Quinn Hughes, a key player for the Vancouver Canucks, had a strong relationship with head coach Rick Tocchet and was a vocal supporter of him remaining with the team. Despite this, the Canucks decided to part ways with Tocchet, a decision that left both Hughes and the Canucks' president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, feeling disappointed. Hughes, known for his sensitivity and maturity, has yet to respond to the news, which Rutherford attributes to his potential engagement in leisure activities like golf. The team's decision comes against a backdrop of missed playoffs for four out of the last five seasons, highlighting the need for strategic changes. Hughes, a recent Norris Trophy winner, is expected to play a significant role in the team's future plans and is set for a substantial salary increase from his current contract cap hit of $7.85 million.

Quinn Hughes and Rick Tocchet shared a strong professional relationship, with Hughes actively supporting Tocchet's continued role as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks' management decided to part ways with Tocchet, which surprised Hughes and left him and the team president, Jim Rutherford, disappointed by the unexpected decision.

Jim Rutherford speculated that Hughes' non-response to the news might be due to personal leisure activities, reflecting on Hughes' known sensitivity and maturity.

The Canucks have missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, indicating a period of underperformance that likely contributed to the decision to change the coaching staff.

Quinn Hughes not only won the Norris Trophy last season, marking him as one of the top defensemen in the NHL, but is also due for a significant contract raise, which underscores his importance to the team's future strategy.

Quinn Hughes and Rich Tocchet had a great relationship and the former was a loud proponent for his head coach remaining in Vancouver. 

However, the Canucks decided to go another way, with the team and Tochett splitting Tuesday morning. 

When asked if he’d gotten the chance to talk with Hughes about Tocchet leaving, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was brutally honest. 

“I hope he’s playing golf because he usually returns my calls right away, and I called him within half an hour after I talked to Rick. So he hasn’t called me back yet,” said Rutherford “Knowing how he feels about the coach and that he’s a sensitive guy, I would suspect that he feels like I do. We’re disappointed. But knowing the maturity of Quinn, he will make the adjustment necessary.”

“But they did have a very strong relationship, a very good one, and Quinn had a lot of respect for him and Tocch had a lot of respect for Quinn, so there will definitely be an adjustment there.”

It’s not clear what Hughes was up to, but the star defenseman will need to be a big part of the Canucks’ plans going forward — regardless of who is head coach. 

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The Canucks missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. Hughes is due for a massive contract raise from his current $7.85-million cap hit. He won the Norris Trophy last season and is one of the best players in the NHL.