We would contend that this season has reached a crucial point for the Vancouver Canucks. Yes they remain in a playoff spot as of Monday morning, but it seems as if things are on the verge of getting completely out of hand for a team which entered the 2024-25 campaign with such high hopes.
For many, Saturday afternoon's home game versus the Seattle Kraken represented a microcosm of how this season has gone to date. Leading 4-1 with just five minutes remaining in the third period, the Canucks somehow found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they ultimatley lost 5-4 in overtime.
The Canucks have been plagued by inconsistency all season, particularly when it comes to their collective defensive efforts. They've also dealt with more adversity than any other NHL team thus far, highlighted by the speculation surrounding a rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, which is apparently only getting worse.
On the subject of Pettersson, he was one of two major players missing on Saturday through injury, although thankfully for the Canucks, he is only expected to be out for around a week. It's the other injury absence versus the Kraken, which is causing more of the consternation.
A more important injury absence
More specifically we're talking about Quinn Hughes, who has undoubtedly been the Canucks' best and most consistent player in 2024-25. And while Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday night that the undisclosed injury is nothing serious per se, this does not mean his return is imminent.
What we do know at this time, is that Hughes will definitely miss the current road trip, which includes stops in Calgary on Tuesday night and Seattle on Thursday evening. Where things get more unclear, is when Canucks coach Rick Tocchet advises that last season's Norris Trophy winner is considered week-to-week.
This of course leaves any estimate of the length of absence open to interpretation. For example, after returning to Vancouver for one game on Friday night, the team then embarks on another road trip -- this time for five games -- which could conceivably play a factor in all of this.
In any event, as Saturday night proved, any period of absence from Hughes is already more time than the Canucks would wish for. He is the leader in any way you can imagine, including leading the team with 42 points and all skaters in average ice time, at 25:08 per game. (He is also tied with Filip Hronek, on a team-leading +14 rating.)
Was Hughes' injury situation mismanaged?
However, what must really be frustrating for Canucks fans is that this absence could have theoretically been avoided, or at least minimised. The 25-year-old was questionable and a game-time decision prior to the last time he played against the San Jose Sharks, eventually being cleared to play in what turned out to be a 4-3 overtime win.
The thing is though, would it have been better if Hughes had sat out the Sharks game? Not according to Tocchet who, as per The Canucks Way's Jonathan Bailey, said:
"Yeah, well, he couldn't have hurt what he has any more. I don't think him playing... I don't know. I don't think it would have made a difference. We're all hockey players. You want to play. He gutted it out for us, and we won the game."
Now we entirely appreciate that Tocchet is privvy to way more information than the rest of us, but you can still play devil's advocate based on what he said. If Hughes couldn't have hurt himself anymore and was able to play, why not let him also play against the Kraken on Saturday afternoon?
Surely this leaves it open to at least arguing that playing against the Sharks did make the injury worse? Why risk your franchise defenceman full stop, knowing he's carrying an injury, when sitting him against the Sharks could have started the healing/rehab process sooner?
To be clear, we're not saying for sure that Hughes' injury was mismanaged by Tocchet and the medical staff, but the optics sure don't look good. Our best guess -- and it is just that -- is that the Canucks were hoping the four-day Christmas break following the Sharks game, would give time for Hughes to recover enough and be able to play on Saturday, and ultimately it was a gamble which didn't pay off.
In any event, this is just another issue for Tocchet to contend with, as he attempts to keep this team above water and in the playoff race. And having players of the quality of Hughes and Pettersson on the sidelines along with Hronek, certainly does not help.