<p>It&#8217;s been a trying season for Quinn Hughes and the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a>.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2111" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="329"></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Hughes&#8217;s first season as captain was the year where everything went right for the Canucks. They got off to the best start in franchise history, were buyers at the deadline, and won the Pacific Division. Hughes took home the first Norris Trophy of his young career, and even picked up some Hart Trophy votes.</p>
<p>2024-25, on the other hand, has been basically the opposite for the Canucks. While Hughes somehow managed to elevate his game to a new level, the rest of his teammates didn&#8217;t get the memo. For the first half of the season, the Canucks were getting absolutely caved during almost any moment that Hughes wasn&#8217;t on the ice. <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/sizing-up-vancouver-canucks-quinn-hughes-sits-hart-trophy-conversation">He was generating plenty of MVP chatter</a>, but that also had to do with just how bad the Canucks were without Hughes.</p>
<p>After missing time with injuries, and with his team set to miss the playoffs, Hughes isn&#8217;t exactly a frontrunner for the Hart right now, despite how spectacular he&#8217;s been all season.</p>
<p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hughes-feeling-weight-of-canucks-season-this-year-has-been-hard/">Sportsnet&#8217;s Iain MacIntyre</a>, Hughes opened about the burden of this season, the team&#8217;s play, and more. One topic Hughes touched on was the Canucks&#8217; coaching staff, which naturally, has generated lots of debates in a season like this one.</p>
<p>Here is what Hughes said about Tocchet and Foote, <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hughes-feeling-weight-of-canucks-season-this-year-has-been-hard/">according to MacIntyre</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>“I believe that with Rick and Footy (assistant coach Adam Foote) and the way that they coach and structuring how we are defensively,” Hughes said, “if we add another player or two and have some guys within our group play better next year than they did this past season, I think we can be a really, really successful team. We&#8217;re very structured, we don&#8217;t give up much, we have maybe the best goalie tandem in the league, and we have a great D-corps and others that are coming that will help us. The point is, if we get Rick back and add a piece or two, we can be very successful.”</p>
<div class="components_paragraph__b8N_5">
<p>“He&#8217;s an amazing coach,” Hughes said. “You look at me individually and my game, he&#8217;s been amazing for me — amazing for a lot of guys. He&#8217;s just a great person, first of all. That&#8217;s a guy you want to compete for, you want to play for. And he&#8217;s a terrific coach.</p>
</div>
<div class="components_paragraph__b8N_5">
<p>“I think just the way Rick coaches, how solid we are defensively and structured, he gives us the chance to win every night. At times (with injuries this season), we might have been a little outmatched. But I think he&#8217;s a terrific coach. Last year, he won the Jack Adams Award, and this year, I think he&#8217;s probably been even better. But whatever he does, it&#8217;s his decision. Obviously, I&#8217;d like to have him back. And I think he knows that.”</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>There has been plenty of discussion and speculation about <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/tocchet-not-interested-talking-contract-vancouver-canucks-in-season">Rick Tocchet&#8217;s desire to hold off on talking contract</a> with the Canucks until the end of the season. While the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/friedman-vancouver-canucks-will-exercise-option-tocchets-contract-necessary">Canucks have made it clear that they would be willing to bring Tocchet back next year on his one-year team option</a>, a longer term agreement would obviously be the preference.</p>
<p>And for an organization that would love to keep Quinn Hughes around for the rest of his career, bringing back a coach he so greatly admires certainly seems like it couldn&#8217;t hurt.</p>
<p>You can read the <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hughes-feeling-weight-of-canucks-season-this-year-has-been-hard/">full article from MacIntyre by clicking here</a>!</p>
<p><strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong></p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="329" data-promotion-id="19111" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


It's been a trying season for Quinn Hughes and the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a>.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2111" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="329"></div>
&nbsp;

Hughes's first season as captain was the year where everything went right for the Canucks. They got off to the best start in franchise history, were buyers at the deadline, and won the Pacific Division. Hughes took home the first Norris Trophy of his young career, and even picked up some Hart Trophy votes.

2024-25, on the other hand, has been basically the opposite for the Canucks. While Hughes somehow managed to elevate his game to a new level, the rest of his teammates didn't get the memo. For the first half of the season, the Canucks were getting absolutely caved during almost any moment that Hughes wasn't on the ice. <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/sizing-up-vancouver-canucks-quinn-hughes-sits-hart-trophy-conversation">He was generating plenty of MVP chatter</a>, but that also had to do with just how bad the Canucks were without Hughes.

After missing time with injuries, and with his team set to miss the playoffs, Hughes isn't exactly a frontrunner for the Hart right now, despite how spectacular he's been all season.

In an interview with <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hughes-feeling-weight-of-canucks-season-this-year-has-been-hard/">Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre</a>, Hughes opened about the burden of this season, the team's play, and more. One topic Hughes touched on was the Canucks' coaching staff, which naturally, has generated lots of debates in a season like this one.

Here is what Hughes said about Tocchet and Foote, <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hughes-feeling-weight-of-canucks-season-this-year-has-been-hard/">according to MacIntyre</a>:
<blockquote>“I believe that with Rick and Footy (assistant coach Adam Foote) and the way that they coach and structuring how we are defensively,” Hughes said, “if we add another player or two and have some guys within our group play better next year than they did this past season, I think we can be a really, really successful team. We're very structured, we don't give up much, we have maybe the best goalie tandem in the league, and we have a great D-corps and others that are coming that will help us. The point is, if we get Rick back and add a piece or two, we can be very successful.”
<div class="components_paragraph__b8N_5">

“He's an amazing coach,” Hughes said. “You look at me individually and my game, he's been amazing for me — amazing for a lot of guys. He's just a great person, first of all. That's a guy you want to compete for, you want to play for. And he's a terrific coach.

</div>
<div class="components_paragraph__b8N_5">

“I think just the way Rick coaches, how solid we are defensively and structured, he gives us the chance to win every night. At times (with injuries this season), we might have been a little outmatched. But I think he's a terrific coach. Last year, he won the Jack Adams Award, and this year, I think he's probably been even better. But whatever he does, it's his decision. Obviously, I'd like to have him back. And I think he knows that.”

</div></blockquote>
There has been plenty of discussion and speculation about <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/tocchet-not-interested-talking-contract-vancouver-canucks-in-season">Rick Tocchet's desire to hold off on talking contract</a> with the Canucks until the end of the season. While the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/friedman-vancouver-canucks-will-exercise-option-tocchets-contract-necessary">Canucks have made it clear that they would be willing to bring Tocchet back next year on his one-year team option</a>, a longer term agreement would obviously be the preference.

And for an organization that would love to keep Quinn Hughes around for the rest of his career, bringing back a coach he so greatly admires certainly seems like it couldn't hurt.

You can read the <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hughes-feeling-weight-of-canucks-season-this-year-has-been-hard/">full article from MacIntyre by clicking here</a>!

<strong>Sponsored by bet365</strong>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion" data-property-id="329" data-promotion-id="19111" data-context="web-content-promocard"></div>
&nbsp;

Canucks: Quinn Hughes gives a big vote of confidence to Rick Tocchet and Adam Foote

Recent articles from David Quadrelli

Breaking News