Vancouver Canucks fans are no stranger to who Quinn Hughes is. Now entering his sixth year in a Vancouver jersey, the American-born defenseman has been one of the faces of the franchise for quite some time. With his slick passing, improved defensive play, and his ability to quarterback a power play, he has entered the conversation when it comes to the best defensemen in the league. However, after being named captain of the Canucks just three weeks ago, Hughes looks even more improved so far during preseason play.
Hughes’ Preseason So Far
Hughes has been borderline dominant this preseason. Albeit he has only played twice this preseason, anyone who has followed the Canucks closely can easily tell there seems to be an added asset to his game. According to Natural Stat Trick, Hughes leads all Canucks teammates in independent Corsi-for (iCF) with 20. The next closest? Jack Studnicka with 12 (he’s been another bright spot so far as well). The next closest defenseman? Filip Hronek with 8. The former Michigan Wolverine has been a one-man firing squad from the blue line, and in return already has three goals to his name. He boasts an eye-popping 27.27% shooting percentage (SH%) as of now, which is obviously unsustainable. However, even when that number regresses towards the mean, Hughes is certain to break his single-season goal record (8) this year if he continues to shoot the puck the way that he has.
Hughes’ shooting numbers are not the only thing to write home about either. His overall play has been stellar so far. Both he and his partner Cole McWard have been superior in the two games they have played with each other. Each of them have an expected-goals-for percentage (xGF%) above 60% (Hughes: 61.94%, McWard: 62.97%). Those numbers in itself are fantastic. Add in the fact that both games have been against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the most potent duo in the sport, and you’re looking at something special.
Related: Quinn Hughes On Track to be Best Defenceman in Canucks History
It remains to be seen who Hughes’ top-line partner will be. McWard has looked good overall but has had penalty issues and looked a bit lost out there in Saturday night’s win against the Oilers. This season will be his first full professional season and immediately “throwing him to the wolves” might be detrimental to his development. There’s also Akito Hirose but he has only featured in one game so far (“Canucks roster projection 2.0: Who is a lock halfway through preseason?,” The Athletic, Sep. 29, 2023). With the way Hughes has looked so far, the Canucks top pair looks to be just fine with whoever slots in next to him.
Where Can Hughes Take the Canucks?
If Hughes is able to continue to perform this way, the Canucks become a serious contender to not just make the playoffs but also make some noise in the postseason. Think of any great playoff team in recent history (Tampa Bay, Vegas, Colorado, etc.); all of them have that elite two-way defenseman that can create offense and help the forwards in front of them succeed. Hughes has been an extraordinary offensive defenseman since the day he stepped foot in Vancouver, but with the improvement of his defensive game and new counterparts around him on the blue line, he is now leading a solid defensive group that can get the franchise back into the postseason.
It is not just Hughes’ on-ice play that looks improved, too. Off the ice, Hughes has shown why he was named the 15th captain in franchise history. After the aforementioned win last night against Edmonton, Hughes had this to say, “I’m gonna be 24 in October… [Elias Pettersson is] gonna be 25, [J.T. Miller is] 30, [Thatcher Demko is] 27, [we’re] getting up there. Not up there, up there but we’re not little kids anymore. It’s time, they drafted us to do things and [we] gotta do those things.” (The Athletic’s Harman Dayal).
A quote like that should give Canucks fans hope. Hughes has taken on quite the leadership role and understands that this group is expected to compete. Vancouver has been, currently is, and always will be a hockey-crazy city that expects winning. With the way he has looked so far on the ice and the way he has conducted himself as a captain in just three weeks, the decision to give him the “C” looks like one that could bring good fortune to British Columbia.
