A number of key Vancouver Canucks are rapidly climbing the ranks in the franchise record book. In the first of a five-part series, we examine the exploits of Quinn Hughes and his pursuit of top spot in scoring among all defencemen that have worn Canuck colours through the years:
Quinn Hughes
If he stays healthy, at some point late next season, Quinn Hughes will almost certainly become the highest-scoring defenceman in Vancouver Canucks history. The team’s captain and offensive dynamo needs 77 points to eclipse the franchise record of 409 established by Alex Edler.
That is well within the 24-year-old’s grasp after racking up 92 points en route to his first Norris Trophy last season.
The fact Hughes will ascend to the top of the ladder should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched him play. It’s not a matter of if but when he will stand alone. What is truly remarkable about Hughes’ rapid ascension is the fact that Edler accumulated his points in 925 games over 15 seasons in Vancouver. Hughes is about to start his sixth full season in the National Hockey League.
While the coronation simply seems like a matter of time and has been going on for a while now, the far more fascinating thing to watch will be just how significant the gap will be between Hughes and second place on the list when all is said and done. There have only ever been eight 1,000-point defencemen in NHL history. If he plays out his career in Vancouver, there’s every reason to believe Hughes can work his way into one of the most exclusive clubs in the sport.
The Orlando, FL native already owns the three-highest scoring seasons by a Canucks defenceman after setting the franchise mark with 68 two years ago and then breaking it in successive seasons with 78 points in 2022-23 and crushing that with 92 last season.
Hughes also holds the top three seasons in assists by a defenceman and four of the top eight.
Before he becomes the highest-scoring defenceman in franchise history, Hughes will grab sole possession of the Canucks all-time assist record for defencemen. He needs just 10 to get to 300 for his career and 20 to match the 310 that Edler produced over his time in the organization.
It’s not just the defenceman scoring record Hughes is chasing. He starts the season 23rd on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 333 career points. That leaves him 87 points shy of Bo Horvat, who currently sits 10th on the list. Now, it will be difficult for Hughes to rise into the top 10 next season – only because Elias Pettersson, JT Miller and Brock Boeser will likely get there before he does, meaning the bar will be raised, and Hughes will be chasing a moving target. It may not happen next season, but it won’t be long until Hughes works his way into the top 10 on the list.
In addition to the defencemen scoring record, Hughes will reach a number of other personal milestones next season. He needs seven goals to get to 50 for his career, 67 points to hit the 400-point mark and 35 games to reach 400 in his career. In doing so, he’ll become just the 15th defenceman to appear in 400 games with the Canucks. If Hughes appears in all 82 games next season, he’ll move past Ed Jovanovski into 12th on that list. As it stands now, only 10 blueliners have ever played 500 games as Canucks.
When it comes to playoffs, Hughes currently sits tied with Sami Salo for fifth in all-time scoring among Canucks defenders with 26 points. Three more points would vault him past Dave Babych and Mattias Ohlund into solo third on the list. After that, Edler (38) and Jyrki Lumme (40) are the only players who stand between Hughes and the top spot on that list. That is another attainable mark within Quinn Hughes’ grasp if the Canucks manage to get on any kind of post-season run next spring.
Key marks for Quinn Hughes next season:
35 games for 400 in his career.
67 points for 400 in his career.
10 assists for 300 in his career.
77 points for the franchise’s all-time points record by a defenceman.
