This is not where Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks wanted to be.
Entering this season, there was optimism that this team could, at the bare minimum, compete for a playoff spot.
Now, with five games to go before Christmas, the Canucks are three points clear of last overall in the NHL.
The Canucks are one of five teams that haven’t hit the 30-point mark this season. (NHL.com)
Not only that, but they allowed the Buffalo Sabres to win their first road game in regulation since March 30. They went 3-11-3 during that stretch before defeating the Canucks 3-2 on Thursday night.
The Canucks outplayed the Sabres at Rogers Arena at the end of a four-game homestand, but they still weren’t able to get the job done.
So, is the external noise affecting this team’s play?
No one can say that with certainty, but as Hughes alluded to, he’s well aware of it.
“I mean, I’m obviously human, and I feel stuff,” he said when asked about him and the team sensing the outside noise. “But for me, I feel more the results, where we are in standings. That probably affects me more.”
Hughes was also asked about what he can do as a leader in the locker room to quiet some of the outside chatter.
“I’m just trying to do everything I can,” Hughes said. “I mean, you watch me play. I’m trying to bring it every night and be a good teammate, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Hughes’ head coach, Adam Foote, has certainly been through some turmoil in his first stint as an NHL bench boss. He also commented on what he can do to help his team quell the noise, something that he admitted was affecting the team earlier this week.
“Every day you try to walk in and have a feel for what’s going on,” Foote said. “You can feel, you can sense things, you have conversations, you approach guys, you read the room, read what’s going on.”
“Same thing as when I played, you can tell when someone’s off or if something is bothering someone.”
“You have discussions and make yourself available for guys that need that discussion and [have] your door open.”
Despite giving an overview of what he can do to help, he made it clear again that Canucks players are acutely aware of what’s being said in the market.
“There’s noise. We’re in a Canadian market, there’s always going to be noise.”
“There’s a lot of noise with Huggy and the players; they’re aware of that. It is what it is, and we’re not gonna change it.”
The noise certainly won’t change if the Canucks continue to toil near the bottom of the standings.
They have a five-game road trip that takes them into the Christmas break, beginning on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils.