The Colorado Avalanche may have walked into the final stretch of preseason thinking one young forward had the edge, but T.J. Hughes just made the call a whole lot tougher.
Gavin Brindley still looks like he’s in the fight for one of the last roster spots, and he’s got the kind of NHL experience that matters. But Hughes changed the conversation Friday night with a hat trick in Colorado’s 5-2 preseason win over the Winnipeg Jets, a performance that landed right on time with the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings coming up on September 30.
For Hughes, a 24-year-old undrafted forward, it was the kind of game that can swing attention fast. He’s been strong throughout camp, and this was the clearest sign yet that he’s forcing the Avalanche to think hard about where he fits.
Brindley, though, has already given Colorado plenty to like. The 21-year-old earned a surprising spot on the 2025-26 Opening Night roster last season and played 56 games, putting up six goals and seven assists. He arrived at camp with every expectation of keeping that job.
He backed that up quickly, scoring in Colorado’s preseason opener against Utah and adding an assist. Jared Bednar has also singled out Brindley’s competitiveness, speed and work on the puck.
At 5-foot-8, he’s not going to win battles with size, so his game has to come through pace, pressure and the ability to make life difficult for opponents. Colorado already knows those tools can play in the NHL.
The Avalanche signed Brindley as an undrafted free agent in April after he wrapped up his college career with 22 goals and 57 points in his final season at Michigan.
Hughes has been building his case just as steadily. He put up 14 points in 17 AHL games last spring, kept the momentum rolling into rookie camp and then kept climbing from there. On Friday, he put the exclamation point on it.
A preseason hat trick doesn’t lock anything in, especially for a team with Stanley Cup expectations. But Hughes didn’t just score; he showed the kind of offensive instincts that deserve a serious look. Bednar also pointed to his intelligence and puck movement after the first preseason game, especially on the power play, and Colorado knows it needs to get better there.
Both players are waiver-exempt, which gives the Avalanche some breathing room. Brindley is signed through 2027-28 with an $875,000 cap hit and can be sent to the AHL without going through waivers. Hughes is also exempt, playing on a one-year entry-level deal with a $952,500 cap hit.
So the Avalanche can make this decision without the risk of losing either player. That doesn’t make it easy. It just means Colorado has exactly what it wanted: real competition for real jobs.
Whoever misses out on the Opening Night roster can go to the Colorado Eagles, play heavy minutes and be ready when the Avalanche need help.
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Now the Blue Jackets are reportedly folding Woods deal into trade talks involving Kirill Marchenko, looking for a team willing to absorb the contract. For Avalanche fans, it is a reminder of how quickly a familiar name can shift from crowd favorite to salary-cap wrinkle, with the next step depending less on his play than on whether another club is willing to take on the financial baggage. [Read more 🡒]