Canucks Live: Streaking into the weekend; Hughes deal details; Power Rankings rise

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It’s Friday, the Canucks are playing there are holiday parties on everywhere tonight, that must mean we can expect another Canucks blockbuster around 5 p.m.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo has written a nice feature on Quinn Hughes and spoke to Brock Boeser about it last Friday, about finding out Hughes had been traded and what happened after.

“I don’t think we thought it would be that fast,” Boeser says (of the trade). “It was definitely a shock.

“I know there are a few of us, especially myself — I was feeling so many different emotions because he’s one of my best buddies on the team and such an important piece. Couldn’t really explain. I was sad. I was mad. I was happy for him. It was just a ton of emotions.”

Hughes wasn’t on the bus as his teammates’ phones started buzzing with the news shortly after the team landed in Newark, N.J. He had found out about the trade just after the team plane landed and, instead of boarding the team bus, went directly to see his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, who both play for the Devils.

Later that night, he met up for a goodbye dinner with Boeser, as well as the Canucks’ Conor Garland, Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers.

“We’re happy for him, but then again, it’s — I don’t know — it was hard to just take it all in and really fully comprehend that he wasn’t going to be with us the next day,” Boeser says.

At the end of dinner, Hughes made a toast. Asked later about it, he wouldn’t go into details, but Boeser says it was “emotional” and ended with his now-former teammates all giving him big hugs.

“He means a lot to a lot of us, but obviously, we want what’s best for him, too,” says Boeser, a Minnesota native. “It’s mixed emotions. When I was getting texts from people in Minnesota after the trade, I had to put my phone on ‘do not disturb’ and put it away for a while.

“And when people were texting me about his first game, I’m like, ‘Too early. Too early.’”

Besides being an incredible player, Boeser says, Hughes is an even better person.

“He was one of my few teammates that came to my dad’s funeral, and I think that kind of proved everything to me — the person he is and how he was raised by his parents,” Boeser says. “That meant a lot to me. He just has a good heart, and he cares about people, and he cares about hockey, and that’s just who he is.” 

There was much debate before Hughes was traded about the construction of this iteration of the Canucks. Not enough depth at centre, etc. But Nicoletta Panos of the Hockey News has done an excellent and detailed look at the age of the players in their whole system and suggests the balance they’ve achieved in terms of a pipeline and succession in the NHL matches up well.

The age dynamics of the Abbotsford and Vancouver Canucks reveal two rosters moving on parallel but complementary tracks. The overlap between these teams is not accidental; it represents a deliberate organizational strategy to ensure future success.

If Vancouver manages the transition wisely, integrating Abbotsford’s rising core just as its current leaders begin to fade, the franchise will, in theory, sustain a rolling window of competitiveness. In other words, the Canucks’ future hinges not only on the talent pipeline but on the timing of its development. Played correctly, the statistical probability of success is in Vancouver’s favour. That said, there are many contributing factors to the success of a team that aren’t showcased in my analysis. Ultimately, while age trends cannot guarantee wins, they do reveal a foundation for optimism. If the organization aligns its roster management, player development, and leadership transitions with these timelines, Vancouver will be well-positioned to bridge eras seamlessly and become competitive deep into the next decade.

One thing we do know about Fridays is it’s Power Rankings time. This time last with it was universal, the Canucks were seen as the 32nd-best team in the NHL. Has the Hughes trade and the two-game winning streak changed that at all?

Let’s start with ESPN.

32. Vancouver Canucks
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 43.9 per cent.

The gift: Magic 8 Ball

Hughes is a superstar and could help the Wild contend for years to come, but the Canucks did get a terrific group of three players in their early 20s and a first-round pick. There’s a chance we could look at this trade in five years and say that the Canucks crushed it. I like Zeev Buium a lot, especially his vision. Marco Rossi could be a 30-goal scorer. Liam Ohgren could grow to be a solid depth piece. And draft capital is always useful.

So no movement then, how about Sportsnet?

30. Vancouver Canucks (13-17-3): After surprising everyone by making the Canucks out of training camp, Braeden Cootes — the 15th pick last June — is on the WJC scene for Canada. Swedish forward Wilson Bjorck (fifth round, 2025) and Swiss D-man Basile Sansonnens (221st, 2024) are also players to watch for Canucks fans.  

The Athletic’s rankings are notable because after the trade they’ve moved the Wild up from 6th to 3rd. The Canucks also have been given a boost in their eyes.

29. Vancouver Canucks, 13-17-3
Last week: 32
Sean: 29
Dom: 29

Santa buddy, fill my stocking with Canucks tix, for kicks
Throw me on the first line
— Santa Baby by Michael Bublé

Obviously, we had to throw noted Canucks fan Michael Bublé’s name-drop of the Canucks into the mix. With how the season is going, throwing the Bublés on the first line might be worth a shot — can’t be worse than having David Kampf there. 

OK, this next one is textbook reasoning why you should be a discerning customer when it comes to where you get your hockey news. Bleacher Report moved the Wild up to third but kept the Canucks at 32nd.

Vancouver Canucks: 32

Previous Ranking: 32

Overall Record: 13-17-3

You won’t find many Canucks fans thrilled with the deal that sent Hughes to Minnesota, but the team’s 2-0-0 record to begin a five-game road trip without its former captain is as good a result as could be hoped for.

Vancouver won, 2-1, at New Jersey on Sunday before coming back Tuesday to blank the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden behind 23 saves from Thatcher Demko.

The 30-year-old stopped 48 of 49 shots in the two wins while boosting his season-long save percentage to .910. 

Not to throw stones, but in the feedback we’ve received in polls, comments and emails from Canucks fans, almost all of them are on board. In a previous poll over 90 per cent of respondents gave the Canucks an A or B on the trade so, in fact, you will find fans thrilled with the deal.

Check back for more Canucks news throughout the day …