T.J. Hughes has put himself on the Avalanche’s radar in a way that feels a little different from the usual camp buzz.
He’s not just showing up and blending in. He’s giving Colorado something it may not have had enough of last season: a possible answer for the shootout.
That matters because the Avalanche dropped six games in the shootout and another five in overtime last season. On paper, that’s easy to shrug off.
In a full 82-game grind, though, it adds up fast. Colorado left 11 games unfinished and let 22 potential points slip away.
So the question becomes simple enough: does the organization already have a player who could help in those pressure-packed moments?
Hughes is making that case early. The undrafted free agent signing out of Michigan has been one of the most noticeable players at Colorado’s recent optional skates, and the work has not gone unnoticed. He has been on the ice for nearly every optional session, a detail that doesn’t earn anyone a roster spot by itself, but does say plenty about how seriously he’s approaching the chance in front of him.
Colorado brought him in after a standout college career, and the numbers explain why he drew attention. In his final season with the Wolverines, Hughes piled up 57 points in 40 games, finished second nationally in scoring, and picked up Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-American honors. Across four seasons at Michigan, he totaled 179 points in 156 games.
The eye test has backed up the résumé so far. Hughes has shown skill, creativity and comfort in one-on-one situations, and that showed up early Tuesday during shootout drills with Brock Nelson and Logan O'Connor. Among that group, Hughes stood out with quick hands and a few moves that hinted he could be more than just another body in camp.
That’s where the intrigue really starts. The shootout is still part of the game, even if plenty of fans would rather see longer overtime, ties, or something that leans more heavily toward actual hockey. The format isn’t going away anytime soon, and if it stays, the Avalanche may have a player who can turn it into an advantage.
There’s still a long road ahead. Optional skates are one thing; training camp and the preseason are another. Nothing is promised, and Hughes still has to prove he belongs.
But the tools are there. He’s a good skater with quick hands, solid vision and passing ability, and a work ethic that’s already been noticed around the team.
At this point, that makes him more than a long shot. He looks like a legitimate dark horse for an Opening Night roster spot.
Colorado has seen players force their way in before. Gavin Brindley did it last year. Cal Ritchie did it the year before, before eventually being traded to the New York Islanders.
Could Hughes be next?
It’s too early to say for sure. But if the early signs hold, he’s going to give the Avalanche a real decision to make.
In Other News...
Cale Makar Contract Talk Just Shifted In A Fascinating Direction
Across the league, the defense market is already starting to reshape itself, and that matters for Colorado as much as anyone. Erik Karlssons future could become a trade storyline if Pittsburgh slips out of playoff contention, the Red Wings are trying to sort out their management situation while working through Simon Edvinssons deal, and Quinn Hughes talks are moving slowly enough to keep attention on Minnesotas side of the board.
For the Avalanche, though, the focus stays on Cale Makar and the belief that a new contract will get done before the season starts. Colorado has every reason to want that kind of certainty in place early, especially with the rest of the leagues top defensemen still tied up in one form of negotiation or another, and the timing of those other situations only adds to the sense that the market is shifting around them while they work toward their own finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Artturi Lehkonen Is Forcing A Bigger Avalanche Debate Than Expected
Artturi Lehkonen has quietly become one of the Avalanches most useful pieces since arriving during the 2021-22 season, the kind of complementary winger who makes the stars around him easier to deploy. He fits neatly next to Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar because his game leans on the hard areas: forechecking, net-front work and a willingness to do the little things that tilt shifts in Colorados favor both offensively and defensively.
What makes Lehkonen more interesting now is that his value may still be climbing beyond that already important role. The power play has not been a major part of his output, but there is enough of a track record elsewhere in his game to suggest more could be unlocked there, and that possibility is part of a broader Avalanche conversation about just how much impact he can still have on an already loaded roster. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Enter Camp With One Big Reason For Real Cup Belief
A healthy start has become one of the clearest reasons for optimism around Colorado heading into training camp, and Joe Sakic said the Avalanche expect to arrive in mid-September with the roster in good shape barring any late setbacks. After a season shaped by early absences, the sense around the organization is that the team is better positioned to show what it can really be when its core is available and the standards are where they need to be.
Sakic pointed to the talent on hand and the changes made around it as reasons to believe the Avalanche can again be a legitimate contender. The last season still offered proof of how competitive this group can be even when circumstances were far from ideal, and now the focus shifts to whether a cleaner bill of health can let that upside show from the start. [Read more 🡒]