The Vancouver Canucks have had a brutal run of luck with their star players.
They began the season with Thatcher Demko injured and J.T. Miller banged up. They were without Miller for nearly a month and it’s been more than a month since Filip Hronek got hurt. Brock Boeser also missed seven games in November.
And now Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson are out, with both star players each missing their first game of the season Saturday.
Rick Tocchet claimed post-game game that he hadn’t “talked to the doctors,” as a reason he couldn’t give an update on Hughes and Pettersson. We still don’t have a timeline for either player, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman did provide some good news about the mystery injuries on Hockey Night in Canada.
“From what we’re hearing, the injuries not considered serious. They are not considered to be long-term injuries,” said Friedman.
The Canucks could certainly use some good news after Saturday’s debacle. They blew a 4-1 lead with under five minutes to play, marking a dubious Canucks franchise-first. The loss of Hughes was especially glaring, as Tyler Myers, Carson Soucy, and Noah Juulsen all made blunders in the collapse.