The Vancouver Canucks find themselves in a rough position, having gone 1-5-1 in their last seven games. Their most recent setback was their 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night at Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver.
The five-foot-10 blue-liner won the Norris Trophy for the NHL's best defenseman in 2023-24, and with half of this season in the books, he's making another case for himself. Throughout all of the turmoil that the Vancouver Canucks have endured, Hughes' numbers have remained consistent.
Elias Pettersson skated with Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, and was more frequently self-matched with Quinn Hughes against the top end of the Toronto lineup. Frankly, Pettersson’s deployment patterns on Saturday more closely matched how the Canucks have utilized J.T. Miller for much of this season.
Here is what a frustrated Rick Tocchet has to say about the performance of some Vancouver Canucks star players.
Quinn Hughes recorded one of the more bizarre stat lines on Saturday night. The Vancouver Canucks captain scored a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs yet finished the night with zero shots on net. At first glance, this stat line doesn't make a lot of sense, which is why an explanation as to what happened on the play is needed.
The Canucks won the Pacific Division last season and nearly made the Western Conference Finals. However, this year has been a different story. Reports of a rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson have emerged in recent weeks.
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes has a brand-new endorsement deal with Oreo and the campaign is awesome.
Let’s tuck the elephants in the room into bed off the top. Vancouver Canucks star Quinn Hughes has been held to two shots or fewer in six consecutive games, and the Los Angeles Kings allow the fewest shots per game and second-fewest to opposing defensemen.
Take the Vancouver Canucks ’ third goal on Saturday night, early in the third period of the Canucks’ impressive, gutsy 3-0 win over the host Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Canucks have largely failed to build on their success of 2023-24. How do the defence and goaltending grade out at the halfway point?
After yet another loss with the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard begins feeling homesick. He calls up his friend, Macklin Celebrini, who gives him the idea to request a trade back home. They are joined by other BC-based players such as Sam Reinhart, Mathew Barzal, and Morgan Rielly.
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