Nothing has gone the Vancouver Canucks’ way so far in the 2025-26 NHL season. To add insult to injury, Elias Pettersson and company must now stand as the buzz around Quinn Hughes’ future only grows louder.
The Canucks knew this would happen. Opposites attract, and they often make for chaotic, abrupt collisions. Vancouver knew its limitations coming into the season—under a new head coach and with an impossible-to-fill void in its depth. However, fans in Vancity will never stop expecting to win the Stanley Cup.
Now, those two polarized forces are crashing together, with Hughes caught in the middle, as the NHL rumor mill suggests he may not remain in British Columbia for much longer. On that note, Hughes’ latest outburst could raise alarms around the locker room—and the city. In more ways than one, it looks like a last-ditch effort from the blueliner to save the season—and perhaps his time in Vancouver.
“I feel like I’ve seen pretty much everything under the sun here—good and bad,” Hughes vividly admitted, as reported by Daily Hive Vancouver’s Trevor Beggs on X. “And you want to win… and losing sucks.”
Hughes can’t hide his frustration
Ever since he entered the NHL as a first-round selection, Hughes has been one to wear his heart on a sleeve. After tough losses, the star blueliner is often seen frustrated during postgame media availability. It makes for funny reactions that go viral in social media, but it also goes to show the competitor in him.
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Hughes is no longer a rookie nor a kid in the league. The 26-year-old defenseman wants to taste glory in the NHL. Watching his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, thrive on the other coast of the continent with the New Jersey Devils definitely leads Quinn to wonder if the grass is actually greener on the other side.
Fans may get a kick out of his candid reactions and postgame statements, but Hughes sure doesn’t. If Pettersson and the Canucks keep reaching new lows, sooner or later it may lead to Hughes asking out of Vancouver.
Canucks can’t catch a break
The Canucks are currently dragging a three-game losing skid. Moreover, they have registered just two wins in their last 11 outings. After a 3-1 start to the 2025-26 NHL season, Vancouver hasn’t won consecutive games since.
Additionally, Hughes and company could very well find themselves in last place in the entire league when they take to the ice to face the Utah Mammoth on Dec. 5 at Rogers Arena. Vancouver’s last win on home ice was on Nov. 9, when they defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3. Since then, the Canucks are 0-3-1 in Vancity.
