It sounds like the Vancouver Canucks will be without their captain and leading scorer, Quinn Hughes, for the next three weeks.
On his weekly appearance on Sekeres and Price, TSN’s Darren Dreger gave us an update on what he’s hearing surrounding a more narrowed-down timeline for the Canucks captain’s return:
“Devastating. I checked in on it yesterday, and the thought is that it should be, you know, three weeks or less. That was the sense that I got, so that’s week-to-week.
“What you have to understand, it’s not in the best interest of the Vancouver Canucks or Quinn Hughes to push whatever he’s dealing with, right? So, if it takes three weeks to get him healthy, I don’t think that the alarm bells should be ringing, unless this team drives the 18-wheeler over the cliff.”
Hughes, 25, was well on his way to potentially following up his Norris trophy season in 2023-2024, with another one in 2024-2025. He has eight goals and 34 assists for 42 points with a plus-14 rating in 25:08 minutes of ice time. Pacing that out to an 82-game season, Hughes would be on pace for 19 goals and 82 assists for 101 points with a plus-33 rating.
He’s was listed as a game-time decision for their final game before Christmas break against the San Jose Sharks. Hughes played, registering two assists, but was unable to play in the Canucks’ first game after the break against the Seattle Kraken.
Head coach Rick Tocchet suggested that playing in that game before the break, when listed as a game-time decision, did nothing to inflame his current injury and that Hughes was not exposed to any further danger.
A three-week timeline for his return – as of this writing – would line up for Hughes to return on Tuesday, January 21st, in a home game against the Buffalo Sabres. This puts him on track to miss the following 10 games, including the gauntlet of a six-game stretch when they face six playoff teams in a row: Washington Capitals (away), Carolina Hurricanes (away), Toronto Maple Leafs (away), Winnipeg Jets (away), Los Angeles Kings (home) and the Edmonton Oilers (home).
The Canucks return to action on Tuesday for a New Year’s Eve date with the Calgary Flames.
