With the 2026 Winter Olympics set to kick off on February 6th, the NHL will go on break as it sends the best it has to offer to Italy. Amidst the struggles the Canucks currently find themselves in, there are some bright spots on the team that can be celebrated.
Three players the Canucks will likely be sending to the Winter Games are Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek, all important staples of both their country and club’s lineups.
Quinn Hughes:
The top option on a loaded defensive core for the United States, Quinn Hughes has shown flashes of what he is capable of at times this season, scoring ten points in just three games from November 11th-17th.
From a production stand point, Hughes is playing below the level he has been at each of the last two seasons, but much of that is to do with the fact that he has has battled injuries this season, as he has missed a total of five games for the Canucks.
Hughes was named to the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but was ultimately unable to join the team with his brother Jack, due to injuries.
Hughes is extremely competitive by nature and has maintained his position to the media that he wants to win, and perhaps the Olympics will give him a breather from the pressures of losing, dealing with the media, and being the captain of the Canucks.
The star defenceman has shown he can raise his game when it matters most, as he averages .87 points per game in the playoffs for his career, just shy of the .94 points per game he averages in the regular season. In addition to this, perhaps giving him a chance to play on a star studded team will help him to eliminate the extra pressure and noise that comes with being the leader of the Canucks so he can focus on what he does best.
Elias Pettersson:
We have seen glimpses of the old Elias Pettersson this season. In terms of offensive statistics, he is still down from 2022-2024, but perhaps those were career seasons for Pettersson, as he was playing on stronger teams and with the likes of J.T. Miller.
Pettersson is still a very capable player who can play in all situations, and as of right now, could be in line to play as the top or second line centre for Team Sweden at the Olympics, flanked by the likes of William Nylander or Filip Forsberg.
Pettersson is still driving offence at a sound rate this year, as his Corsi For % in all situations is almost 54% while playing with various combinations of Conor Garland, Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood.
Pettersson is also starting a career high of his shifts in the defensive zone, while playing a career high 20:37 minutes per game, as he represents by far the strongest option up the middle for the Canucks.
As with Hughes, perhaps a temporary change in scenery playing on a star studded team will help to alleviate much of the extra pressure and noise around Pettersson so he can focus on putting the puck in the back of the net for Team Sweden.
Filip Hronek:
Is it crazy to say that Filip Hronek is currently the best defenceman on Team Czechia? Hronek has been riding shotgun to Quinn Hughes since arriving to Vancouver via trade, and has been very solid as the Canucks number two defenceman.
He consistently delivers seasons in the range of 40+ points as he is well known for his passing abilities, quarterbacks the second power play unit, but always steps in to fill the void on the first unit if Hughes is ever unable, plays big minutes in all situations as he is averaging 24:28 of ice time per game this season, and is never afraid to play hard nosed hockey, further exemplified by his 1.86 hits per game and 1.45 blocked shots per game.
Hronek is an extremely underrated piece to the Canucks who could show more potential if given the extra opportunity, and as one of the best players Czechia has to offer, he will likely see plenty of minutes in all situations against the oppositions best players.