Welcome Matt: Canucks took page out of Colorado's playbook with Hughes-Hronek pair
Wednesday in Denver, the future of the NHL on defence will be on full display.
Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. And by the way, their partners are pretty good players, too.
Weâre asking on todayâs poll question whether Hughes will surpass the Avalanche defenceman as the best blueliner in the game. Through 19 contest this season, Hughes has been the best skater in the NHL.
Will Quinn Hughes surpass Cale Makar as the best defenceman in the #NHL? #Canucks | #GoAvsGo
— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) November 21, 2023
Makar has held the defenceman mantle since winning the Norris and Conn Smythe trophies in 2022.
But beyond these two maestros, their partners are helping redefining the modern NHL defence pair.
No longer are we saddling smooth-skating offensive virtuosos with defensively-oriented partners. That doesnât get the best out of them.
Instead, the Canucks âbuilding off the example of Abbotsfordâs Devon Toews with Makar â put Filip Hronek with Hughes at the end of preseason.
Now, they did so after trying several partners for Hughes and even talking about defence-by-committee. But whether serendipitously or not, the pairing has worked and thereâs no splitting them up now.
They were the last pair to give up a goal this NHL season, and their skill sets mesh offensively, and defensively given they always have the puck.
Great example was the 3-1 goal against San Jose Monday. Hronek does some terrific work in close quarters, under duress, to keep the zone and find Hughes on the opposite point.
The Canucks captain makes some space with his incredible edge-work and gets the puck to net where J.T. Miller bats home a rebound.
While Makar and Toews will be the O.G. example when we look back years from now on loaded-up top defence pairs, Hughes and Hronek driving team success will inform of the possibilities for clubs that arenât teeming with Coloradoâs talent or depth.
Wednesday marks their first meeting, and I suspect there will be many more of these defence-pair showdowns as the rest of the league catches up.
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