Edmonton Oilers miss out on signing Hobey Baker finalist losing him to a conference rival
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Tyler Ball
Apr 11, 2026 (4:49 PM)
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Photo credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
This afternoon, news has broken that the Edmonton Oilers have fallen short on signing Hobey Baker award finalist TJ Hughes.
The Edmonton Oilers were one of several teams looking to add NCAA standout superstar TJ Hughes once his season at Michigan concluded.
The Oilers were even considered one of the favorites to land him along with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche as of yesterday.
Now, reports have confirmed that he turned down the Oilers and decided to sign with the Colorado Avalanche instead.
Hobey Baker finalist TJ Hughes signs with the Colorado Avalanche
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Colorado Avalanche have signed Hughes.
Hearing Hamilton's TJ Hughes, a Hobey Baker finalist who played at Michigan, will be signing with the Colorado Avalanche.
Despite his Canadian roots, Hughes chose to play for the Avalanche on a team where he likely believes he can be a key piece in a Stanley Cup win.
This season, Hughes captained Michigan to a Frozen Four appearance while putting up an impressive 57 points in 40 games.
For the Oilers, this is a clear disappointment from GM Stan Bowman as Hughes would have been the perfect addition to provide Edmonton much needed depth up front.
While Hughes has signed, his NHL debut will have to wait until next season as he was an undrafted free agent who signed after the trade deadline.
In the meantime, he is expected to report to the Colorado Eagles in the AHL.
With Hughes off the market, it will be interesting to see if the Oilers pivot to any of the other top NCAA free agents.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 11|58 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers miss out on signing Hobey Baker finalist losing him to a conference rival Will TJ Hughes regret signing with the Colorado Avalanche? | ||
| Yes | 27 | 46.6 % |
| No | 31 | 53.4 % |
| List of polls | ||