NHL’s Central Division adds another superstar, gets tougher with Minnesota’s trade for Quinn Hughes

Largest part of Sam Malinski s closest friends have become Colorado Avalanche fans in current years but they re still Minnesota kids at heart That s why he understands the celebration happening back home The Minnesota Wild made a seismic bargain Friday night acquiring all-world defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks They are all pretty excited Malinski noted Minnesota hasn t made a exchange like that in a long time There is a lot to be excited about there It s maybe the biggest bargain in franchise history for the Wild Minnesota made waves around the NHL before the season began signing star forward Kirill Kaprizov to the biggest contract in league history an eight-year pact worth million per season The Wild have been a solid crew in fresh seasons but adding Hughes could be a game-changer He won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago and is the consensus No defenseman in the league behind Colorado s Cale Makar He can add another level of offensive firepower to a club that was already tied for fifth in the league standings as of Saturday morning I think it could be a really good deal for both teams Avs coach Jared Bednar declared Obviously with Hughes going to Minny they re this instant better right And they re already one of the top teams in the league and a really good squad in our division right now so something we re going to possibly have to deal with at specific point Then I think for Vancouver under the circumstances they re getting certain really good young pieces and could be a really good arrangement for their future as well Former University of Denver star Zeev Buium is going to Vancouver in the deal along with young forwards Marco Rossi Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick The Wild already had a strong defense corps with Brock Faber Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon leading the way in front of breakout goaltender Jesper Wallstedt But Hughes adds a different dimension He s right there with Makar as a one-man offensive engine both at even strength and on the power play There s been plenty of speculation that Hughes would join his brothers Jack and Luke with the New Jersey Devils Quinn has one more season after this one on his current contract and will be a probable unrestricted free agent in July And just like Makar whose contract is up at the same time Hughes will likely command a massive contract Minnesota is now the only crew that can offer him an eight-year deal and the Wild have selected time to try and convince him to stay in the Twin Cities I guess it s still early Avs forward and New Jersey native Ross Colton disclosed Who knows what could happen in a year or two That was pretty crazy He s a great participant and they gave up a lot to get him I guess that makes this division even more challenging than it already is Related Articles Grading The Week Avalanche need to avoid first-round dogfight vs Dallas Quinn Hughes in Stanley Cup Playoffs In season of superlatives Avalanche has NHL s best penalty kill Avalanche honor champs blast two-time defending champion Panthers in - win Avalanche s Gavin Brindley ready to return from injury keep surprising rookie season rolling Renck Has it really been years Avs players reflect on city s first championship at reunion The top of the Central Division was the best in the NHL last year with the Winnipeg Jets Dallas Stars and the Avs all among the top Stanley Cup contenders That led to a titanic first-round series between the Avs and Stars because of the NHL s playoff format Colorado Dallas and Minnesota are all among the top eight in the league standings right now and that s before Hughes joins the Wild It s already likely that it will lead to another huge first-round series between two of the best teams in the NHL and quite possibly the top two teams in the entire league meeting in the second round That makes winning the division and avoiding a brutal one-two punch to just reach the second half of the tournament so pivotal That s what makes this format stupid in my opinion Colton revealed I ve inevitably like seeding teams - better I think it made getting first a little more valuable But that s out of our control Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis