Mario Ferraro sings $47,100,000 Quinn Hughes' praise for his season with Vancouver Canucks

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jul 19, 2024 04:23 GMT

San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro showered Quinn Hughes with praise for his outstanding season with the Vancouver Canucks.

In a recent conversation with NHL host and analyst Johnny Lazarus on the "Morning Cuppa Hockey" podcast, Ferrao shared his admiration for Hughes' skills, particularly his ability to maneuver along the blue line with finesse:

"You know, being a defenseman, I'll keep it defenseman. I thought Hughes was just sick this year. He was walking the blue, especially against us. Him and Hronek playing with each other; they were buzzing," Ferraro said.

The Sharks defenseman highlighted Hughes' unique style of play, contrasting it with Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar:

"He opens up, and he just like, obviously Cale does it. We know Cale does it in a different way, but ultimately they do the same thing. I've tried for a few years. Like, 'Let me try and get this in my game. I'm just like, let's just keep it simple,'" he added.

Ferraro also commended Hughes for his impressive performance last season, emphasizing his admiration for his gameplay on the blue line:

"Quinn'll do tight turns, but like, really fast, and keep his feet moving. This guy's walking like crazy. He's just cruising on the blue line. So yeah, it's cool. I admire the way he's been playing, especially last year was pretty impressive." Ferraro said.

Hughes finished the 2023-24 season atop the league as the leading defenseman goal scorer. He accumulated 92 points through 17 goals and 75 assists in the regular season and was honored with the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league.

Quinn Hughes becomes first player in franchise history to win Norris Trophy

Notably, Hughes became the first player in Vancouver Canucks history to win the Norris Trophy for the best defenseman in the league.

During the Canucks' impressive playoff run, Hughes stood out as a key player, contributing significantly to the team's success both in the regular season and postseason.

After receiving the award at the NHL Award Show last month, Hughes took a moment to express his appreciation and gratitude to his entire team for their collective efforts:

“First off, I'd like to thank my teammates. It's a great group of guys and the reality of winning an award like this is you can't do it alone, and you need really good players around you and I certainly have that, so thanks fellas," he said after receiving the award.

Quinn Hughes was the No. 7 overall pick for the Canucks in the 2008 NHL draft. He signed a six-year, $47.1 million extension with the club in 2021.