On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed how Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes has managed to elevate his game even further this season, outperforming his Norris-winning campaign from a year ago.
After breaking Alex Edler’s franchise record for assists by a defenceman against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, Hughes has continued his stellar season. By every metric, he’s somehow playing even better than he did last year — the same year he won his first Norris Trophy. Through 23 games this season, Hughes is on pace for 100 points, which would surpass his 92-point campaign a year ago.
“He’s somehow found another gear, and the most impressive thing is he’s done that while the team is struggling and without their A-game,” said Quads. “Right now, he’s looking like one of the best captains in the league.”
Harm added, “He’s working his way into the Hart Trophy conversation. For him to sustain this level of performance — not only in terms of point production but also the extent to which he dominates play — at a time when the Canucks don’t have J.T. Miller, [Elias] Pettersson has only recently found his form after a rough October, Brock Boeser has missed time, and now he’s without his defensive partner, [Filip] Hronek, is remarkable. Quinn Hughes hasn’t had nearly the level of support he did last year, so for him to find another gear in light of all that context is exceptional. He puts his team on his back on a nightly basis. It’s so cool watching the evolution of his game, and I don’t want to think about where this team would be without him.”
Harm further explained the adjustments Hughes has made in his game. “When elite players break out into superstardom, like Hughes did last year, teams begin pre-scouting how to attack and shut them down defensively. Last year, Quinn had a couple of go-to moves. He loved the exchange up top with Hronek, where they’d switch sides, but another move was when Hughes would dart down the half-wall. By the second half of the season, teams had figured out how to take away the exchange between Hughes and Hronek. They also decided to give Quinn the space to skate around the perimeter if he wanted to. What I noticed was Hughes would have this speed coming down the half-wall, but defenses wouldn’t chase him—they knew he was looking for a passing lane to the back door or high slot. You’d see Quinn going down the wall and having to loop back around because there weren’t many options. The way he’s adapted his game is so impressive. Now he’s consistently finding ways to cut into the slot, into prime shooting locations. When he’s in those spots, not only is he a shot threat, but also a threat to make back-door passes. I can’t emphasize enough how insanely difficult it is for a defenceman to consistently cut into the slot; it’s almost impossible. It’s a combination of his skating ability, elite puck handling, and the way he fights through contact and checks. It’s like watching prime Derrick Rose the way he slashes to the inside using his athleticism. I just haven’t seen a Canucks defenceman come close to something like this before.”
Hughes’ ability to adapt his game and keep defenders guessing is what separates him from the pack:
“You can’t be a superstar threat if you’re a one-trick pony,” Harm said. “We’re realizing with Hughes this season that, despite all the headlines about his Norris win and how the Canucks are a real threat, both him and the team have a target on their backs. Yet, for him to find that next gear just shows that he’s got so many tricks up his sleeve, which is massive. Teams will figure you out otherwise. It may not happen in the regular season, but it’ll certainly happen in the playoffs. So for him to show this level of versatility and consistently add to his toolkit is very special.”
You can watch the full segment below:
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