Even not at 100 percent, Quinn Hughes’ return a godsend for Canucks

Credit: Apr 23, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) skates in warm up prior to game two of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The Vancouver Canucks welcomed back captain Quinn Hughes to the lineup Monday against the Montreal Canadiens, and while it’s obvious Hughes isn’t quite at 100% healthy, his return to the lineup is a major boost for Vancouver.

Hughes had been out of the lineup for a couple of weeks, nursing an upper-body injury, and despite missing four games, still leads the Canucks in scoring by a whopping 15 points. Needless to say, Vancouver welcomed their captain back with open arms against the Montreal Canadiens, and Hughes delivered, playing over 26 minutes of ice-time, recording two assists.

The Canucks sit 18-12-9 on the season, holding down the second wild-card position in the Western Conference. With injuries to Elias Pettersson, and specifically Filip Hronek on the back end, Hughes couldn’t return to the Canucks’ dressing room fast enough.

On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed Hughes’ return to the Canucks’ lineup.

Yaremchuk: Quinn Hughes returned to the lineup for the Vancouver Canucks, playing 26:15, which was 5:20 more than any other Canucks’ defenseman. And, Hughes logs heavy minutes, the Canucks lose 5-4 in overtime, and he does it all with a pretty interesting looking splint, sort of thing, on his hand. Looking at that splint, looking at how the Canucks threw Hughes back into the lineup, what did you make of his return?

Seravalli: First off, that thing looks gross. It looks like the claw. I can just envision a very stinky, smelly claw because he’s a hockey player, and that’s gruesome. So, obviously he’s still playing through whatever it is he’s been dealing with. And, by the way, he’s back quickly.

When we got to the other side of the holiday break, it was ‘week-to-week’. And, it’s January 7th, it’s the second week, and he’s back. I think full marks to him for getting back, and timing was of the essence because this Canucks team has really struggled so far this year not having Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek in the lineup. No shock there, take a look at their defense core, it is – well, you take Quinn Hughes out of the mix, and it’s as tough as it gets in the NHL.

I made the joke, but not really a joke, when you have Derek Forbort and Vincent Desharnais running your power play, I’m not sure that this is a defense core, that take Quinn Hughes out of the mix, is winning the Calder Cup. Either way, it highlights the importance of Quinn Hughes, not just as a Norris trophy guy, but this season with his contributions, a potential Hart trophy candidate. And, they desperately needed him.

For more on the Canucks roster and potential changes, and all the very latest from around the NHL, watch the full episode below.