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Scenes from Canucks practice: Hughes leaves early; Lekkerimäki slotted in top 6 role with Chytil
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Mar 4, 2025, 16:42 ESTUpdated: Mar 4, 2025, 16:59 EST
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Captain Quinn Hughes lasted all of 15 minutes with his teammates as the Vancouver Canucks took to the ice on Tuesday morning at Rogers Arena. After taking Sunday off to rest a nagging injury, Hughes was an active participant in early drills before heading down the tunnel and calling it a day. 

What we saw

Hughes took part in a few early drills along with his usual partner Filip Hronek. It’s clear to the eye that Hughes isn’t one percent or his usual self. He was seen stretching between drills in an attempt to loosen up whatever it is that is ailing him. Rick Tocchet said after Sunday’s practice that this is a new injury and not related to the oblique issue that kept him out of six straight games. The coach also refused to commit to Hughes playing on Wednesday against Anaheim. However, he didn’t rule him out at this point, either.
The other news of the day was that rookie Jonathan Lekkerimäki was recalled from Abbotsford and was among the first players on the ice for practice. This is the 20-year-old’s third big league stint. He has scored twice and added an assist in 11 NHL games.
Lekkerimäki skated on a line with Filip Chytil and Drew O’Connor. The hope there is that those two can use their speed to create space for Lekkerimäki to use his shot.
Thatcher Demko skated on his own prior to practice and was seen at the bench observing as his teammates went about their business. Tocchet says the hope is that Demko can join the group for practice later this week, although he cautioned that may not happen.
Prior to the official start of practice, Tocchet spent five minutes working one-on-one with Elias Pettersson – the struggling forward.

What we heard

Rick Tocchet on Quinn Hughes leaving practice early was part of the plan: “I talked to him early this morning and told him unless he feels half decent, I don’t want him to push it. So it was part of a plan. I think it was important that after 15 minutes, he got off and in another 24 hours see how he feels. It’s a tough break. It’s been that way for a while with Quinn and we’re going to have to manage him.”
Tocchet on the idea of shutting Hughes down until he’s fully healthy:  “We talked today, and I’d have to talk to the trainers, is it better to shut him down for like seven days so that we get him for the last 15 games. I don’t know at this point. We have to try to figure that out.”
Elias Pettersson addressed the media following practice as well. Listen to the full video below:
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