Vancouver Canucks captain Hughes injured again and here's Tocchet's update
The Vancouver Canucks lost 6-3 to the Seattle Kraken yesterday, but the result isn’t the worst news of the night.
Captain Quinn Hughes didn’t play the final nine minutes of the third period and took just five total shifts in the final frame.
Head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed postgame that Hughes “tweaked” something and that he’d be evaluated later.
This was just the star defenceman’s third game back in the lineup after missing time with a reported oblique injury, and now it looks like he’s hurt again.
While it’s not confirmed exactly when he reinjured himself, Hughes did have an awkward fall after one of the Kraken goals in the second period, which could be the culprit. He went down the tunnel to the dressing room shortly after but returned to the bench just a few moments later.
Quinn Hughes was taken down during the goal and nobody stands up #Canucks pic.twitter.com/XbqziZ8tUT
— Lucasparmenter23 (@Lucasparmenter0) March 2, 2025
The broadcast later showed Hughes seemingly in pain while on the bench. Despite not playing the final portion of the game, he still finished with 21:56 of playing time.
Hughes had a rare mediocre performance against the Kraken, as he was on the ice for three five-on-five goals allowed compared to zero for the Canucks.
The reigning Norris Trophy winner nearly played for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final on February 20. At one point, it seemed like he was healthy enough to play in that contest and was going to. However, he couldn’t get medically cleared, and since then, he’s clearly looked less than fully healthy.
The Canucks are spiralling, and last night’s loss concluded a road trip where they lost four of five games. If their captain is out for any significant period of time, that’ll be a massive obstacle to overcome amid a playoff race.
Despite their recent stretch of poor play, the Canucks are still in a playoff spot. They’re one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames. The Canucks have a game in hand on the Blues, while the Flames have a game in hand on the Canucks.