The NHL’s media tour is rolling, and one of the first notable voices to come out of Las Vegas was Quinn Hughes. For the first time this summer, he was asked about his contract situation, and while he said he likes it with the Minnesota Wild, he didn’t exactly sound eager to rush into a long-term decision.
Hughes, speaking at the NHL Player Media Tour, addressed being in the final year of his deal and eligible for an extension with the Wild. He said he isn’t feeling pressure to get it done right away, but the message beyond that was harder to pin down. If he’s close to committing, he’s not showing it publicly.
Elsewhere around the league, Chris Kreider’s situation took a sharp turn. The veteran forward mutually agreed to terminate the final year of his contract with the Anaheim Ducks, giving up $4 million in the process so he could become a UFA. The word now is that he wants to head back East, though his former team in New York is not seen as a likely landing spot.
Back in Colorado, the Avalanche are heading into a stretch where the questions come fast. Depth is a real theme, and that conversation starts this weekend with rookie camp and the tournament. There’s also room for more competition in those bottom-six spots, whether that comes from a reclamation project or a PTO.
In goal, Mackenzie Blackwood enters camp healthy, which is a different picture than a year ago. That opens the door to a few broader questions about him and the rest of the Avalanche’s goaltending outlook.
And there’s still the Arttur Lehkonen situation to keep an eye on, with contract negotiations part of the conversation there as well.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Have A Win-Now Decision With A Proven Scorer
Chris Kreider is back on the market, and the timing immediately puts the Avalanche in a familiar kind of spotlight. After mutually terminating his deal with the Ducks, the veteran scorer is headed toward free agency, and while his preference has been to land with an East Coast club, Colorado is among the teams weighing whether to get involved. For an Avalanche team always balancing urgency against roster math, a player with Kreiders track record is the sort of name that forces a real conversation.
The challenge, of course, is fitting a proven finisher into a cap picture that does not leave much room for easy additions. Colorado is evaluating whether the structure of a possible deal could make sense, but any serious pursuit would ripple through the roster and force the front office to make choices about how far it wants to push for now. Kreider may have a preferred destination, yet the Avalanche are at least close enough to the front of the line to make this one worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Ilya Nabokov Could Force A Fast Avalanche Goalie Shakeup
Ilya Nabokov has become a name to watch in Colorados goaltending picture, and not just because of his long-term upside. The 23-year-old prospect is now in the conversation as a player who could put real pressure on the Avalanches current setup, with Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood already part of a situation that is tied closely to performance, roster planning and cap management.
For a team trying to keep its books and its crease in order, Nabokovs progress matters on multiple fronts. If he pushes hard enough for an NHL job, the Avalanche may have to make some quick decisions about how they want their goaltending depth arranged, and whether the current mix can survive a strong enough showing from a young prospect who is starting to look like more than just a future option. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche First Rounder Just Revived A Familiar Colorado Debate
Tyson Jost is getting another crack at an NHL roster spot, this time on a Professional Tryout Agreement with the Nashville Predators as training camp opens. For a player once taken in the first round by the Avalanche, it is the latest stop in a career that has already stretched across several teams and 564 regular-season games, a reminder of how much promise, patience and persistence can shape a long NHL path.
For Colorado fans, Josts next step inevitably brings back an old conversation about draft pedigree and what a team is really buying when it spends premium capital on a young player. He is now trying to turn a camp invitation into a contract in Nashville, leaving the familiar Avalanche debate right where it has lingered for years - in the space between what was expected and what actually developed. [Read more 🡒]