NHL analyst makes feelings known about Canucks' sole offseason objective involving captain Quinn Hughes

Quinn Hughes and the Vanouver Canucks ended the 2024-25 season with a 38-30-14 record, missing the playoffs. Coach Rick Tocchet, who was close to captain Hughes, left. Now under Adam Foote's leadership, the Canucks will look to become contenders, as Hughes' future depends on it.

Hughes is signed to the Vancouver Canucks until the end of the 2026-27 season, making him eligible for an extension on July 1 next year. He's expected to get a pay raise from his $7.85 million annual average value salary. and many teams are expected to be on the lookout for the former Norris Trophy winner.

Quinn Hughes has been the Canucks' star, leading them with 76 points this past season from 68 games. He almost single-handedly pushed them to the brink of contention, but off-ice drama that led to J.T. Miller leaving and lack of team chemistry jolted their progress. The Canucks don't have a credible top-six line, and there are question marks on player's healths and upcoming extensions.

As per Frankie Corrado, on the TSN broadcast, the Canucks' main motive this offseason should be to keep Hughes happy. He noted that the Canucks need players like Elias Pettersson and Thatcher Demko to show up and get their A-game ro show Quinn Hughes that the team can be contendes again (from 2:50):

"I frankly cannot figure this out. I think there's so many objectives. Let's just go with the simplest form: keep your captain happy. Find a way to keep Quinn Hughes happy at all costs. I think some of that is going to come down to the players. If Elias Pettersson can find what he is supposed to be, then that should keep the captain happy. "If your goaltender Thatcher Demko is healthy and able to play—and I would say that if he is healthy, he's likely going to be one of the better goalies in the league—that's just what he is and what he has been. If that happens, then chances are your captain's happy. There's just a lot that is out of their control at this point. Yes, they need another center iceman. "I think they've done a good job building their back end up, but the number one objective—and I don't know how this happens, it's kind of up in the air—is just keep the captain happy for now. It's going to be all the talk in Vancouver this entire season."

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Quinn Hughes on dealing with humidity in Rogers Arena

Quinn Hughes and his brothers, Jack and Luke, in a talk with Patrick Kane on the Bauer Hockey Youtube channel, saw "Hughes the Eldest" explained his discomfort wearing elbow pads because they get wet too easily.

“I deal with the elbow pads too,” said Hughes. “It is so wet at our rink in Rogers, I have to put them on the dryer every period. But then you don’t want it too tight because you want it to feel pretty loose out there.”

Vanoucer weather conditions aren't always optimal because of heavy rain during the hockey season. That might factor in during Hughes' negotiations, as he has made his intentions clear about wanting to play with his brothers in New Jersey.

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Edited by Bhargav