At the tender age of 24, Quinn Hughes is setting himself up for more than just a Norris Trophy – he has a chance to become the best Vancouver Canucks player of all time. Canucks fans were blessed when Hughes fell to seventh overall in the 2018 NHL draft – little did they know that Hughes would resurge the Canucks and take over as captain last summer. Sitting at the top of the Pacific Division in Hughes’ first season with the ‘C,’ the Canucks achieved 50 wins for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
Whenever Hughes is on the ice, Canucks fans know that scoring chances are coming. His ability to take matters into his own hands is outstanding. It largely comes down to his incredible skating ability – he’s one of the most agile skaters in the league, if not the most. Opposing teams should be terrified when Hughes controls the puck in their end, as he can toss and turn away defenders.
Hughes’ skating ability stretches defenses out as he brings defenders to the edge of their blueline. From there, he maneuvers around them to make a play or just the right pass. He creates opportunities for himself or for his teammates to score, making smart plays with his elite hockey IQ.
His stretch passes, and ability to help the Canucks break out swiftly, are both examples of how he impacts the game on each and every shift. Not to mention his improvement on the defensive side this year, too: he was a plus-38 for a reason.
WELCOME TO THE 2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS QUINN HUGHES 🚨 pic.twitter.com/12PKmm3Wq4
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 22, 2024
The blueliner’s shot is also constantly improving, with a career-high 17 goals this season. His prior personal best was eight, accomplished in both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns. He is excellent at getting pucks through traffic on goal, ranking first in assists from shots with 15. In addition, he works to get great looks on goal using his beautiful skating ability.
Already Making History
Hughes posted 92 points this season, joining six other defensemen to reach this mark by the age of 24 or younger. He joins Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Denis Potvin, Brian Leetch and Gary Suter. It’s the first time this has been done since the 1991-92 season by the New York Rangers’ Leetch, and it’s the 14th season of this kind.
Only nine other defensemen have reached the 90-point mark in NHL history at any age, and he becomes the third to do so in the 21st century. Hughes is already on pace to become a Hall of Famer.
As for Canucks players, Hughes joins three others to reach 90 points at age 24 or younger: Pavel Bure, who destroyed the 90-point mark twice for the Canucks when he was 21 and 22; Patrik Sundstrom in the 1983-84 season; and, Elias Pettersson last season. Hughes also becomes the 10th Canucks player to reach the 90-point mark at any time in their career.
In fact, Hughes is the only defenseman in franchise history to reach the 70-point mark, with Doug Lidster posting 63 points in 80 games in 1986-87 and Dennis Kearns producing 60 points in 1976-77. Hughes is already second in Canucks all-time scoring among defensemen with 333 points in 365 games. Alexander Edler is first with 409 points in 925 games as a Canuck. The difference in games is mind-boggling, as Hughes is undoubtedly the most talented defenseman the Canucks have ever had.
As pointed out by Canucks play-by-play man Brendan Batchelor, Hughes set the franchise record for plus-minus in a single season this year. Daniel Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff recorded a plus-36 in 2009-10. Hughes has set the record with a plus-38.
Assuming Quinn Hughes doesn't go -3 tonight, he will set the #Canucks single season franchise record for plus minus.
Daniel Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff were both +36 in 2009-10.
Quinn Hughes is currently +39. This is the same guy who was -24 in 2020-21. @Sportsnet650
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) April 18, 2024
The Future
Hughes has tough competition with other Canucks greats such as Bure, the Sedin twins, Roberto Luongo, Markus Naslund and current teammate Elias Pettersson.
Pettersson – who is 25 and has already put some great seasons together – is another candidate to become the best Canuck ever. However, Hughes’ consistency and his ability to drive the play every time he’s on the ice are what ultimately make him better and more valuable than his teammate.
Now, of course, Hughes will need to find playoff success. This year, the Canucks have a good shot of making a run at the Stanley Cup with their depth at all positions and a star goaltender in Thatcher Demko. The Canucks have an average age of 28.5. J.T. Miller is 31 and coming off a 103-point season, so it’s not unreasonable to expect Miller to continue his high level of play for at least a couple more seasons. Pushing it a little further, Miller could play as a top-six-level forward until he’s 36, which would give the Canucks a five-year window with Miller where they’ll constantly be in the mix for the Stanley Cup. Outside of Miller, a core of Hughes, Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Filip Hronek, Nils Hoglander and Thatcher Demko should be around for the foreseeable future, giving the team perhaps an eight- to 10-year window.
If Hughes sustains his level of play and brings the Canucks their first-ever Stanley Cup, there will not be much room for debate about whether or not the captain is the best Canuck ever. If he doesn’t bring the Canucks a Cup but keeps up his production and has some deep playoff runs, there will still be a good argument.
Along with the potential playoff success Hughes may enjoy through his career in Vancouver, he and Cale Makar seem poised to dominate the Norris Trophy voting for the foreseeable future. Tallying up points, Norris Trophies, and perhaps some future Stanley Cups could very well make Hughes the best Canucks player we have ever seen. Hughes has also received some MVP talk this season – winning the Hart Trophy would do wonders for the American’s case.
Related: Canucks Fans Want More From Elias Pettersson in Game 3. So Does He.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews ‘Trying to Win a Stanley Cup’ — Not Break Gretzky’s Goal Record
Related: Top Five NHL Arenas for Playoff Hockey in 2024
News Summary:
- Can Quinn Hughes Become the Best Canuck Ever?
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.