Canucks' Quinn Hughes doesn't mince words about condensed NHL schedule: "How is anyone supposed to stay healthy?"

The Vancouver Canucks, at the quarter mark of the season, sit with a 9-10-2 record. While they haven't been the best on the ice, some of their poor form can be attributed to the nearly endless injuries they have had since the start of the season.

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes stated in his interview with Sportsnet's Ian McIntyre on Wednesday following their practice session that the condensed schedule has had an impact on their team.

“It's obviously frustrating, but I honestly thought this would happen,” Hughes said of the injuries. “It was a big concern of mine coming into the year. If you look at the schedule, how is anyone supposed to stay healthy? You look around the league, we’ve had nine guys out. Tampa had five guys out when we played them (on Sunday). It's like every team around the league has four or five guys out."

The NHL has had to condense its schedule to accommodate a month-long break in February because of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Canucks hadn't played their 21st game last season till November 27. Moreover, they have played only 8 games at home in the first quarter.

The Canucks are currently missing some key pieces like Thatcher Demko, Teddy Blueger, and Filip Chytil. Even Hughes himself has missed 5 games this season.

The obvious choice would have been to reduce the preseason and start the regular season as early as possible. This is something that the league has discussed, considering it is looking to shift to an 84-game regular season.

Quinn Hughes discusses the noise surrounding his stay in Vancouver

At the conclusion of the current season, Quinn Hughes will be asked to pick if he would sign a contract extension with the Canucks, as he becomes eligible for it on July 1. While not willing to answer the question directly, Hughes opened up about the chatter regarding his contract in a hockey-frenzy market like Vancouver.

“It depends on the day and what that noise is,” Hughes stated. “When I say, I can handle the noise, that's my own thoughts. “Obviously, I know there's noise out there. It is weird, but I just know in my head that all I have to do is just control what I can control, which is to try to bring my best every night."

After a slow start to the season, where he earned 10 points in 13 games, Hughes shot back to form, doubling his points tally in his first three games after returning from injury. An offensive powerhouse for the team from the blue line, Hughes is yet to achieve his 56.6 shooting percentage mark from last year, which helped him to 76 points in 68 games.