Player Discussion Quinn Hughes, Pt. VII

Raistlin

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Aug 25, 2006
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Makar, Fox and Dahlin are the only guys I would have clearly above Hughes if I was making a team from scratch right now.
for the next generation of defensemen, I would switch Dahlin with Heiskanen, short term, I need to see a full dominant season from him before I say he is better than Hughes. Dahlin has been back to his old self the last month plus. Heiskanen is solid every shift and dominant in many.
People in the main boards who are fans of other teams and are talking about Hughes honestly makes me realize how dumb some people are on this site lol
after blocking one of the Avs fans thats obssessed with Hughes, I cant see half the posts regarding him in the main threads. now theres that Habs fan left, once Im sure hes a child, I'll block him too.
 

credulous

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Nov 18, 2021
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Makar, Fox and Dahlin are the only guys I would have clearly above Hughes if I was making a team from scratch right now.

heiskanen? theodore? dunn? mcavoy? slavin? sergachev?

on the older side josi, karlsson, doughty and spurgeon are all better

hughes is really good but he's a long way from the top imo. his size and lack of a shot really hold him back
 

Horvat1C

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Oct 2, 2015
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for the next generation of defensemen, I would switch Dahlin with Heiskanen, short term, I need to see a full dominant season from him before I say he is better than Hughes. Dahlin has been back to his old self the last month plus. Heiskanen is solid every shift and dominant in many.

I love Heiskanen but he's had one explosive offensive year and that's this year. Dahlin has goal scoring ability and physicality, two elements that Hughes doesn't have. I said if I had to start a team from scratch, so I'm looking at the whole career not just this year.

heiskanen? theodore? dunn? mcavoy? slavin? sergachev?

on the older side josi, karlsson, doughty and spurgeon are all better

hughes is really good but he's a long way from the top imo. his size and lack of a shot really hold him back

You're crazy if you take most of those younger defensemen over Hughes. McAvoy is understandable as a playstyle preference but Hughes is a rare talent. Heiskanen is debatable but Hughes' numbers are simply on another level. I was talking about building a team so I wouldn't take any of those older guys for sure.
 

Raistlin

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Aug 25, 2006
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heiskanen? theodore? dunn? mcavoy? slavin? sergachev?

on the older side josi, karlsson, doughty and spurgeon are all better

hughes is really good but he's a long way from the top imo. his size and lack of a shot really hold him back
really? wow, you have a low opinion of QH. You need to look at this year's Norris vote. QH is in the top 10 for sure playing for a tirefire of a franchise.

Obviously I like Heiskanen, this is the first year without Klingberg monopolizing the PP time, so of course I can expect Heiskanen's offense to keep up this pace for the future. Dahlin is big but he doesnt use his size.

Theodore's defense is worse than Quinn this year, hes not on the same level.
Dunn, I dont know if hes a flash in the pan yet, once again, defensively a bit better, offensively not as good.
McAvoy and Slavin, like comparing apples to oranges. Of course I'd want them too, but Hughes provides a rarer quality.
Sergachev is a fine dman, nowhere close to Quinn's elite strengths.

older guys no longer have the ceiling that Quinn has yet to achieve... he's obviously not peaked at 23.
 
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credulous

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i'm not saying hughes is worse than all of those players. just that there's arguments for all of them. if you ask carolina fans if they'd trade slavin for hughes or tampa fans if they'd trade sergachev for hughes they'd all be hell no

again i think hughes is really good. he's not in the conversation for best in the league right now though
 

Knight53

#6 #9 #17 #35 #40 #43
Jun 23, 2015
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His progression has been unreal. Should get Norris votes this year. To do what he’s doing with 5 ahl dman around him is ridiculous. Think he’s the most valuable player in this organization ahead of Pettersson/Demko.
 

canuckking1

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Feb 8, 2015
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I wonder if Hughes could sneak his way into a nomination. Outside of Karlsson is there another clearcut guy on the ballot?
 

VanJack

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Jul 11, 2014
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Some of the best players in NHL history, are guys that helped revolutionize the way the game is played.

And you have to start thinking about Hughes in that category of players. I mean the things he does on the ice in tight spaces; and his on-ice vision are just that special.

Simply put, he controls the play every minute he's out there. And makes things happen by pushing the pace on every shift. And he's such an effortless skater, that he can still look fresh after playing more than 30-minutes.

In a way though it's been a sad season for Hughes. The Canucks have all the elements that a team needs to be a playoff contender. They have the scoring; they have a Norris-caliber d-man; and they have a franchise center and a franchise goalie.

There's just no way they have been this bad as a team this season.
 

lawrence

Registered User
May 19, 2012
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Quinn has evolved into a beast. That A on his jersey upped his level. Tochhet was right when he said that guys on the team, especially Hughes and Petey had another level in them to give.
 
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MS

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Mar 18, 2002
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Like I said in the GDT, his last month of hockey is the best month of hockey ever played by a defender in the history of this franchise. And it isn't really even close.

He's maybe 4th or 5th in Norris voting for the season but right now if you're playing a game tomorrow, the way he's playing he might be the 2nd best defender in the NHL to Makar.

Looks like he'll become only the 23rd defender in NHL history to record an 80+ point season.
 

bossram

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Sep 25, 2013
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He's having a phenomenal season. But Quinn isn't in the Makar, Fox, Heiskanen, and McAvoy (and previously Hedman) tier because he doesn't bring the elite defending the others do as well.
 

vadim sharifijanov

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Oct 10, 2007
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i'm not watching the games these last few weeks, but is it fair to say that at his level right now, quinn is just one developmental step away from as good as brian leetch ever was?

i was watching the games about a month ago and that's how i felt about his play

this is just stat watching but it's also funny that a week ago, he went scoreless in three games and finally fell below a point/game and i was wondering if he was breaking down. since then, he's put up two points every game and is in striking distance of karlsson for the league lead in defenceman assists.
 

MS

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Mar 18, 2002
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I think his defending has made some solid improvements this season. He's certainly above average.

Elite? No.

It's every bit as good as Fox's at this point.

Teams are getting nothing with him on the ice right now, despite playing with extremely mediocre partners.

He has to maintain the level of play from his last couple months over a full season, but if he does he's outstanding.
 
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bossram

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It's every bit as good as Fox's at this point.

Teams are getting nothing with him on the ice right now, despite playing with extremely mediocre partners.

He has to maintain the level of play from his last couple months over a full season, but if he does he's outstanding.
That's the difference. Fox has a career history of elite offense + elite defense while playing the tough competition.

Hughes' current level is a short stretch. He's been excellent, but I'm not putting him on that level after a small sample.
 

sting101

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Feb 8, 2012
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i'm not saying hughes is worse than all of those players. just that there's arguments for all of them. if you ask carolina fans if they'd trade slavin for hughes or tampa fans if they'd trade sergachev for hughes they'd all be hell no

again i think hughes is really good. he's not in the conversation for best in the league right now though
yes but thats because they see a tiny player and most other fanbases still believe he's a defensive liability.

In December i would have agreed with you as i was expecting a step from Hughes given his end of season presser about leadership and working on his weaknesses (shot & defending) and then seeing him struggle to some games where he was a liability. He was PPG, minus 1, 0 goals with 4 primary ES assists in spite of his role for 25 games. The next 41 games he's PPG but +17 with 5 goals and 13 primary ES assists and tilts the ice like no Canuck Dman has ever. Last night he was 73% Fenwick in 24 minutes of ice against a 1st place team. It's insane

Since then we're talking about one of the best players in the league. It's a very legitimate discussion to wonder who is more impactful Pettersson or Hughes and EP40 has very much started to get the distinction of top5-10 forward in the league. Hughes the way he is tilting the ice right now is absolutely dominant. Just because he's not 6'3 and throws big hits or looks the part is meaningless.
 

calnuck

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Nov 26, 2010
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I think it’s wild how a portion of this fan base continues to “grass is greener on the other side” with Hughes. I’ll concede his defensive game isn’t “elite” but when you’re on such another level in almost every other facet of the game it tends to balance out over a season. The more the puck is on his stick the less it’s on the other teams. Pretty simple.

He’s clearly the best defenseman this team has ever had and is only going to keep getting better. This team desperately needed a player with his skill set, (elite vision, puck moving and handling). As a fan base we’ve been bitching and moaning about getting a player with his skill for it’s whole history. And because he isn’t physically or defensively equal to Makar and Hedman it’s just not good enough?
I guess beggars truly can be choosers

yes but thats because they see a tiny player and most other fanbases still believe he's a defensive liability.

In December i would have agreed with you as i was expecting a step from Hughes given his end of season presser about leadership and working on his weaknesses (shot & defending) and then seeing him struggle to some games where he was a liability. He was PPG, minus 1, 0 goals with 4 primary ES assists in spite of his role for 25 games. The next 41 games he's PPG but +17 with 5 goals and 13 primary ES assists and tilts the ice like no Canuck Dman has ever. Last night he was 73% Fenwick in 24 minutes of ice against a 1st place team. It's insane

Since then we're talking about one of the best players in the league. It's a very legitimate discussion to wonder who is more impactful Pettersson or Hughes and EP40 has very much started to get the distinction of top5-10 forward in the league. Hughes the way he is tilting the ice right now is absolutely dominant. Just because he's not 6'3 and throws big hits or looks the part is meaningless.
Thank you!
 
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credulous

Registered User
Nov 18, 2021
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do you think fox, mcavoy, dunn, heiskanen, josi, spurgeon, etc haven't had games where they hit 70% corsi/fenwick?

again, i'm not saying hughes isn't an incredible player. i'm just saying he has more to prove before you call him a norris candidate
 

canuckking1

Registered User
Feb 8, 2015
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He's having a phenomenal season. But Quinn isn't in the Makar, Fox, Heiskanen, and McAvoy (and previously Hedman) tier because he doesn't bring the elite defending the others do as well.
What about the offensive gap that he’s had over Heiskanen over their career. I agree with the other 3 but disagree with Heiskanen.

do you think fox, mcavoy, dunn, heiskanen, josi, spurgeon, etc haven't had games where they hit 70% corsi/fenwick?

again, i'm not saying hughes isn't an incredible player. i'm just saying he has more to prove before you call him a norris candidate
Dunn has 60 games of performing at a top 4 level or higher he doesn’t even deserve to be in the conversation at this point
 

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