In last week's NHL Power Rankings, I wrote about how the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are simply on another level than everyone else. Then the red-hot Minnesota Wild swung a blockbuster deal for Quinn Hughes, but was that enough to close the gap?

After the Minnesota Wild made a blockbuster trade, Martin Nečas of the Colorado Avalanche looks forward to elite Central Division battles as his team leads the NHL.

The Avalanche lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena on Friday. Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog scored for Colorado, while Scott Wedgewood stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced in net.

The addition of superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes has elevated the Minnesota Wild's defense corps to be truly elite , and the Wild are now neck-and-neck with the Colorado Avalanche as the top team in the highly-competitive Central Division.

Gary Bettman wanted parity in the NHL. He got it. And this is the year for the Avalanche to take advantage.  Let’s call the NHL what it is right now: mid. The amount of truly average teams in the league this season is astonishing.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jesper Wallstedt made 39 saves and had two more in the shootout when the Minnesota Wild ended the Colorado Avalanche's 10-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory at Grand Casino Arena on Friday. Minnesota (14-7-4) extended its winning streak to seven games and has points in 10 straight (9-0-1).

Remember where you were when the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout? Many people felt catharsis. Colorado’s 48 points lead the NHL. They have a plus-49 and are 10-2-4 away from Denver.

The Colorado Avalanche are a deep, talented team that could face a valiant challenge from the Minnesota Wild, following their big splash on Friday.