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Avalanche divisional rival hit with unfortunate reality check following blockbuster trade

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Theodore Mosby
December 18, 2025 (5:56 PM)

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Minnesota made a massive move adding Quinn Hughes and sparked a new conversation about Wild contention, yet questions about center depth and true Cup-contender status linger.

The Minnesota Wild swung one of the biggest trades in recent NHL history Friday night, sending Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren and a 2026 first-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for elite defenseman Quinn Hughes.

Minnesota was already 18-9-5 and in a strong playoff position before the blockbuster.

Wild still need a true first-line center to actually compete with the Avalanche.

Hughes instantly upgrades a defense that was already respectable, giving Minnesota top-pair offensive juice and a dynamic power play component it lacked.

His skating and puck skills are rare among blueliners, and pairing him with Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin should tighten up defensive zone play and transition execution.

Joel Eriksson Ek remains the Wild's best pivot, and his two-way game holds up well at five-on-five, but the roster now leans on lesser-proven centers like Danila Yurov in top-six minutes.

That's the crux of why, even with Hughes' arrival, critics still don't see Minnesota at the same level as Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars.

Fans in Minnesota are thrilled with the magnitude of the trade, but there's a cautious undertone in conversations about how the roster fits together long term when compared with the Western Conference's elite.

Wild still need a true first-line center

Those voices point to the absence of a bona fide number-one center, something both Colorado and Dallas boast, and something Vegas carries in Jack Eichel's elite two-way presence.

The Wild now sit with a promising but unproven Yurov, Eriksson Ek as a quality second-line pivot and veterans like Ryan Hartman and Nico Sturm rounding out the middle.

Depth scoring beyond Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy is solid, but sustainable scoring from the pivot position remains elusive.

In a division where depth at the center ice and matchup flexibility matters come playoff time, the Wild look improved, potentially very good, but not yet in the same tier as the Avalanche and Stars without an upgrade down the middle.

Trades like the Hughes deal are calculated gambles, and Minnesota's execution this season will determine if it was enough to leap into true contender status.

Previously on Colorado Hockey Daily

Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood just spilled the real tea on Nathan MacKinnon

Central Division's latest blockbuster is reportedly pushing an Avalanche rival toward a copycat move

Colorado Avalanche set the stage for Brent Burns' final career wish

POLL
DECEMBRE 18 \| 28 ANSWERS Avalanche divisional rival hit with unfortunate reality check following blockbuster trade Is Minnesota now a true Cup contender with Quinn Hughes?
Yes	16	57.1 %
Not	12	42.9 %
List of polls

Avalanche divisional rival hit with unfortunate reality check following blockbuster trade

Minnesota made a massive move adding Quinn Hughes and sparked a new conversation about Wild contention, yet questions about center depth and true Cup-contender status linger.

Wild still need a true first-line center to actually compete with the Avalanche.

Wild still need a true first-line center

Is Minnesota now a true Cup contender with Quinn Hughes?