Canucks’ Quinn Hughes out with injury Wednesday versus Ducks

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes will not be the lineup Wednesday against the Pacific Division rival Anaheim Ducks, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed per Randip Janda of Sportsnet 650.

Facing the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, Hughes saw just under 22 minutes of ice time in which he finished with one shot and a minus-three rating in the 6-3 road loss. However, Hughes did not see the ice for the final nine minutes of third period, with Tocchet noting postgame that the defenseman had ‘tweaked something’, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic.

While the nature of Hughes’ injury is undisclosed, Tocchet noted that Hughes’ past injuries have contributed to his current ailment, telling Noah Strang of Daily Hive Vancouver, “That has happened, yes. There’s a part of that, yes. You know, you’re dealing with something, something else kind of gets affected.”

Hughes’ exit from the Canucks’ lineup comes after returning for just three games. The 25-year-old Orlando, Fla., native had previously missed a six-game stretch due to an oblique injury that prevented him from suiting up with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Meanwhile, Hughes also missed four-straight games through early January after suffering an undisclosed injury.

On the season, the reigning Norris Trophy winner has made 50 appearances with the Canucks in which he has scored 14 times and added 46 assists for a team-leading 60 points. Hughes is one year removed from a career-high 92-point finish counting 17 goals and 75 assists coming in 82 games. Originally chosen seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft, Hughes has totaled 415 career appearances in which he has collected 57 goals and 336 assists for 393 points.

Entering Wednesday’s contest against the Ducks, the Canucks sit 27-22-11 and two points behind the rival Calgary Flames for the second wildcard seed in the Western Conference.