January 2nd, 2025
JC Clemas
Quinn Hughes, the man who has often single-handedly saved the Canucks from atrocious results, is currently injured. He went into Christmas Eve Eve’s game against the Sharks as a game-time decision due to a hand injury and has now missed the past two games for that reason. Now, obviously Quinn Hughes is not the only star the Canucks have been missing for a couple of games. Elias Pettersson is also absent from the Canucks lineup, but only day-to-day. Quinn’s listed as week-to-week, with an estimated timeline of 3 weeks. Quinn has also been our clear MVP to this point, making his absence the most notable. That leaves it up to the other Canucks to try to win games without him. The question is: can they actually even do that?
12/28/24 vs Seattle: 5-4 OTL
This game may genuinely go down as one of the worst regular season Canucks games in history, given the result. The funny part is that they actually played a solid 55 minutes of this hockey game. The defense held it down, giving Seattle no good scoring opportunities. Their only goal in that timeframe came on a Matty Beniers shot from the high slot that even Thatcher Demko himself would say was a weak one. Carson Soucy was magnificent on both ends, tallying two assists, including one that was an absolute sauce to Boeser. The Canucks carried a 4-1 lead into the late stages of the 3rd period, and I felt comfortable without Hughes in the lineup.
Yeah, that didn’t last long. It started with Jaden Schwartz banking the puck off Demko’s head and in. Another one he probably shouldn't have let up, but oh well, still a 2 goal lead— never mind, Noah Juulsen just threw that puck up the middle and Carson Soucy’s clearing attempt went nowhere. It’s fine, still have a 1 goal cushion— oh cool, Schwartz just jammed that home and we’re tied. It sucks to squander that lead, but let’s just win it in overt— Tyler Myers, who on Earth are you passing that puck to?
So, it was the first time the Canucks went on to lose a game where they had a 3-goal lead with under 5 minutes to go. While they also blew a 4-1 lead on opening night against Calgary, that was with significantly more time on the clock, and I highly doubt Quinn Hughes would have let them blow this one. The defense simply collapsed. Carson Soucy nullified all the great work he had done the rest of the game. The Canucks now stand atop the league in overtime losses, with 8. At least they aren’t first in regulation losses.
12/31/24 vs Calgary: 3-1 L
While the Canucks’ offensive production had not faced any decline against Seattle, it is important to keep in mind that they were facing Philipp Grubauer. Against Calgary, they were tasked with facing Dustin Wolf, a goaltender who is actually good at his job. This was a much better example of how little the Canucks produce offensively without Quinn Hughes (and Elias Pettersson) in the lineup. They only managed a single goal, which was a power play goal by Brock Boeser. At 5 on 5, they created absolutely nothing. In all fairness, barely any of the 2nd period was played at 5 on 5, as everybody was just angry at each other. 3 different fights, roughing penalties, Juulsen subtly sticking a knee out, and other random minor penalties made for an eventful middle frame despite no goals. Maybe both teams were trying to leave their bad energy in 2024. At least it was fun to watch!
The pairing of Soucy and Juulsen was really on a different planet this game, and not in a good way. The most obvious example of this was on Calgary’s first goal, where they allowed Pelletier to sneak past them for a breakaway. Lankinen stopped the puck, and both defensemen skated right past the loose puck, allowing Zary to bury it. Soucy had an easy chance to clear the puck to the corner, and Juulsen decided to abandon the front of the net for no reason whatsoever. Late in the game, with the goalie pulled, Soucy committed a terrible turnover that allowed Calgary to score the dagger. Plays like that are losing hockey, and they need to tighten it up, especially with Hughes out and their roles elevated. Despite Forbort having a quietly great game, and Brännström proving to be a capable PP1 quarterback in Hughes’ stead, the team just was not able to escape their inability to produce and their tendency for defensive lapses.
The Road Ahead
The Canucks are currently in a part of the schedule I would refer to as “the calm before the storm.” They are halfway through a 6 game stretch against teams that aren’t realistically playoff-bound (unless Calgary continues their miracle run). Unfortunately, they’ve already dropped 2 of the first 3 games. The Canucks need to collect points against Seattle, Nashville, and Montreal in the games coming up because after that, the schedule is a gauntlet. The 6 games after that see the Canucks facing Washington, Carolina, Toronto, Winnipeg, LA, and Edmonton. Every single one of those teams currently lies in a top 10 position in the NHL. That is a daunting stretch already, but adding the fact that our best player will possibly miss all of it inspires zero confidence in me. So, they need to win some now. But even these next three games aren’t ideal. Both Seattle and Nashville are 1-0 against the Canucks this season, and Montreal has won 5 of their past 6.
It’s pretty clear who needs to step up immediately: among others, Carson Soucy. While I know expectations of him have risen exponentially while Quinn is out, it’s his responsibility to elevate his game and earn the playing time he’s receiving. Soucy was such a rock for the Canucks’ defense last season, and in his first 21 games of the year, the team had a record of 16-3-2. Compare that to this season, where his defensive analytics have dropped off a cliff, and you can start to see how we may be in panic mode with Quinn Hughes missing. Obviously it isn’t all on Soucy, though. The rest of the defense has been making costly errors. Brännström and Forbort have been filling their roles decently, and ignoring the insane error in overtime, Myers has been okay in the two games as well. They aren’t doing enough, though. While filling Hughes’ offensive role to the best of his ability, Brännström isn’t all that close defensively. Myers is prone to silly mistakes, which he needs to get under control immediately. I’m surprised we’ve made it to this point without Allvin cheffing up a trade yet because, at this point, I’m starting to think we desperately need one.
Don’t worry, the offense isn’t getting off scot-free. They’ve been struggling to produce scoring chances (and even just shots on net) all season, and if ever there was a time to figure it out, it’s right now. I am very excited to see Elias Pettersson back in the lineup sometime in the next couple of games. When JT Miller was on his leave of absence, Pettersson dialled it in and scored 15 points in 10 games. While this situation is obviously different, I believe in Pettersson’s ability to step up once again and lead this team to some hard-working wins. This could be a defining moment in Pettersson and Miller’s professional relationship, as the burden to lead the team is really pinned on the pair. The rest of the offense needs to kick it up a notch, too. Suter and Heinen are particularly guys who need to start putting points on the board again. It would also be nice to get some scoring from the 4th line, but they’re honestly doing fine in the sense that no scoring chances happen on either side when they’re on the ice. The Canucks have fallen victim to trying to do the exact same thing and expecting different results. They need to find new ways to produce offense, because currently, the team is having some awful showings in the opponent’s zone. At some point, you just have to remember that there’s no such thing as a bad shot on net.
The Canucks are in need of a hero. Who will it be?
Can They Win Without Quinn?
To answer the original question: yes, obviously, but probably not a lot. I really want to have more confidence in them, but they just don’t seem to have much confidence in themselves right now. If they can muscle out just one gritty win, maybe that could provide them with some momentum. In an ideal world, this stretch would prove to be essential in defining the Canucks’ identity. Last season, the hockey they were playing allowed them to win games like this, even with the odds against them. We need to see that side of them again. They’re lucky to be in a position where they still have a good shot at playoffs, but if they can’t learn to win while facing adversity, they aren’t going anywhere in the postseason.