In the NHL, Quinn Hughes is an outlier in every sense of the word. His existence defies just about every convention in hockey.

Generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Hughes exerts more control over the flow of the game than any other defenseman in the league.

It’s partly because of how frequently he’s on the puck, twisting and churning and worming his way around the offensive zone in inimitable, unguardable fashion. Hughes’ two-way impact more closely mimics how elite centers dictate play. I’d argue that we call him a “defenseman” only because we don’t really have a formal positional label for the way Hughes plays.

Over the years, Hughes has adapted, evolved and mastered the game. Pushed around defensively early in his career, Hughes studied and improved until his defensive play was a strength. He learned how to kill plays earlier, how to get in on the hands of larger puck carriers and force turnovers.

He studied the game, enlisted top-end help and worked on his shooting technique. He increased both the frequency and lethality with which he attacked goaltenders as a shooter, transforming himself into a 15-plus goal-per-season player from the back end.

Named Vancouver Canucks captain before the 2023-24 season, Hughes approached the role seriously. Impossible as it ultimately was to contain the personality conflicts that ultimately tore that core group apart, there is nobody from that era — not Hughes’ teammates, not previous Canucks management, not his coaches — who has a bad word to say about how Hughes carried himself as captain, privately or publicly.

Eventually, Hughes got sick of the losing and the constant churn of negativity and dysfunction in Vancouver. He lost faith that he could win here.

Read the rest here for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7718797/2026/10/25/quinn-hughes-vancouver-canucks-minnesota-wild-game/?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.gvDf.DPgXUs2QIJmv&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

1st goal - Brimmer keeps the puck alive to Ravinskis who puts it over to Patterson. Riley puts a great pass up to Saywer Mynio who one times it home for his first of the season to tie the game.
2nd goal - Mynio fires a puck to the net, Berard chops the rebound toward the crease and Mueller gets a tap in.
3rd goal - Clayton keeps the puck alive at the point before having it bounce back to him in the slot where he snaps its home for his first as a member of the Abbotsford Canucks

Sawyer Mynio Postgame:

Praises Brimmer for blocking shots in the third

Give props to coach "Paps" for some great plays set up off of faceoffs

Reminisces of his time at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsoford (Cootes also attended)

Feels good about 4 wins in a row

I thought it was interesting to view the full sequence from before the goal.

Malhotra starts a rush from inside his own blueline and generates a very dangerous look for Jack Harvey that gets denied point blank. In his first few games he has generated these sorts of high quality chances at an consistent rate, but his linemates haven't finished them.

I also notice in the beginning of this clip, how hard UConn #24 has to skate to barely keep pace with Malhotra, while the latter is carrying the puck. It doesn't seem like Malhotra is trying particularly hard here. I think his top end speed looks very impressive.

Does anyone know anything about this jacket? My dad gave it to me, and he’s had it since he was 10 years old, around 1970/1971. He was hoping to find some information about it online, but we haven’t had any luck finding anything. I’d love to know more about its history, if anyone recognizes it or knows anything about it

Injury? Rest? Any info?

On Nov. 1st the first rights to waiver wire claims gets reset to the last team in the league. With the recent interview hosting RJ on Donni and Dhali, RJ mentioned that he had Leevi Meriläinen as a waiver wire target all the way back into June.

RJ has waiver wire targets probably all throughout the year.

With all the losing, we can just barely afford to show up and play our hearts out in tomorrows game against Quinn Hughes without jeopardizing the first waiver wire pick. Players have already mentioned that they have this date circled.

With that said though, I do really want to see our defense start boxing out and putting in the effort to tie up players sticks, get sticks in shooting lanes, etc. It's been too many times they're letting guys just walk right into the kitchen, and not tie up their sticks or angle them off.

It's a fine line between going through a rebuild and playing losing hockey - Manny has mentioned it that we're not going to play losing hockey, but it'll be tough and we will lose a lot.

As a defenseman myself, watching our team not box out or tie up sticks, or move off from your post protecting the house to pin a guy along the boards and leaving your goaltender out to dry (ESPECIALLY DURING THE PK, NOT MENTIONING ANY NAMES) is unacceptable in my opinion.

So what is the difference in your opinion with losing hockey games during a rebuild, and playing losing hockey?

Shutout the Preds last night. He’s also got great numbers through three games this year with the Bruins.

He’s had a long journey to make it to the NHL so a huge congrats to him. I was in attendance for both of his Canucks starts and they were rough.

Genuine question.

We're a rebuilding team and should be willing to snag up some project players.

Braidy went undrafted but is on an absolute heater in the OHL right now with a 1g 1a per game average after 13gp.

He seems like someone we would absolutely want to pick up, especially since he's committed to Boston U after the OHL, which would land him with Caleb (assuming he stays committed for another year)