Quinn Hughes says J.T. Miller’s exit ‘fractured’ the Canucks
Quinn Hughes and Rick Tocchet are back in focus after Hughes laid out why Vancouver came apart.
Ahead of Vancouver's game against Minnesota, Hughes didn't dodge the bigger issue. He said the Canucks' slide wasn't about one bad stretch or one rough night.
He started with the loss of J.T. Miller, and that's where the story really turns.
“I obviously have my thoughts on it, but I don't want to point fingers at anyone,” Hughes said.
“I would say that the trade last year with J.T. Miller, I mean, he was a top-five player for us the year prior. He had (103) points, PK, power play, taking defensive-zone draws. He had (103) points, and it wasn't accomplished by cheating all the time; he had (103) points playing the right way. There were nights I'd watch him and just think, ‘This guy is unbelievable."
“I would say that the trade last year with J.T. Miller, I mean, he was a top-five player for us the year prior. He had (103) points, PK, power play, taking defensive-zone draws. He had (103) points, and it wasn't accomplished by cheating all the time; he had (103) points playing the right way. There were nights I'd watch him and just think, ‘This guy is unbelievable."
That quote says plenty on its own. Vancouver didn't just lose production. The Canucks lost one of the players who held together every part of the lineup.
“To lose that guy the very next year … that was probably a fracture of everything. And yet, on some level, it felt like you could see it coming for years, I would say."
Hughes didn't pin it on one problem
Hughes also made it clear that the damage ran deeper than one move. He pointed to a team that had cracks even when it was winning.
“It just didn't work out, whatever the reason was. I don't really know. We had a great team two years ago. I thought Rick (Tocchet) did a great job, Adam Foote did a great job. Thatcher Demko being injured hurt, big time.
“Then across two years, we lose Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Miller, me, I guess Conor Garland, and Tyler Myers too. Even Carson Soucy and Dakota Joshua. It's a lot of guys to replace in two years. It just didn't happen for us.”
“Then across two years, we lose Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Miller, me, I guess Conor Garland, and Tyler Myers too. Even Carson Soucy and Dakota Joshua. It's a lot of guys to replace in two years. It just didn't happen for us.”
That's the clearest hockey reason Hughes gave. Too many important pieces left, and the replacement work never caught up.
“(Looking back at 2024), I think it felt easy that season. Like, I feel like this team in Minnesota is unbelievable, but that team in Vancouver had 50 wins. We're not going to get to 50 wins this season here; it's literally not even possible at this point.
“It felt in that month of January (in 2024) like we were just going to win no matter what. We were just rolling. Even then, I would say, it was just always fractured at times.”
“It felt in that month of January (in 2024) like we were just going to win no matter what. We were just rolling. Even then, I would say, it was just always fractured at times.”
That's what makes Hughes' comments hit. The wins were real, but so were the cracks inside the room.
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| POLL | ||
AVRIL 3|139 ANSWERS Quinn Hughes says J.T. Miller’s exit ‘fractured’ the Canucks Did Quinn Hughes say too much about what broke the Canucks ? | ||
| Yes | 63 | 45.3 % |
| No | 76 | 54.7 % |
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