Canucks Summer Faceoff: Which is more likely – Hughes 95 points or Hronek 50 points?

Less than a month away from training camp, it’s time to start thinking about the way the 2025-26 season may unfold for members of the Vancouver Canucks in JPat’s Canucks Summer Faceoff.

For the second straight year, CanucksArmy is conducting a late-summer thought exercise. All week, we will present a pair of options and ask you which is more likely to occur. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, of course, it’s impossible to know how things will go. So we will present cases for both scenarios, and we’re looking for your gut reaction to which one is more likely to happen by season’s end.

Quinn Hughes reaches 95 points or Filip Hronek hits 50 points?

Hughes

Doubt Quinn Hughes at your own discretion. One thing we’ve seen from the Canucks captain through the years is that he is determined to continue to find ways to elevate his game. Two seasons ago, he reached 92 points. So getting to 95 seems well within his reach.

Now, a lot would have to go right for Hughes individually and for the Canucks as a team for the 25-year-old to reach the 95-point mark. But he was on that sort of pace for the first half of last season before injuries took hold. Even at far less than 100%, Hughes still managed 76 points in 68 games, which had him on a 92-point pace.

The Canucks need to find a way to harness Hughes’ greatness, allowing others to benefit from his brilliance. Hughes got his points last season, but the next highest scorer on the team was 26 points behind. Still, to put things in perspective, only two NHL defencemen have reached 95 points in the past 25 years – Erik Karlsson with 101 and Roman Josi with 96. So it’s an elite threshold to say the least. 

Hronek

If Quinn Hughes pushes for 95 points, it stands to reason that his defence partner will play a role. So it’s easy to see how Filip Hronek could see a spike in his production in 2025-26. Two seasons ago, Hronek posted a career-best 48 points. He was right there knocking on the door of being a 50-point defenceman. A significant injury mid-season limited him to 33 points and 61 games last season. But Hronek has proven to be a terrific fit alongside Hughes on the team’s top defensive pairing and, as such, he’s going to play a lot and in almost all situations.

Hronek could stand to shoot more. He has a big shot from the point, but only put 83 shots on goal last season. He has never scored more than nine goals in a season, and it would be good to see him aim for double-digits next season. If all goes well for Hronek, it’s easy enough to envision a 10-goal and 40-assist campaign. He had 43 helpers two seasons ago. It feels like the ceiling of his offensive production, especially in the shadow of a player like Quinn Hughes, but 50 points doesn’t seem like it’s entirely out of the question in the prime of Hronek’s career.

Which is more likely to happen?

While Quinn Hughes would need some good fortune to reach 95 points, it seems like a legitimate target. He was on pace to shatter the team’s single-season record for goals by a defenceman last season, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can get back on that pace and take a run at 20-25 goals. If he can, then that would seem to be the formula to get to 95. Two seasons ago, he scored 17 goals and 75 assists. A few more goals and he could absolutely ascend to new heights.

As for Hronek, a 45-point season seems like it’s there for the taking if he can stay healthy and play the bulk of the team’s games. Finding those additional five points to reach 50 for the first time in his career may prove problematic, but it’s impossible to rule it out.

Verdict

Quinn Hughes is more likely to reach 95 points.

What do you think, Canucks fans? What’s your verdict: Will Elias Pettersson reach 85 points, or will Evander Kane reach 45?