If Quinn Hughes is going to repeat as Norris Trophy winner as the National Hockey League’s best defenceman, he’s going to have to get back in the Vancouver Canucks lineup – and in a hurry. After missing his sixth straight game on Sunday and his 10th game overall this season, Hughes is now not only battling Colorado’s Cale Makar and Zach Werenski of Columbus, but the Canucks captain is also fighting an uphill battle against history.
In the past 25 years, no Norris winner has missed more than six games in a season. Durability and availability are always factors in assessing year-end league award winners. As they should be.
In 2008, Detroit Red Wings legend Nik Lidstrom appeared in 76 of his team’s 82 games. And in 2013, PK Subban dressed for 42 of Montreal’s 48 games in a lockout-shortened season. Otherwise, all Norris winners of the last quarter century have been available almost nightly to their teams.
You have to go back to 1994 to find the last time a player was crowned the league’s best defender and missed at least 10 of his team’s games. Ray Bourque was actually sidelined for a dozen of Boston’s games that season.
Hughes has demonstrated his value to the Canucks all season. He’s produced a team-high 59 points despite a hand injury that forced him to miss four games out of the Christmas break and an oblique issue suffered in Dallas on January 31st, which has kept him on the sideline for the team’s last six games along with the recent 4 Nations Face Off.
As it stands, Hughes remains within striking distance of the league-scoring lead for defencemen despite the missed time. Of course, that shouldn’t be the determining factor when it comes to Norris voting. When healthy, Hughes has played at a level this season that should put him in the conversation for not just a second straight Norris but the Hart Trophy, too, as the player adjudged to be most valuable to his team. Despite missing considerable time, he should still be considered a strong contender – if not the front-runner – for the Norris. In fact, his absence has underscored his importance to the Canucks, who have struggled mightily to generate any offence with their best player on the shelf. So maybe the break from gameplay actually strengthens his case.
However, there has to be a threshold for voters in terms of games played. And Hughes likely can’t afford to miss many more and stay in the running for the Norris. Two seasons ago, Makar was limited to 60 games and, while still a finalist, finished a distant third in balloting behind winner Erik Karlsson and runner-up Adam Fox.
This season, the dynamic Makar is doing what he always does: racking up points and changing games for the Avalanche. He leads all NHL defencemen with 22 goals and 64 points. Meanwhile, Weresnki is having a breakout season for the Blue Jackets, already establishing a career-high with 62 points through his team’s first 56 games. The incredible part in all of this is that despite missing 10 games, Hughes is still right there nipping at their heels with 59 points and crushing the competition in terms of points per game played.
And while both are magnificent players having sensational seasons, neither Makar nor Weresnki has the overall impact Hughes does on virtually every shift. No one in hockey tilts the ice in his team’s favour the way Hughes does. But it’s been more than three weeks now since Hughes has seen game action. And while his value to the Canucks is heightened with each game he misses, he needs to get back on the ice to make a late-season push to hold onto his Norris crown. The other candidates don’t show any signs of slowing down.
Hughes should be able to make a convincing case to hang onto his crown, provided he doesn’t miss more than three more games this season. If his games played total starts with a seven, he’s probably okay. Anything less than 70 games this season, though, and it certainly opens the door for voters to hold that against him.
His break from game action should leave no doubt how much this one special player means to his team. But ultimately, to win a league-end award, you have to go out and prove it on the ice. And the Canucks need Quinn Hughes back as quickly as possible. And his case for a second straight Norris Trophy may depend on it, too.
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