The Colorado Avalanche are loaded. That isn’t really much of a secret. And it’s hardly classified information that the club has one of the deepest veteran cores in the NHL.
But even if everyone knows what’s coming, the Avs could still have a secret weapon that not many are really paying attention to.
Now, Hughes isn’t exactly unknown. He was the top NCAA free agent this past season. Several teams were in a bit of a bidding war for the 24-year-old. But it was the Avalanche who beat out about a half-dozen teams.
That said, Hughes doesn’t really have a place in the lineup this season. While he could surprise folks at camp and land, say, the fourth-line center role, he’s too good for that. If the Avalanche can’t give him a solid middle-six role, they’ll likely have him playing top-six minutes with the Colorado Eagles.
But that could be just at the start of the season. Things could significantly change throughout the year.
Hughes will likely get his chance if and when injuries happen. However, injuries won’t be the only way we see Hughes in the lineup. A mid-season trade could open up a spot for Hughes. And it’s precisely Hughes’ play that could encourage Colorado to move a veteran forward, say, at the NHL trade deadline.
Hughes could be “deadline” addition
You hear so much about teams bringing in players as deadline additions. We know that concept very well. But there are also internal deadline additions. These are guys who get called up around the deadline to take over a regular spot.
That’s where Hughes could come into play. The Avalanche may want to keep Hughes in the minors for the first half of the season while he gets a little more pro experience. Around the deadline, the club could make a tough choice regarding impending UFAs Nic Roy and Artturi Lehkonen. If one of those guys leaves, Hughes could take over.
Once up in the NHL, Hughes could become that X-factor we often hear pundits talk about so much.
Avalanche could get major boost from Hughes
In all likelihood, Hughes would get a shot at a wing spot. It wouldn’t be out of the question to see him on the third line with Roy and Logan O’Connor.
Roy and O’Connor could be the more responsible older brothers while Hughes goes nuts. He could be that piece that gets crucial opportunities against the opposition’s bottom-six guys.
Heck, Jared Bednar might even want Hughes in the top six. It would be really interesting to see what Hughes could do, rolling with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas.
These are all assumptions, of course. Much of what happens this season depends on cap space and contract extensions.
But if the Avalanche are forced to sacrifice a forward, TJ Hughes could offset that loss. It pretty much boils down to his ability to show that he can be a bona fide NHL forward.
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