With the NHL trade deadline officially in the rearview, the fallout begins to take shape. For Avalanche fans, there’s no denying this trade deadline was a smashing success.
But because Colorado is the team that it is, other Central Division contenders did not fall asleep at the wheel. If anything, they did their best to keep up with the Joneses.
So, here’s a look at what went down in the Central Division as everyone else tries to keep pace with the league-best Colorado Avalanche.
Central Division rivals can't keep pace with Colorado Avalanche
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild is the team with the biggest ambition this season. The Wild loaded up earlier in the season with Quinn Hughes. They were rumored to be in pursuit of Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers. That deal didn’t materialize.
But they did add around the fringes. They brought in Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers and veterans Jeff Petry and Nick Foligno. The Wild are still a very good team, but they didn’t quite manage to get the additions they were hoping for.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are another team hoping to make a big splash. They sort of did that by adding two veteran names, Michael Bunting and defenseman Tyler Myers. Like Minnesota, Dallas is not significantly better than Colorado.
Dallas failed to replace Tyler Seguin, while Myers was more of an upgrade over their current defense.
Considering that the Avalanche may run into Dallas in the second round, the potential for a hard-fought, highly physical series will be there. However, Stars fans might not be so encouraged by the deadline additions.
Utah Mammoth
The Utah Mammoth were desperately trying to make up ground in the Central. Their biggest aim at this point has to be finishing in the first wild card spot. Finishing there would allow the club to sidestep Colorado in the first round.
While the Mammoth were believed to be in on Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, that deal didn’t materialize.
However, Utah made one move, and it was a big one. They got MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames in exchange for three second-round picks and two other pieces. The move was important, but not nearly good enough to play with the heavyweights in the Central.
It will be interesting to see how Utah fares against the winner of the Pacific Division, in this case, the Anaheim Ducks at the moment.
The rest of the Central Division
As for the rest of the Central Division, these clubs didn’t make that big of a push. Nashville unsurprisingly moved out its impending UFAs. They didn’t make a big splash. So, it seems they’ve thrown in the towel.
The Winnipeg Jets sold off veteran blueliners Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn to the Buffalo Sabres. The Jets will be looking to play the role of spoilers down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues partially went through their purported sell-off. They sent former captain Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders and defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings. All the big names, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington, remain with the club.
Lastly, the Chicago Blackhawks made a couple of interesting deals with the Edmonton Oilers. They first sent defenseman Connor Murphy in exchange for a second-round pick. Then, the two clubs completed another deal in which the Blackhawks took Andrew Mangiapane off the Oilers’ hands, along with a first-round pick, while sending Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach back the other way.
Ultimately, the trade deadline winner in the Central was Colorado. The rich kept getting richer. It’s a tough reality, but it’s one Avalanche fans will take any day of the week and twice on Sunday.