The Vancouver Canucks are in a tricky situation right now, as captain Quinn Hughes' injury situation grows more and more uncertain. He took to the ice during Tuesday’s practice, but did not stay out for the entire duration of it.
"I told him, unless you really feel half decent," Tocchet said of Hughes' shortened practice. "I think it's more important that, if you know, after 15 minutes, he gets off another 24 hours, see how it feels. It's a tough break. It's been like that for a while with Quinn, and we're gonna have to manage it."
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During Sunday’s practice, which Hughes missed, Tocchet noted that Hughes “tweaked something else,” and that the Canucks captain would test things out on Tuesday.
"I don't think it's to a point where it's threatening anything," the head coach added after Tuesday's practice. "There's a little bit of pain, things like that. But we wouldn't let him play if he was physically hurt, like a long term thing. Nobody's ever really 100% at this time of the year anyways, but, you know, he's a competitor."
The star defenseman sustained his first injury of the season before the Christmas break — a hand injury that initially kept him out of the lineup for four games. He then went on to miss six games after Vancouver’s matchup against the Dallas Stars on January 31. This included sitting out of play for Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off. On Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken, Hughes sat for nearly half of the third period.
Hughes is having yet another Norris-calibre season, with his efforts even earning him some nods for the Hart Memorial Trophy. He is currently third in defenseman scoring in the NHL, with only Cale Makar and Zach Werenski having more points than him despite playing at least nine less games. The Canucks captain currently leads his team in total time on ice with 1255:52 minutes, as well as in average TOI per game with 25:07 minutes.
"He wants to put the team on his back. And that, I think, sometimes affects him," Tocchet said.
With Hughes’ season currently unknown, the Canucks will be in dangerous territory throughout the coming days, as the NHL Trade Deadline occurs on March 7. As Vancouver is currently fighting for a playoff spot, it would be in the team’s best interest to add some strong pieces in preparation for a postseason run. However, with so many things up in the air for the team, they may feel the need to change their course to preserve their future.
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