Hughes is playing with mangled hand for Vancouver Canucks right now
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes is back in action, but he’s clearly still far from 100%.
Hughes recently missed four games with a hand injury before returning for last night’s contest against the Montreal Canadiens. He was caught on the broadcast without his glove on, and it’s clear that while he may be playing again, his hand is far from fully healed.
The 25-year-old is wearing a bulky white brace, which seems to be protecting his hand and certain fingers. It doesn’t look comfortable at all and is surely restricting some of his movement.
So Quinn Hughes, obviously still injured is being rushed back #Canucks pic.twitter.com/Ildq0vN6XQ
— Liam (@millerthegoat9) January 7, 2025
Hughes was his usual brilliant self against the Canadiens, even with the added annoyance of the brace. He finished the night with two assists and played 26:15 as the Canucks picked up a single point in an overtime loss.
It was another strong performance in what’s been a season full of them for the reigning Norris Trophy winner. He’s third in total points among defencemen but first in points per game, making him a leading contender to repeat for the prestigious award. If he pulls it off, he’ll be the first back-to-back winner since Nicklas Lidstrom won three straight from 2006 to 2008.
Despite being a smaller player, Hughes has been remarkably durable during his NHL career, especially over the past few seasons. He played all 82 games last year and 78 in the one before that.
While the Canucks got lucky with injuries last year, that has not been the case this season. Hughes hurting his hand is just one of many injuries suffered by top players over the past few months. Brock Boeser, Filip Hronek, J.T. Miller, and Thatcher Demko have all missed time for various reasons, and Elias Pettersson remains out of the lineup, although the Swedish star should be back soon.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Canucks, who find themselves in the playoff bubble. While there’s still plenty of regular season left to play, they’ll need their captain to be on the ice and healthy to ensure they don’t slip down the standings.