Canucks captain Quinn Hughes re-joins team in Nashville

Hughes had not been with the team on their current road trip when they faced the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild, as he’s been dealing with a lower-body injury. At the start of the road trip, it was confirmed that he wouldn’t be travelling with the team, but there was a possibility he would join them later.

He has yet to be officially cleared for Monday’s contest, but it’s a positive sign that the Canucks captain has joined the team ahead of their game against the Nashville Predators.

Hughes has missed the past two games for the Canucks with a lower-body injury. The cause of the injury is unknown, as he logged 26:25 of ice time in his most recent game, a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, but he has since been out of the lineup for the last four games. In those games without the Orlando, Florida native, the Canucks have a pair of extra time wins (4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers and a 4-3 shootout win against the St. Louis Blues) and losses against the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild.

When he’s been in the lineup, Hughes has been good but not performing at his usual level. He has scored one goal and six assists for seven points through nine games this season.

The Canucks already find themselves dealing with a significant number of injuries early on in the season. Their blueline alone sees Hughes, Derek Forbort and Victor Mancini out with injuries. Up front, Teddy Blueger, Filip Chytil, Conor Garland, Nils Höglander and Jonathan Lekkerimäki are also sidelined with injuries. As a result, 30 different players have already dressed for the Canucks so early on in the season.