Latest - Rick Tocchet's Coaching Ability Questioned After Mishandling Quinn Highes' Injury

The Vancouver Canucks are nearing the halfway point of the season in a playoff spot, but, are still not in a position they feel comfortable in, especially with the recent injuries to superstars Elias Pettersson and captain Quinn Hughes.

With those absences and their performances on home ice, it feels the season is about to slip away and completely fall apart.

When NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed the injuries to the two stars was not too serious, he did mention that there is no time frame for their return, and by the recent announcement, it is a lot longer than expected, as Quinn Highes will not join the team on their 8-game road trip..

The frustrating part about all of this is that it may have been easily avoided as the Canucks captain was doubtful to play against the San Jose Sharks in the last game before the holiday break, but was eventually cleared to suit up the skates.

Obviously hindsight is 20-20, but if the team was going on break for multiple days, and the teams best and most consistent player wasn't 100%, why even allow him to play at all?

The issue here is that Tocchet says a lot of things that end up being the opposite or just flat out untrue, and if Quinn Hughes couldn't hurt his injury more than it already was, then why did he not play against the Seattle Kraken after 4 days of rest??

At this point, it is purely speculative if Rick Tocchet is to blame for Quinn Hughes being out long-term, but what fans want is more clarity and openness on what actually is going on.