Quinn Hughes absent from Canucks practice again, this time with “non-COVID-related illness”

For the second practice day in a row, Quinn Hughes wasn’t present.

Today, the Vancouver Canucks skated out at UBC as they get their final tune up opportunities before kicking off their regular season Wednesday night on the road against the Edmonton Oilers.

On Sunday, the club called Hughes’ absence a “maintenance day” and head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters afterwards that he expected Hughes to be at practice today.

After today’s practice, Boudreau explained that Hughes’ absence was due to a non-COVID-related illness.

“This is true, he’s feeling under the weather today,” said Boudreau. “And we said just stay home. It’s non COVID related. It’s just like a fluish type thing. So stay home today and hopefully tomorrow you can skate and you feel a lot better.”

Hughes took morning skate line rushes prior to the Canucks’ Friday matchup against the Arizona Coyotes, but left before the power play units got to work.

Boudreau explained that the Canucks didn’t want to play Hughes in that game, but just to give him a scheduled day off, not for injury reasons.

The club then had an off day on Saturday, and yesterday, both Hughes and Conor Garland — who was injured in the second period of Friday’s game — were absent from practice.

Boudreau said he expected both to skate today, but only Garland was on the ice out at UBC.

The Canucks are expected to skate tomorrow before flying to Edmonton, so we’ll presumably find out soon if Hughes is still under the weather.

Boudreau also offered updates on Brock Boeser — who skated for the first time in a regular practice yesterday after undergoing hand surgery a couple of weeks ago — and Ilya Mikheyev.

“I think you’ll find Brock in a regular [practice] jersey tomorrow. Mikheyev, we’re hoping by the practice in Philly, that he’ll have a regular jersey on.”