It was fitting that Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, still just 25 years, set the mark for most assists from a defenseman in franchise history against the Detroit Red Wings, the team that wanted nothing to do with him in the 2018 NHL Draft.
As the story goes, former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told Hughes, who played his college hockey at the University of Michigan, that Detroit would not be selecting him in the draft. The Red Wings opted to draft forward Filip Zadina, who is no longer playing in the NHL, over Hughes. That allowed the Canucks to select Hughes with the following pick.
The story came full circle on Sunday afternoon when Hughes ripped off three assists in a 5-4 overtime win over Detroit, setting the Canucks franchise record for assists by a defenseman. And he's only 25!
More milestones in the future for Quinn Hughes, Canucks
Hughes already won the Norris Trophy last season after scoring 17 goals, 75 assists, and 92 points in 82 games, making him the first Canuck to win the prestigious award. If his play this season is saying anything, the Canucks captain is well within reach of winning the Norris for a second season in a row.
Ironically, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who also played at Michigan and is close with Hughes, once said that Hughes could become a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman. It is safe to say that Larkin was accurate in that assessment.
With five goals, 23 assists, and 28 points in 23 games so far this season, Hughes is closing in on a number of career milestones for the Canucks. At the time of this writing, Hughes is 12 games away from 400 NHL games, two goals away from 50, and 39 points away from 400. If all goes well and he stays healthy, Hughes will smash all of those milestones with ease.
Additionally, after surpassing Alex Edler's franchise record of assists from a defenseman, Hughes is within 38 points of setting the Canucks record for all-time points from a defenseman. The 25-year-old will need 52 goals to take the goals record from Edler, and he will need 39 more power play goals to overtake Sami Salo.
Quinn Hughes has already turned himself into a Canucks franchise legend, and it is only a matter of time before the history books reflect that.