Lost in all the J.T. Miller trade talk and the subsequent Marcus Pettersson trade, Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was named the NHLPA Player of the Week on Friday for the week of Jan. 24, it was announced.
Hughes, 25, carved his name further into the Canucks' history books, becoming the first defenceman in franchise history with 100 multi-point games, recording two goals against Washington, two assists against St. Louis, and another two assists against Nashville.
The NHLPA lauded Hughes for extending his point streak to seven games during the week - in which he scored six points - which later grew to eight games on Friday night with an assist against Dallas.
Huggy Bear doesn’t hibernate 🐻
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) January 31, 2025
Leading all defencemen in points and assists, Quinn Hughes helped the @Canucks to 3 wins while simultaneously setting a franchise record as NHLPA Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/wxCJnzfrB4
Overall, the Canucks captain finished the week with two goals, four assists, and six points; a team-leading 25:13 average ice time, a game-winning goal, and three straight games with multiple points.
Following his assist against Dallas, Hughes is now up to 14 goals, 45 assists, and 59 points in just 47 games played this season. The reigning Norris Trophy winner produced 17 goals, 75 assists, and 92 points in 82 games for the Canucks last season, so it would appear that Hughes is currently well on track to smash his career-high in goals from last year.
As for the assists, 31 assists in 31 games is not a tall task for a player of Hughes's calibre, but the Canucks already took a step back this season. They will take another step back in the absence of Miller, though it is too soon to judge what kind of contributions Vancouver will get from Pettersson and Filip Chytil.