Quinn Hughes shakes up the NHL, joining the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster trade that sends shockwaves through the Central Division. Does this move make Minnesota a top contender for the Western Conference title? Chris Micieli and Zach Pearson break down the ramifications of Hughes’ arrival, sparking fresh debates about top defensemen, contract outlooks, and Minnesota’s championship odds. Key insights include the value of Vancouver’s return, the impact of player chemistry, and the rising stakes for the Wild, Stars, and Avalanche.
Colorado Avalanche secure a much-needed home win over the Nashville Predators, but concerns linger as the power play continues to sputter. The hosts highlight standout performances from Valeri Nichushkin and Scott Wedgewood, analyze recent line changes featuring Martin Necas and Gavin Brindley, and preview upcoming matchups against the Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets, and surging Wild. Are the Avs still the team to beat—and how will they fare as division rivals re-tool for a deep playoff push?
Everydayer Club:
If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Avalanche Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.
https://lockedonavalanche.supercast.com/
Subscribe to our Subtext to talk to us directly!
https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonavalanche
Everything Locked on Avalanche:
https://solo.to/lopn_avalanche
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOAvalanche?sid=YouTube
Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL
Follow on X:
Chris: https://twitter.com/c__micieli
Zach: https://twitter.com/XavierSuperfly
Show Page: https://twitter.com/LOPN_Avalanche
#NHL #coloradoavalanche
__________________________________________________________
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Indeed
Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/lockedon right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.
Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.
Monarch
Take control of your finances with Monarch. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at https://monarch.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year.
FanDuel
Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. So if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit FanDuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
24 Comments
Shitty thing is, I am from Minnesota, live in Tennessee, and been a Nords/Avs Franchise Fan since 1981. Now I have to listen to Wild Fans……….sounding like Vancouver Fans😂🤦♂️ But #AvsNation already knows Makar > Hughes 💪💪💪
no need to worry. between 17m in kaprizov and whatever they end up having to shell out to keep hughes its gonna be parise suter 2.0
after canucks signed demko for 8.5mil then a "back up " for 5.5 i knew they were cooked lol 8.5 mil for a guy whos always hurt like why would you extend him and pay him more nm lmao then thye trade away silvos for picks lmao and thats why i knew they wernt just cooked but deep fryed ,silvos could of been there cheap franchise goalie . instead they go out and spend 14 mil on 2 goalies lmao and one who never plays more than 20 games a year as a "starter" lol Vancouver officially entered the we dont even need to talk about them ever for any reason era , so 12 years maybe thye get a mention again
I think the main reason for putting Brindley with MacK is just to get both of them used to playing with each other. Bednar did a lot of this in the 21-22 season, and with the wing depth they have this year you want all the wingers in your top 9 comfortable playing with everyone else, and everyone in the bottom 6 playing with each other. This makes in game adjustments a lot easier if someone doesn't "have their legs" as well as compensating for any injuries. Also, once you get into a playoff round, you're comfortable switching things up at any time to get specific match ups on the ice to take advantage of situations.
Great another team the AVS will loose to in the playoffs!
after seeing mack smashing his stick and breaking it against the boards it was safe to assume that was him yelling FU CKKKKKK earlier lmao twice ,that made me giggle for a good 20 secs lol
you guys don't know hockey.do some homework next time .
Van did well on the return . They are already a better team with a legit center in Rossi and Buium is going to be a solid powerplay Qb.
I thought Saku Koivu was gonna play in MIN w his bro after leaving MTL, but he went to ANA instead. Not guaranteed Quinn goes to NJ at his first chance
"The actions of Nichushkin caused the player's stick to hit him in the face."
If they win the cup, you don’t walk away from that just to play with your brothers.
STOP with the he wants to play with his brothers BS!
Absolutely a good chance hughes stays. We saw him smiling for the first time in a while last night.
Quinn said in his press conference he is “extremely open” to staying in MN
Makar just has a presence that Hughes does not have. Raw skill is maybe the same. As for how he plays in MN, he might be freed up from being the Captain and pressure of being main top player. He is still only one guy so we will see.
But, the system they run in MN is not the same as the Avs so imo, he won’t be green lit to play as aggressive offense as Cale. That is our edge.
Went to the Wild game yesterday. What this does is give Kaprisov more freedom, like MacKinnon has with Makar. Hughes will settle in and this should help the PP1, which the Wild are getting zero production out of currently. Both goals yesterday were PP2, which seems to the better unit for a chunk of the season. It was extremely hard to watch Buium leave, the kid is a great person and just turned 20. He will be a solid top 4 defenseman in short order. Central is nuts and Colorado has locked up the first seed – Dallas / Minny – crazy stupid for a first round matchup.
He can't play with Luke, they play the same position. As a Vancouver fan, I am super happy he told them now rather than waiting like Tavares did.
Necas was still feeling under the weather, which could also be why he was on line 3.
Hughes is overrated. He was always put against the 2nd line. Let's see him go up against the Avs and Stars top lines, all the time.
'He did not guarantee them anything'
Yep. But watch his postgame presser. When asked 'How open minded he'd be in re-signing in Minnesota' his response was "Extremely open minded." because they have an amazing core, it's close to Michigan and he really, really appreciated that Guerin gave up so much for him. Said he would not forget that.
If you listen to Quinn's news conference, he made many statements about why the Wild are a good place for him. He loves Bill Geurin, the Wild are loaded with talent and it's close to Michigan. He said he really respects what Bill gave up to get him and how much that means to him. No other team had anywhere near what the Wild did on this deal. Geurin didn't start small, he made the best offer right off the bat.
Everyone focused on Jersey. I see a possibility for the Hughes brothers to come to Minny
To me the wild are trying but he’s going to NJ to play with his brothers,,,, he will keep saying he wants to stay but I’d be very surprised if he stays ,,, would you want to be in that division as the stars and Avs? They will be #3 in that division and I’m sorry but they can’t beat 4/7 Dallas and Colorado ! In the east at the exception of Florida healthy , it’s wide open even Carolina aren’t that hard to beat in the. Playoffs they get to the conference finals cause of their competition in division!
Im not saying Quinn is better than Cale….But how you finish in the standings and who your playing with matters…Quinn in Makars spot and vice versa…Who would you guys say is best then….food for thought…