Western Conference Watch: Avs Rolling, Wild Surging, and Canucks Facing the Fallout
If there's one thing Quinn Hughes wants, it's to win-and not just in the short term. This isn’t about nostalgia or sticking around for sentimental reasons.
Hughes is looking for a contender with staying power, a team built not just to make a splash, but to stay in the deep end. And with the way he’s playing, he could fetch a serious return.
We’re not talking about draft picks here-this is about players, both young and proven, who can keep a team competitive now and into the future. That’s the direction management seems to be leaning: retool, not rebuild.
Avalanche Ascending: The NHL’s Juggernaut
Let’s start with the Colorado Avalanche, who are putting the rest of the league on red alert. They’ve dropped just one game in regulation all season (18-1-6) and are riding a 9-0-1 heater.
Their offense? Flat-out lethal.
They’re averaging 4.12 goals per game, tops in the league, and they’re doing it without even fully unlocking their power play, which currently ranks 24th. If that unit starts clicking, it’s game over for most opponents.
Cale Makar is once again reminding everyone why he’s one of the most dynamic defensemen in the game. His zone exits are effortless, his reads are elite, and he’s never shy about jumping into the rush.
With 32 points (9 goals, 23 assists), he leads all NHL defensemen in scoring. He’s the engine behind Colorado’s quick transitions and relentless attack.
And then there’s Nathan MacKinnon, who’s playing like a man possessed. He’s already got 20 goals and 44 points, and he’s doing it with a mix of speed, power, and precision that’s nearly impossible to defend.
Daniel Sedin once praised MacKinnon’s ability to shoot accurately at full speed-“He does it all, from standing still to top speed,” Sedin said after a 2018 game where MacKinnon lit up the Canucks with two goals, one assist, and nine shots. That version of MacKinnon hasn’t gone anywhere.
In fact, he might be better.
When the Canucks faced the Avs on November 9, they hung tough-but MacKinnon took over, dropping five points in a 5-4 overtime win. Colorado is just too deep, too fast, and too skilled.
Prediction? Avs take the rematch 4-2.
Utah’s Patience Paying Off
The NHL’s newest home in Utah is seeing the fruits of a long, often painful rebuild. This team took its lumps in Arizona, but they stayed patient.
They didn’t sell off their young core, and now they’re reaping the benefits. Six players aged 25 or younger are playing big roles, and they’re surrounded by seasoned vets like Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, who’ve been steadying forces through the transition.
One of the biggest what-ifs for Vancouver? The Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland deal.
In sending three aging forwards and a 2021 first-round pick to Arizona, the Canucks hoped to fast-track their competitiveness. That pick turned into Dylan Guenther, who’s now 22 and coming into his own.
He scored 27 last season and already has nine in 26 games this year-on pace for 28. Meanwhile, the Canucks are still paying down the OEL buyout, including a $4.7 million cap hit this season.
That’s a tough pill to swallow when the player you gave up is blossoming elsewhere.
Minnesota’s Identity Shift
When you think Minnesota Wild, you usually think stingy defense and a fortress on home ice. Not this season.
The Wild have flipped the script with the league’s fifth-ranked offense and a power play clicking at 24.2%. They’re scoring 2.85 goals per game, and they’re doing it with flair.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are leading the charge. Kaprizov’s got 17 goals and 31 assists, and he’s doing it with his usual mix of creativity and tenacity.
Boldy, meanwhile, is turning into a star in his own right. Drafted two spots after Vasily Podkolzin in 2019, Boldy has racked up 87 goals over the last three seasons and is on pace for a career-high 47 this year.
He’s riding a 12-game tear with 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists) and looks like a lock for Team USA at the Olympics.
For Canucks fans, Boldy is a tough reminder of what could’ve been. Podkolzin, taken 10th overall, hasn’t made the same kind of impact. Draft-day decisions like that can shape a franchise’s trajectory, and right now, Minnesota’s looking like they got it right.
Bottom Line:
The Western Conference is heating up, and the contenders are separating themselves.
Colorado looks like a powerhouse with no signs of slowing down. Utah is proving that patience and smart development can pay off.
Minnesota is evolving into a team that can beat you in more ways than one. And Vancouver?
They're stuck somewhere in between, with Hughes playing at a superstar level and management facing some tough questions about the future.