Hughes is injured and here's what Vancouver Canucks coach Tocchet said about it
The Vancouver Canucks will be without their captain tonight as they battle against one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams, the Colorado Avalanche.
Head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed that superstar Quinn Hughes won’t play when the puck drops at 7 pm PT.
“He wants to gut everything out, but it’s not the right move,” said Tocchet.
It’ll be the second consecutive game Hughes has missed. He participated in Sunday night’s warmups against the Detroit Red Wings but didn’t play. Tocchet gave an update after that contest, which seemed optimistic that Hughes would be able to play tonight, but obviously, the progress has not been fast enough.
When asked if there has been improvement in the recovery over the past few days, Tocchet only said “slight.”
The coach confirmed this morning that this is a new injury for Hughes. It’s unrelated to his hand injury, for which he uses a brace.
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“You take it day by day with him or anybody. I’ve seen things linger; some guys, after 24 hours, things help, so we’ll see how it goes.”
The 25-year-old was on the ice ahead of today’s morning skate and took a few laps before chatting with Tocchet and the trainers. He then returned to the dressing room and didn’t participate with the rest of the team.
The 4 Nations Face-Off looms large on the schedule. Hughes is set to play for Team USA, but if he’s hurt, it may be best for the Canucks that he sits out. Tocchet said he’s not yet talked with the player about his plans.
The Canucks have two more games, not including tonight’s, before the 4 Nations break. It’s not certain that Hughes will suit up for either of those games.
“Anytime you have a guy like Quinn, or that type of player, they play so much, anytime they can get rest, they’ve got to take it. Because he plays a lot of minutes, he plays a lot of stress minutes. It’s not just the minutes, it’s the stress, he’s always out there in stressful situations.”
“Not playing the next couple of games, use that as a positive that he is getting rest; that’s how we have to look at it.”
When healthy, Hughes has been one of the NHL’s best players this year. He has 59 points in 47 games, is the only Canucks skater averaging more than 0.75 points per game, and is a Norris Trophy candidate.
Tocchet also confirmed that Thatcher Demko will start tonight. It’s been a tough return to action for the goalie with a 4-6-3 record, a 3.26 goals-against-average, and a .873 save percentage.