“He tries to do it himself”: Rick Tocchet makes feelings known about Quinn Hughes taking all the pressure on himself

Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet spoke about Quinn Hughes and how he handles pressure as team captain. Hughes became the Canucks captain in Sep. 2023 and led the Canucks to round two of the playoffs where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7.

However, the team's performance has dropped this season as they have a record of 32-26-12. They are 5th in the Pacific Division with 76 points and are 6 points away from the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Before the game against the New Jersey Devils, Tocchet said Hughes is a hardworking player who wants to win.

"Well, he wants to win so bad. He works at his game. Obviously, the puck’s on his stick a lot. He wants those moments. He wants to win so bad," Hughes said. "And he’s a guy in the room too—when he’s playing, we’re a different team, right? And he’s got that calming influence.

Tocchet said that Hughes has made progress in understanding that he cannot carry the team alone.

"But sometimes, because he wants to win so bad, he tries to do it himself. He’s gotten so much better at that over the last couple of years—realizing, okay, I can’t go one-on-one too much. Because it’s almost impossible, every game, to just put the team on your shoulders. So, I think he’s starting to learn that a lot right now."

This season, Hughes leads the Canucks with 16 goals and 51 assists for 67 points. He has a plus/minus rating of +9 and is on a six-game point streak. The 24-year-old defenseman has been Vancouver’s best blueliner.

In 421 NHL games, he has 59 goals and 341 assists for 400 points. Last season, he set a career-high with 92 points.

Quinn Hughes talked about the loss to NY Rangers

Despite Quinn Hughes’ strong play, the Canucks are in a tough playoff race. They have a 32-26-12 record and are six points behind the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

Their recent 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers was disappointing, especially after outshooting New York 24-6 after two periods. Quinn Hughes said the team played hard despite the loss.

"Can't really complain too much with how we played," Hughes said. "I thought we competed hard, especially with two forwards down, going to 10 forwards in the third period... We're playing gutsy now. … Nine times out of 10 I think we walk away with that one, but in this instance we don't."

Tocchet trusts that Quinn Hughes will give it his all to help the Canucks push for a playoff spot.