Canucks’ Quinn Hughes to return to lineup Nov. 3 against Predators

The Vancouver Canucks are going to get a bit of a relief from the injury crisis they find themselves in, as star defenseman Quinn Hughes will be returning to the lineup for Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators.

The Canucks captain 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. The Canucks went 2-2-0 in his absence.

Hughes had initially not joined the Canucks during their current three-game road trip through the Central Division and stayed in Vancouver during their games against the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. But, he finally joined the team for the final stop of their trip in Nashville, and was seen in practice on Sunday. His status for Monday’s game wasn’t known at the time, but we now know that he will be in the lineup.

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. With his injury behind him, he may begin to return to his usual form.

Hughes’ return is much needed for the Canucks, as they’ve already had to deal with a significant number of injuries early on in the season. Their blueline alone has had Hughes, Derek Forbort and Victor Mancini out with injuries, while up front, Teddy Blueger, Filip Chytil, Conor Garland, Nils Höglander and Jonathan Lekkerimäki are also sidelined. As a result, 30 different players have already dressed for the Canucks so early on in the season.

The Canucks will look to finish off their road trip with a win when they visit the Predators on Monday at 5:30 p.m. PST. Vancouver currently sits in sixth in the Pacific Division with a 6-7-0 record.