Spittin' Chiclets Episode 670: Central Division Preview

Summary of Spittin' Chiclets Episode 670: Central Division Preview

by Barstool Sports

3h 40m•September 22, 2026
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Overview of Spittin’ Chiclets Episode 670: Central Division Preview

This episode is a wide-ranging Central Division preview wrapped around the usual Spittin’ Chiclets banter, contract talk, and guest interviews. The crew breaks down the Blackhawks, Avalanche, Stars, Wild, Blues, Predators, Jets, and Utah, while also reacting to major NHL news like Cutter Gauthier’s new deal and the Blackhawks captaincy situation. A big portion of the show features a great retirement-and-career retrospective with Ryan Reaves and a lively interview with Utah defenseman Mackenzie Weegar about the Mammoth’s rise, the market in Utah, and why the team believes it’s ready to contend.

Central Division Preview: Main Takeaways

Chicago Blackhawks

  • The panel is surprisingly optimistic about Chicago’s direction, even if they don’t think the team is a true contender yet.
  • Biggest reasons for optimism:
    • Connor Bedard’s development and early return timeline
    • Frank Nazar taking another step
    • Artyom Levshunov being groomed as a defensive cornerstone
    • Spencer Knight looking like a real No. 1 goaltender
    • Patrick Kane’s return giving the team leadership and power-play juice
  • Chief’s view: Chicago may be a year away, but the ingredients for a real jump are there if the young core develops.

Colorado Avalanche

  • Still viewed as an elite team, but the crew thinks Colorado may be a little older and a little less dominant than in past years.
  • Concerns:
    • Depth scoring and bottom-six speed
    • Brock Nelson and Casey Mittelstadt/Cody-type middle-six expectations not fully matching the championship version of the roster
    • Power play issues in recent playoff runs
  • They still believe:
    • Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon keep Colorado in the top tier
    • The defense remains strong, especially with Makar, Toews, and Brent Burns
  • The overall tone: very good team, but not as intimidating as the Stanley Cup year.

Dallas Stars

  • The Stars are still treated as a “same team, different year” contender.
  • Praise:
    • Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger
  • Concerns:
    • They keep getting bounced in the playoffs despite regular-season strength
    • The core is excellent, but the question is whether this group can finally get over the hump
  • The consensus: safe playoff team, but skepticism remains about a deep Cup run.

Minnesota Wild

  • One of the more debated teams on the show.
  • Biz is notably down on Minnesota, arguing:
    • Center depth is weak
    • The team may be overvaluing last year’s success
    • The Quinn Hughes chatter could become a distraction
  • Others pushed back a bit, pointing to:
    • Kirill Kaprizov
    • Matt Boldy
    • Filip Gustavsson / strong goaltending
    • A solid top four on defense
  • The conversation ended with real disagreement about whether Minnesota is in or out.

St. Louis Blues

  • The Blues are viewed more positively than some of the other fringe teams.
  • Reasons for optimism:
    • Jim Montgomery’s coaching impact
    • Robert Thomas as a franchise centerpiece
    • A more balanced, deeper roster
    • A culture that feels closer to the Blues’ successful years
  • Reaves and the hosts both sounded open to the idea that St. Louis could push into the playoff mix.

Nashville Predators

  • The crew is skeptical.
  • Big names are there — Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi — but there’s concern about age and whether the team can finally get off to a strong start.
  • The general view: talented roster, but not enough confidence in consistency.

Winnipeg Jets

  • The panel is low on Winnipeg compared to the rest of the division.
  • Major issue: the uncertainty around Connor Hellebuyck and whether the situation becomes a major distraction.
  • They acknowledged the team still has:
    • Kyle Connor
    • Mark Scheifele
    • Josh Morrissey
  • But there’s skepticism about the overall ceiling and the noise around the goalie situation.

Utah Mammoth

  • Utah was one of the big winners of the segment and looks like a true rising team.
  • The crew loves:
    • Logan Cooley
    • Clayton Keller
    • Nick Schmaltz
    • Dylan Guenther
    • Sergachev
    • Vinny Trocheck
    • New additions like Anders Lee
  • Mackenzie Weegar sold the team hard: fast, skilled, deep, and increasingly confident.
  • The panel sees Utah as a legitimate playoff team and one of the most exciting young rosters in the conference.

Major NHL News and Contract Talk

Cutter Gauthier extension

  • The Ducks locked up Cutter Gauthier on a 6-year deal at roughly $13.5M AAV.
  • The hosts liked the deal for both sides:
    • Big money for Gauthier
    • A number that keeps Anaheim from overcommitting too early
  • They view him as a likely 40-goal player and a major part of Anaheim’s future.

Other big-money player deals

  • The crew also discussed the wave of huge contracts around the league:
    • Logan Cooley
    • Ryan Leonard
    • other young stars getting paid early
  • The theme: teams are locking up their core sooner to avoid the chaos of escalating cap values.

Blackhawks captaincy / Bedard news

  • RA broke that Connor Bedard would be named captain of the Blackhawks.
  • The crew joked that everyone knew it was coming, but RA framed it as a real “breaking news” item.

Ryan Reaves Retirement Interview

Ryan Reaves gave one of the episode’s best segments: honest, funny, and reflective.

What stood out

  • He talked about retiring after 1,075 regular-season games and 113 playoff games.
  • He said the decision came after:
    • recurring injuries
    • the realization that he couldn’t keep up physically
    • not wanting to take a roster spot from someone else
  • Reaves was emotional about walking away, especially after trying to keep pushing through discomfort.

Career reflections

  • He loved being the guy who protected elite teammates:
    • Sidney Crosby
    • Artemi Panarin
    • Auston Matthews
    • other stars across the league
  • He was proud of the role he carved out and the respect he earned.

Best stories

  • Halloween costumes, including an infamous “white chicks” setup and “Dumb and Dumber”
  • The classic Reaves humor around fighting, locker rooms, and getting under people’s skin
  • His plan to stay involved in hockey through media, coaching, or management

Mackenzie Weegar Interview: Utah, Calgary, and the Future

Weegar was a great guest and did a strong job selling the Utah experience.

Utah market

  • He says the city is buzzing around hockey.
  • The team’s success has started to change the culture.
  • He thinks the organization and ownership are doing a strong job building something lasting.

Team identity

  • Weegar emphasized:
    • speed
    • skill
    • growing confidence
    • a more stable organizational direction
  • He was very positive about players like:
    • Cooley
    • Keller
    • Guenther
    • Sergachev
    • Schmaltz
    • Trocheck
    • newcomer Daniel But

Calgary reflections

  • He also talked about his time in Calgary and the Saddledome.
  • He said the old arena had character, but a new building is overdue.
  • He mentioned his earlier comments about wanting a new arena and how that even got back to ownership.

Personal stuff

  • He told a funny story about Utah “swingers” culture and neighbors bringing over smoked trout.
  • He also spoke about being traded mid-career, how hard it is emotionally, and why Utah felt like the right fit.

Notable Side Conversations and Running Bits

Biz’s mountain hike

  • Biz spent a few days hiking New England’s presidential peaks, including Mount Washington.
  • He described:
    • brutal terrain
    • absurd wind
    • shroom use mid-hike
    • a squirrel named “Clooney”
  • The whole story turned into a mix of outdoors chaos and comedy.

History lesson: Thomas Jefferson

  • Biz went deep on Jefferson:
    • ice cream in America
    • the Louisiana Purchase
  • The crew had fun with how much random history Biz was suddenly dropping.

Other lighter moments

  • Rush concert talk, including how impressive the new drummer was
  • A discussion about a golf caddie quitting mid-round
  • The wild “high rocks” story, where a competitor allegedly kept going after shitting herself

Bottom Line

This episode is essentially a Central Division preview with a lot of personality:

  • Colorado, Dallas, and Utah were treated as the division’s most stable or intriguing contenders.
  • Chicago got a cautiously optimistic rebuild preview.
  • Minnesota, St. Louis, Nashville, and Winnipeg were all debated hard, with some disagreement on which fringe teams can sneak in.
  • The show also packed in great human moments from Ryan Reaves and a strong sales job from Mackenzie Weegar on why Utah is ready to become a serious hockey market.

If you want, I can also turn this into a shorter bullet-only recap or a team-by-team Central Division cheat sheet.