Through 53 seasons in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks have had multiple great seasons. As a result, the organization has had many talented players. Among the players, the Canucks have retired multiple players’ jerseys and had a few Hockey Hall of Famers. From Henrik and Daniel Sedin to Pavel Bure, and Roberto Luongo, the organization has had world-class talent up front and in net.
However, the Canucks haven’t had much world-class talent on their blue line. Although the club has had great defencemen, in names such as Kevin Bieksa, Mattias Ohlund, Ed Jovanovski, and Alex Edler, among others, the club only has had one world-class defenceman. Quinn Hughes has already become one of the most impressive blueliners in franchise history. Additionally, through five seasons, he has already established himself as the greatest defenceman in franchise history.
Hughes Career So Far
The Canucks drafted Hughes with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. After finishing his final season with the University of Michigan, he made the jump to the NHL, playing five games in the 2018-19 season, recording three points.
The following season, Hughes scored eight goals and posted 53 points in 68 games. His impressive rookie season had him in Calder Trophy talks all year. However, he ultimately came in second place to Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, even though he led all rookies in points. He also made the NHL All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
The Canucks also made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20, beating the Minnesota Wild in the play-in round, the St. Louis Blues in the first round and losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games. Hughes played a significant role in the club’s success that postseason, scoring two goals and posting 16 points in 17 games.
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The following season, Hughes saw a dip in his production and play. The defenceman struggled, recording three goals and 41 points in a shortened 56-game season. However, he bounced back the following season, setting a career-high 68 points in 76 games, which was also a single season-high for a Canucks’ defenceman.
In 2022-23, he once again reached a career and organization high for a defenceman with 76 points in 78 games. His 76 points also tied for the second most among defenceman in the NHL. Despite his impressive season, he didn’t get any nominations for any major awards, likely due to the Canucks struggles.
Norris Trophy Worthy Season
Hughes has continued to improve in the 2023-24 season. The organization named him the 15th captain in franchise history and the third defenceman to earn the honour. Not only has the defenceman led the club to one of their best seasons in years, but he is also having his best season in his career.
Through 76 games, he has set a career-high in goals (16) and points (86). His 86 points lead all NHL defencemen, 13th in the NHL and second for the Canucks. Hughes’ point total is impressive, but his play is the key to the Canucks success. He is the engine that creates offense while playing a 200-foot game and averaging a team-leading 24:44 time on ice. He also leads all defencemen in goals above replacement (GAR) with 21.9, while he has the second-best GAR at even strength at 14.9, behind only Zach Werenski.
With all his impressive stats, Hughes is the front-runner for the Norris Trophy. The defenceman will likely close out the season in the lead and likely become the first Canucks defenceman to receive the award.
In a Tier of His Own
With his impressive career so far and a potential Norris Trophy coming his way, Hughes is a future Hall of Famer. The way his career has gone so far indicates there is more success to come. Along with his skill and drive, he will continue to grow as an NHL defenceman.
Hughes is already slowly setting records for the Canucks. Not only has he set and surpassed the single-season record for points by a Canucks defenceman, he is on his way to setting the franchise record in points by a blueliner. Through 359 games, he has 327 points, good for second in the history of the organization. Edler is in first with 409 points, which means he only needs 82 points to surpass him. Hughes will further cut down the lead by the end of the season, giving him under 80 points to take first. Additionally, Hughes will likely become the first Canucks defenceman to record 1000 points if he continues to produce.
Hughes is the Greatest Canucks Defenceman
Hughes has impressed since his rookie season with the Canucks. He has been among the top defencemen since stepping into the NHL and is on his way to cementing himself as the greatest defenceman in franchise history for Vancouver. He is also on his way to earning the first Norris Trophy in organization history. Hughes is on the way to setting multiple records in Canucks history, including the most points by a defenceman.
