The Vancouver Canucks will be without two of their stars for at least the next week. Both Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson will miss the upcoming two-game road trip, which features matchups against the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken. Both Hughes and Pettersson missed Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Kraken, which saw the Canucks blow a 4-1 lead in the final five minutes of the third period.
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“They are not going to make the trip,” said Rick Tocchet when asked about the injuries. “Petey is probably a week away, give or take a day here or there. Quinn is probably week to week.”
While it is still a mystery what injury Pettersson has, Daily Faceoff’s Irfaan Gaffar reports that Hughes has a hand injury. As for the timing of the injuries, Pettersson left the December 23 game against the San Jose Sharks during the second period, while Hughes’ injury happened before the game.
“Some guys are going to get some opportunities.”
🗣 Head Coach Rick Tocchet provides some injury updates and speaks on the chances for players to step up. pic.twitter.com/MSpD2xK1Se
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 29, 2024
One of the biggest questions surrounding Hughes is if he should have played against the Sharks. Vancouver’s captain was labelled as questionable but ended up playing 24:45 in the 4-3 victory. When asked about Hughes playing against San Jose, Tocchet said, “He couldn’t have hurt what he has anymore. He’s just a tough kid. He won us the game, had a couple of assists. I don’t think him playing, I don’t know. I don’t think it would have made a difference. We’re all hockey players; you want to play. He gut it out for us and we won the game.”
If Saturday’s game was any indication, the Canucks could be in trouble with both Hughes and Pettersson out of the lineup. Seven of Vancouver’s next eight games are on the road, with the only exception being a January 3 matchup with the Nashville Predators. With these two out for at least the next two games, the Canucks will need their depth to step up in a big way to fill the void left by these two stars.
