Vancouver Canucks’ GM Jim Benning: Calder-finalist whisperer

History doesn’t bode well for Hughes

Like the 5’10” 179 lbs Housley – Buffalo’s sixth-overall selection in the 1982 draft – with his impressive rookie season that wasn’t even Calder worthy in 1983, just being a defenceman puts Hughes at a historical disadvantage in the ages-old Calder race. Only eleven defencemen have ever won the award since the records began in 1937.

What makes this an especially fun 2020 Calder race is that Quinn’s little brother Jack – the No.1-overall selection by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft last month – is one of the top-two favourites.

Hockey and maybe even reality TV fans will get to watch this family drama play out in the NHL all season long. Hold the high hopes for the Hugheses, however, as their lack of NHL-size and therefore durability could become their waning issue as the season grinds on.

Last season Quinn was a Housleyesque 5’10” 170 lbs, while his one-and-a-half-years-younger brother Jack checked in at exactly the same size. The heavy NHL grind is why Finnish rookie Kakko — the ballyhooed second-overall selection in June — is the Calder favourite.

At 6’2 190 lbs, the 18-year-old Rangers prospect comes ready-made for the NHL and is a giant compared to the Hughes brothers.

For different reasons both of the 2019-draft darlings, Jack and Kakko, appear neck and neck to win the 2020 Calder race. Jack could win because of his higher skill level, and Kakko for being physically primed to play against men.

Yet Quinn might win if he can manage to stay in for as long as the Fin, and therefore be more relevant down the stretch to impress when it comes time to campaign hard for the Calder votes. Or something like that.

Of all the top challengers, Quinn will probably have the most imposing wards in place to protect against cheapshot injury artists like that loser skidmark in Boston, as one of the recent free-agent signings – Micheal Ferland, J.T. Miller, Jordie Benn, and Myers – will surely always be on the ice to exact immediate revenge for endangering Francesco Aquilini‘s most prized business assets.

Notable from last year is that 18-year-old, rookie-sensation defenceman and Calder finalist Rasmus Dahlin scored 44 points for the Buffalo Sabres, and lost the vote to our main man Pettersson, who bested them all with 66 points in 71 games.

Vancouver’s outlook is much better for the upcoming season than Buffalo’s was last year, and at 19, Hughes is now a year older than Dahlin was at the start of his first NHL campaign. The soil in Vancouver looks perfect for the young defensive prospect to step up and play in a well-supported key role.

Let’s take a closer look at Quinn, his main competition, and a couple of the dark horses of local interest.

Kakko could easily become a permanent fixture on the Rangers top line where he’d benefit from the elite creativity of recently signed free agent and playmaking winger Artemi Panarin, not to mention having the support of hulking-offensive centre Mika Zibanejad.

A 70-plus-point season isn’t unreasonable if a lot goes right for Kakko and his Rangers. Or just as easy as the wind blows, Kakko could be relegated to middle-six duties, setting him up for a season with lesser talents, and thereby stunting his production to as few as 50 points. A lot can happen, to say the least.

In New Jersey, it appears more obvious that Jack should centre the top-offensive unit, and be protected by Wayne Simmonds. Jack could get the lion’s share of offensive-zone starts while playing with elite triggerman Taylor Hall. If they can all stay healthy Jack could easily score 70-plus points.

But like Canuck fans saw when their light-weight, rookie sensation Pettersson’s production slowed towards the end of last season, it’s a long and hard skate to play through an 82-game schedule and it wears on a kid.

Case and point, right-shot defenceman Erik Johnson‘s shoulder finally broke down at the end of the 2018-19 campaign forcing him to have offseason shoulder surgery, which may keep him out of the Avs lineup to start the season, and by way of vacuum thrust top-three-Calder challenger Colorado Cale Makar into a first-line role. Sakic will probably find a better solution before then, but also maybe not.