Despite a heavy workload, Quinn Hughes shows no signs of cracking under the burden. But the real test isn't the end of this season. It's how fresh will he be for the playoffs when the Vancouver Canucks eventually get there?
There have been a number of nights lately when it seemed like Quinn Hughes might never come off the ice. With a depleted blue line, the Vancouver Canucks have been leaning on their star defenseman to shoulder a remarkable workload. In 16 games since the beginning of March, no one in the National Hockey League has logged more ice time than Hughes who's averaged 27:34 per night over that span.
Not only has the 23-year-old survived the heavy workload, Quinn Hughes has thrived with the added responsibility producing two goals and 14 assists in those 16 games and contributing in all on-ice situations.
Many have questioned the Canucks handling of Hughes in games that ultimately have no playoff heft. Why lean so heavily on a player that has nothing left to prove to the league, his teammates or a new coaching staff?
Part of the answer is necessity. Quinn Hughes was already playing a lot for the Canucks before the recent spike in ice time. But when veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson sprained his ankle in a February 15th home game against the New York Rangers, the Canucks were down a 20-minute a night left side defender. With American Hockey League re-inforcements Christian Wolanin, Guillaume Brisebois and Jack Rathbone summoned from the minors, it became clear that the Canucks had little choice but to turn to their best defenseman and ask more of him than they already had to that point.
Since the beginning of March, Hughes has topped 30 minutes in ice time once, the 29-minute mark on three occasions and on on four other nights has seen his ice time surpass 28 minutes. His season average is sixth in the league at 25:37 however since March 1st, Hughes has seen that number jump by nearly two minutes per night. In fact, in that span, no one in the league is within a minute per game of the absurd workload Quinn Hughes has been tasked with lately.
Hughes has shown he can handle just about every thing that is thrown his way. And despite suggesting at his introductory press conference on January 22nd that he needed to find a way to lessen the load on his star players, head coach Rick Tocchet and his assistant Adam Foote have upped their usage of top players like Hughes, Elias Pettersson and JT Miller.
Led by their stars, the Canucks rattled off 10 wins in a 12-game span after the March 3rd NHL trade deadline. In the process, they pulled away from the pack at the bottom of the league standings. It was a stretch that coincided with the return from injury --and the return to form -- of goaltender Thatcher Demko.
The hopes of the hockey club are that the late season surge will lay the foundation for sustained success in the first full season under Tocchet. But this is why the way the team has handled Quinn Hughes of late matters as much as it does.
Hughes continues to show he can perform at an elite level regardless what is asked of him. If the Canucks need him to log 11 minutes in a third period in a game as they did Sunday against Los Angeles, he's up to the challenge. If they need him to do it the next game, no problem. He'll continue to meet what ever demands are set out for him. But like all elite athletes, even Quinn Hughes will eventually find his limit.
No one should be amazed that Quinn Hughes can handle the burden of leading the league in ice time over a six week stretch. But ultimately, this isn't about what Quinn Hughes has done over a string of games leading to the end of another disappointing season.
The Canucks will certainly need Hughes to continue to drive play and produce at the level he has this season when they start the 2023-24 schedule next fall. But they also need to be cognizant of the fact that as they try to build into a playoff team -- and someday into a Stanley Cup contender -- they will need players like Quinn Hughes to lead the charge over the 82-game grind that is the regular season, but also have something left in the tank to perform at the highest level when the stakes are raised.
Rick Tocchet can play the wheels off Quinn Hughes all he wants with six weeks left in the season. Hughes is young and will have a long summer to rest up and recover. But to get where Tocchet wants to take the Canucks, the organization needs to upgrade its blueline to surround Hughes with better players. Playoff hockey is difficult. It requires players to be at their best every other night for two months for those that reach the top of the mountain.
With that in mind, a little less could lead to a whole lot more for Quinn Hughes next season. No one is saying don't play him a lot. He's that good and means that much to the Canucks. But the workload he's been saddled with down the stretch this season simply can't be repeated next year if Hughes is expected to have anything left for games that actually matter.