Quinn Hughes makes his feelings known about massive ice time amid Canucks slump

Vancouver Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes has carried one of the heaviest workloads in the NHL this season. On Thursday, he spoke candidly about the reason behind it and how it has affected him.

When asked if he ever gets tired of his league-leading ice time, Hughes didn’t hide the fact.

“Yeah, sure,” Hughes said. “I mean, yeah, I get tired, for sure. There’s definitely times in games where, you know, I’m breaking pucks, carrying pucks into the neutral zone. I’m doing my thing in the ozone, or trying to do my thing and trying to create scoring chances for a team, and that’s hard to do in the middle of the game.”

Quinn Hughes has been the Canucks’ most reliable player in a difficult 2025-26 season. He has 22 points in 22 games, including 20 assists, and continues to fuel Vancouver’s offense from the blue line. His average ice time sits at 27:24 per game, and recent outings have pushed him between 28 and 30 minutes as the Canucks rely heavily on him in every situation.

“So yeah, I mean, I’m not, I’m not perfect, I’m not Superman, but I can always strive to be better,” Hughes added.

While Hughes has shouldered the workload in every situation, the Canucks have struggled defensively, as evidenced by Quinn Hughes’ minus-5 rating. While his rating reflects broader defensive issues, Hughes remains important to Vancouver’s transition game and stability.

Meanwhile, the Canucks have witnessed a decline as a team this season. They have a 10-14-3 record and the worst goals-against average in the league at 3.63 per game. Defensive lapses and turnovers erased any momentum created by strong individual performances. Even with Hughes’s efforts, Elias Petterssonand Kiefer Sherwood, the group has not found consistency.

As the losses continue to mount, Hughes’ workload shows the pressure the team is under.

Quinn Hughes in a 3-1 loss to the Avalanche

The Vancouver Canucks fell 3-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, extending their losing streak to three games. Linus Karlsson scored the only goal for the Canucks, while Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals for Colorado.

After the game, captain Quinn Hughes emphasized that results still matter.

“Wins are the most important thing,” Hughes said, via NHL.com. “If you lose but you lose 3-1 and not 5-1 or whatever or not, you’re still losing. Can we build on that? Yeah sure … it’s still 0-0 to start the next game. You’ve got to be ready to go.”

Vancouver had early chances, including several breakaways, but couldn’t finish. And right now, they’re falling behind in the playoff race.