Vanek in the offseason. They also have some youth and skill in forwards Mikael Grandlund, Charlie Coyle, Erik Haula and Nino Niederretier. Ryan Suter will again be the face of the defense. The Wild's goaltending situation is still the wild card.

Dallas Stars (40-31-11 overall, 13-11-5 Central)

The Stars were the fifth team from the Central to earn a playoff spot last season, and they pushed the Anaheim Ducks to six games in the first round. Tyler Seguin, 22, and Jamie Benn, 25, combined for 71 goals and 92 assists last season and will likely lead the way again this season. The Stars added forwards Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky in the offseason to give them some more depth. There are still some questions about their defensemen, but the Stars should be better this season.

Nashville Predators (38-32-12 overall, 12-13-4 Central)

The Predators made a push for a playoff spot last season, but fell short and replaced coach Barry Trotz with Peter Laviolette. Defenseman Shea Weber led the Predators in points, and the offense is likely a concern again this season. The Predators have a number of players under 25 who could give them an added push. Seth Jones is still 19 and should take a step this season. Forward Filip Forsberg, 20, is another player to keep an eye on.

Winnipeg Jets (37-35-10 overall, 9-15-5 Central)

The Jets got knocked around in the difficult Central last season, but they were pretty good elsewhere, going 28-20-5 outside the division. Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little combined for 51 goals and 82 assists last season. Also returning Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane and Toby Enstrom gives the Jets a chance again. The Jets allowed 2.82 goals per game last season, and their defense and goaltending could be weaknesses again.