NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks — Quinn Hughes just finished his first season as captain of the Vancouver Canucks

How did Quinn Hughes fare in his first year as captain for the Vancouver Canucks?

Modified May 21, 2024 18:12 GMT

The Vancouver Canucks promoted 24-year-old Quinn Hughes to captain ahead of the 2023-24 season. There was a vacancy in the role, as the team had traded away their former captain, Bo Horvat, at the 2023 trade deadline.

In his first season, the Canucks advanced to the second round for the first time since 2020 and the second time since 2011. Although their campaign ended earlier than many projected, it's safe to say the future in British Columbia will be pretty special.

Quinn Hughes led Canucks back to the top of the NHL standings in first year as captain

Quinn Hughes is just one of three brothers in the NHL, with his siblings Jack and Luke playing in New Jersey with the Devils. Now that Luke is a finalist for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, he joins Jack, a Lady Byng finalist in 2022-23.

Even though none of the Hughes brothers have won an award yet, Quinn is about to break through and capture the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. As a finalist and the favorite, he finished as the 15th-highest scorer in the NHL with 92 points in 82 games.

Thanks to a plus-38 rating, Hughes was ranked fourth in the category, while 75 assists also ranked fourth behind Nikita Kucherov (100), Connor McDavid (100), and Nathan MacKinnon (89).

Outside his exceptional personal statistics, the Canucks won the Pacific Division crown for the first time since 2013. They also spent a good portion of the regular season in the running for the Presidents' Trophy as the league's best team.

However, it was a collective effort from Thatcher Demko, a Vezina Trophy finalist, and head coach Rick Tocchet, a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. J.T. Miller finished ninth in the league, securing his first 100-point campaign with 103 in 81 games.

Naturally, fans around the league will point out that Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser are the big names in Vancouver and that the team's energy starts and stops with them. But with a Norris Trophy nomination (and potential win) on his resume, the Canucks are Hughes' team.

They often say that defense wins championships, and with Demko as the team's backbone in the crease, he gets a lot of help from the defense, which Hughes leads.

There could be an argument that Vancouver just came together at the right time in 2023-24 and that their excellent season has nothing to do with Hughes' captaincy. However, there's no denying the connection between the two.

Considering that the core of the team has a chance to be together for the foreseeable future, Quinn Hughes will be their leader and have the opportunity to challenge Cale Makar as one of the top defensemen of his generation.