The Vancouver Canucks are without their injured captain, but the good news is that it sounds like he’ll be back soon.
Quinn Hughes was a game-time decision last night after sustaining an undisclosed injury in the previous game. During warmups, Hughes had several lengthy chats with the trainers before deciding not to play. Elias Pettersson, the defenceman, took his spot in the lineup.
While he didn’t suit up last night, the injury doesn’t seem to be anything serious. Head coach Rick Tocchet gave an update on Hughes’s status postgame, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out long-term.
“He wanted to gut it out, but not the smartest play to play him,” said Tocchet. “You know him, he wants to play every game, that guy. In 48 hours, we’ll see how he is.”
The Canucks host the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night at Rogers Arena. With how close Hughes was to playing last night, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in the lineup.
Tocchet gave the entire team a day off on Monday, which will give Hughes some extra time to rest and recover.
The specifics of this latest injury have not been revealed, but Hughes seemed to have suffered it on Friday against the Dallas Stars. He missed more than five minutes of that game’s third period and was labouring when he returned to the ice.
Here is Quinn Hughes next shift after returning from the locker room.
Looks like he is playing through something.
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/QRjk4C4jQd
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) February 1, 2025
Aside from this most recent ailment, Hughes has also been dealing with a hand injury for a few weeks. He’s wearing a bulky brace under his glove, which looks uncomfortable. It doesn’t seem to affect his play much as he continues to put up points.
Quinn Hughes’ hand brace (Amazon Prime Video)
The reigning Norris Trophy winner has somehow taken his game to another level this season. His 1.26 points-per-game is eighth best among all NHL players and tops among defencemen.
Hughes faces some stiff competition to repeat for the Norris Trophy. Both Cale Makar and Zach Werenski are also enjoying incredible seasons and are over the point-per-game mark.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is coming up, and Hughes has been named to Team USA. With so many injuries, it raises the natural question of whether he’d be better off skipping the event and enjoying the time to rest up. Team USA’s first game is on February 13 against Finland.