Ex-Canucks player Frank Corrado sticks up for Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes has another vocal supporter and it’s a former member of the Vancouver Canucks.
The team’s captain has had a ridiculous start to the season, scoring eight points through the first eight games. The Canucks have also outscored opponents 9-1 with Hughes on the ice at 5-on-5.
Before the season, Hughes was routinely ranked relatively low among NHL defencemen by national media. His strong play has caused Canucks fans to unite to defend his reputation on social media.
The American-born player now has another vocal supporter and it’s a former player. Ex-Canucks defenceman and current TSN analyst Frankie Corrado joined Jay Onrait on SportsCentre to discuss the NHL and explain why he agrees with fans that Hughes firmly belongs in the top tier of defencemen alongside just a few other players.
“Canucks Twitter is a crazy place and they’re very passionate about their players and for me, Quinn Hughes is absolutely in the top tier of defencemen in the NHL. Who’s there? Cale Makar, Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, like if you want, throw Rasmus Dahlin in there,” Corrado explained. “Makar is one and then there’s a few guys right there with him and Hughes happens to be one of those guys.”
#TSNHockey analyst @FrankCorrado22 joins @JayOnrait to discuss the play of Quinn Hughes. pic.twitter.com/V1hexfzBxl
— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) October 31, 2023
Corrado would go on to explain why he believes that Hughes belongs in that top tier, as well as shell out some praise for Elias Pettersson.
“He’s playing just under 25 minutes a night. He’s been the heartbeat of this Vancouver Canucks team along with Elias Pettersson who has really established himself as one of the best centremen in the NHL. He is unbelievable, the way he’s playing right now he deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to the Norris. He’s been fantastic.”
Hughes has played four full NHL seasons prior to this one and received votes for the Norris Trophy in three of them. His best finish thus far is ninth, a mark that he is sure to best if he keeps up his early season performance.
Corrado played parts of six seasons in the NHL, including three with the Canucks. He finished his career with three goals and five assists in 76 games. The 30-year-old last played professional hockey with Riga Dynamo in the KHL in 2021-22.
This is not the first time that Corrado has complimented Hughes publicly. The former player also had some kind words for the defenceman prior to the season shortly after the captain announcement.
“He’s probably shown a level of maturity. He’s going to be one of the best players on the team, he’s probably going to be one of the best players in the league,” said Corrado when defending the choice as captain on the Seekers and Price podcast.