In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, the Canucks could trade for one of the Calgary Flames’ unrestricted free agent (UFA) defenceman. Also, Quinn Hughes is named the first star of the week. Additionally, head coach Rick Tocchet comments on the performance of multiple players after the team’s win on Tuesday night.
Canucks Interested in Flames Defenceman
The Flames have three UFA defencemen in Hanfin, Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the organization had made phone calls around the NHL to see what teams would give up for their blueliners. He listed the Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers as teams that could be interested in those players.
The Canucks have looked to fix their blue line for some time, and as TSN’s Darren Dreger reported, the team is looking for a right-shot defenceman. Additionally, after their hot start to the 2023-24 season, the front office wants to reward their team by adding to it. Therefore, seeing the Canucks interested in making a trade for one of the Flames’ defencemen shouldn’t be a surprise.
A reunion with Tanev is something the fanbase and a few players on the team would love to see. The two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a new contract in the 2020 offseason after the blueliner spent a decade with the organization. Instead, he signed a four-year, $18 million deal with the Flames. When the defenceman departed, multiple players were upset to see him go. Therefore, his return would add to the team’s hot start.
Hughes Named First Star of the Week
The NHL named Hughes the first star of the week on Nov. 6. He led the league with seven assists and eight points in three games. He posted his 14th career three-assist game against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 31 and then topped off that performance with a goal and five-point game against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 2.
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Hughes has five goals and 20 points through 12 games and leads all defenceman in the NHL. He continues to impress as he is tied for third in points with his brother Jack and Artemi Panarin in points. Additionally, he has 261 points through 295 career games. Only 10 other defencemen in NHL history have posted more points than Hughes in that many games.
Related: 3 Canucks’ Trade Pieces to Improve Team
Hughes isn’t the only Canuck off to a hot start. Elias Pettersson is second in the NHL with 21 points in 12 games, while J.T. Miller is tied in fifth with 18 points. Meanwhile, Brock Boeser has 10 goals in 12 games, tied in second behind Auston Matthews’ 13. Lastly, Thatcher Demko leads the league in wins (seven), goals-against average (1.61) and save percentage (.948) among goalies who’ve played seven games and is tied for the most shutouts with two.
Tocchet Praises Canucks’ Vets
After the Canucks’ 6-2 win over the Oilers on Jan. 6, Tocchet praised the team’s efforts after going down 1-0 early in the game and giving up 19 shots while only registering two. The head coach started by discussing Demko’s strong play in the first, which kept the team in the game.
“Demmer is like a smelling salt — we woke up after he made six or seven unreal saves,” Tocchet said. “The guys were really mad at themselves for not being ready. They obviously found their legs and we played really well after that.”
Tocchet said Demko’s start gave the group confidence. He said it allowed the team to get back to their identity, and the team is buying into the system. He also complimented Miller, calling him a monster, for shutting down McDavid and his all-around play as the forward scored a goal and had an additional assist, along with a fight with Zach Hyman in the third period. The head coach also said Tyler Myers was one of the Canucks best players over the last few games.
