Goals and expectations for Canucks captain Quinn Hughes in 2025-26

Within reason, it almost feels impossible to set the bar too high for Quinn Hughes heading into the 2025-26 National Hockey League season.

Establish a target for the Vancouver Canucks captain, and there is every reason to believe he’ll nail it. All he’s done throughout his six full NHL seasons is prove there are no limits to what he can achieve. Even in a down season last year, the 25-year-old still led the Canucks in scoring by a whopping 26 points. As a defenceman. And one that had to play through a couple of injuries that derailed his defence of the Norris Trophy he won in 2023-24.

At Christmas, Hughes had 42 points through 34 games and was on a 101-point pace. Given the struggles and circumstances going on around him, it’s fair to suggest that Hughes performed better in the first half of last season than he had the previous year when he was named the best defenceman in the game. But first a hand injury and then a nagging oblique issue slowed his production over the second half of the season. Still, there were many nights when – even while playing through pain – Hughes was easily the best player on the ice. 

In 1,363 minutes at 5-on-5, the Canucks controlled 55.7% of all shot attempts and 60.5% of all goals scored with Quinn Hughes on the ice as Vancouver outscored opponents 65-57.

By season’s end, only Columbus stalwart Zack Werenski averaged more ice time per game than the 25:44 that Hughes logged nightly. And over the team’s final 21 games, Hughes saw his workload rise to 26:41 per game. True to his nature, Hughes did whatever was asked of him as the Canucks tried to claw their way into the playoff picture in the Western Conference. But it was clear by then that the injuries and the demands placed on him were impacting Hughes’ overall performance. He continued to pick up points, but there were lapses in his defensive game, and understandably, he lacked that extra gear late in games, the way Canucks fans had become accustomed to seeing from their superstar.

With a summer to completely heal up, expect Hughes to come back stronger than ever. He has shown throughout his career that he takes on all challenges during the offseason and often picks one or two perceived flaws in his game to address. A few years back, he wanted to prove he was more than a point producer and could defend at the NHL level. Then he made a point of proving critics wrong about his ability to shoot the puck by scoring 17 goals as part of his 92-point Norris campaign. Last year, in 68 games, he scored 16 times and added 60 assists – the fourth straight season he has reached the 60-assist mark.

Hughes will surely be motivated by the fact that Cale Makar won the Norris last season. He’ll also be set on representing the United States at the Olympics after having to skip February’s 4 Nations Face-Off. But most of all, he will be driven to do everything in his power to get the Canucks back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And a determined Quinn Hughes can be a force of nature.

Exceeding expectations for Quinn Hughes

Only one NHL defenceman has reached 100 points in a season since 2000 (Erik Karlsson with 101 in San Jose in 2022-23). If Quinn Hughes can reach the century mark, he has clearly gone above and beyond. More than that, Hughes will want to reach the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, and perhaps he can take a run at Adrian Aucoin’s franchise record for goals by a defenceman. That mark stands at 23. He’ll surely want his 5-on-5 goal differential to get back to where it was a season ago at an astounding +37 (92-55). And finally, Hughes will exceed expectations if he wins another Norris, is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, and he leads the Canucks beyond the first round of the playoffs. 

Meeting expectations for Quinn Hughes

Look, the bar is high for Hughes. That’s just the way it is. So for him to meet expectations, he’ll need to have another 90-point season. He needs to stay healthy and find a way to protect himself from the attention he receives as one of the league’s star players. He has to find a workload that allows him to dominate games, yet won’t wear him down and tire him out for the stretch run in a compressed schedule in an Olympic year. And, as captain, he needs to keep a lid on any locker room drama and drag this team into the playoffs.

Failing to meet expectations for Quinn Hughes

It seems hard to imagine Quinn Hughes won’t live up to the lofty expectations the market has for him. But anything less than 75 points would be an off-season for him. Beyond the points, a negative goal differential when he’s on the ice would be a massive disappointment. The Canucks missing the playoffs for a second straight season in the prime of Hughes’ career would be a gut punch both for the player and the organization. And maybe it’s unfair, but it feels like if Quinn Hughes stays healthy and isn’t a Norris finalist, that would represent a disappointing season for the best defenceman in franchise history.

Quinn Hughes is going to have his work cut out for him trying to get the Canucks to achieve more than the 90 points they finished with last season. But better health for Hughes and many of his teammates, combined with better vibes around the group and a few more overtime victories, would likely allow the team to scratch out the necessary points to be a playoff contender. It’s one thing to say that in August, it’s another, however, to prove it over an 82-game NHL regular season. But if the Canucks can count on one player showing up and leading by example, without a doubt, that player is Quinn Hughes.