2023-24 Vancouver Canucks Player Review: Quinn Hughes - MASHAHER

Welcome to the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks player review series. Over the summer, we will be taking a look at Canucks players performances from the 2023-24 season. Today’s player is Quinn Hughes, who had 17 goals and 92 points in 82 games.

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What a year it was for Captain Quinn. In his first year wearing the “C,” Hughes became the first defender in franchise history to eclipse the 80-point mark while capturing his first Norris Trophy. Without a doubt, Hughes’ 2023-24 campaign was the greatest by a defenceman in franchise history as he joined Henrik Sedin as the only players in Vancouver’s history to record 75 assists in a season.

Hughes also set a new franchise record for plus/minus in a season. He narrowly edged out Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin, who each posted a +36, with the Canucks newest captain finishing with a +38. In short, Hughes was able to shut down the doubters who questioned his abilities at the beginning of the season, putting together one of the best seasons by a defender in the 21st Century.

Puck Possession is a massive part of Hughes’ game and one of the reasons he has developed into an elite talent in the NHL. According to NHL EDGE, Hughes spent 44.6% of his even strength time in the offensive zone, which ranked in the 93rd percentile. A dynamic skater who can lose defenders with spin moves, Hughes consistently makes moves and plays that few defenders in the league can pull off.

One criticism of Hughes coming into the season was his defensive play. Despite having strong analytics, there was also this notion that Hughes was a defensive liability. These claims were put to rest in 2023-24 as Hughes showed just how strong he can be in his own zone. Of the 27 defenders who played at least 1500 even-strength minutes, Hughes finished second in scoring chances against (645), fourth in shots against (736) and second in Corsi against (1352). While most of the attention will be on his offensive production, Hughes’ work in the defensive zone deserves some praise and is one of the reasons Vancouver was able to have such a successful regular season.

Switching back to the offensive zone, one area of Hughes’ game that improved last season was his shot. Not only was it more challenging to stop, but he was utilizing it on a more consistent basis. Hughes set a new career high with 199 shots, while his 54 rebounds created was over double his previous career best. Whether from the point or along the wall, Hughes was able to become a more dangerous player in the offensive zone, as goaltenders and defenders needed to be wary of both his shot and passing ability.

There were many mixed reactions to Hughes’s performance in the playoffs. Yes, he had ten points, but Hughes wasn’t able to replicate his performance from the regular season entirely. The good news, however, is that his analytics didn’t see a significant dip, and he was still able to be defensively responsible throughout the run. Hopefully, this playoff run will serve as a good learning lesson for Hughes, as it was the first time since 2020 he and the Canucks participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The main takeaway from the 2023-24 season is that Hughes is one of the most talented players to ever play for Vancouver. By the end of next season, he should be at the top of most of the franchise’s all-time list for defensemen and will start creeping into the conversation of the top five players in franchise history. Fans should expect big things for the captain in 2024-25 as he looks to become the first back-to-back Norris Trophy winner since Nicklas Lidstrom won three in a row from 2006-2008.

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