Vancouver Canucks star defenceman Hughes returns to play against Montreal Canadiens

Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes waits for a faceoff against the Tampa Bay Lightning during third period NHL hockey action in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The injury-plagued Vancouver Canucks inserted a crucial piece back into their lineup against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

Star defenceman Quinn Hughes returned for the matchup after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. The Canucks captain practised Sunday and took part in Vancouver’s optional morning skate Monday.

"It's nice to be back. Obviously I hate missing time," Hughes said Sunday. "I don't know what it was before. I played, like, 190 games in a row. I want to take care of my body and be available. So we'll see how it goes."

The 25-year-old American won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman last year and leads the Canucks in points this season with eight goals and 24 assists.

Vancouver (18-12-8) has struggled with the absences of key players all season and several holes remain on the roster.

Centre Elias Pettersson and goalie Thatcher Demko were both on the ice Monday morning, but neither returned to the lineup against the Habs.

Pettersson has not played since making an early exit from the Canucks 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 23. The 26-year-old Swedish star scored twice before leaving with an undisclosed injury.

Demko has played just seven games this season after working his way back from a rare knee injury. The 29-year-old netminder from San Diego, Calif., left Vancouver's 4-3 shootout win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday with back spasms, then sat out the team's 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Friday.

Vancouver also placed winger Dakota Joshua on the injured-reserve list Monday and recalled forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki from the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks on an emergency basis.

Joshua went down hard behind the Nashville net midway through the second period and went to the locker room before returning for the third.

The bruising 28-year-old forward missed the beginning of the season after receiving treatment for testicular cancer.

Joshua joins top-pairing Canucks defenceman Filip Hronek on the injured-reserve list. Hronek has not played since Nov. 27 as he recovers from a procedure he received for a lower-body injury.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2025.