In his full quote, Hughes mentions eight players--Tanev, Schenn, Markstrom, Miller, Myers, Pettersson, Boeser and Demko. At first look, Hughes' quote looks like a player appreciating his teammates but the quote is missing one big name.
Bo Horvat, Canucks captain from 2019-23, was suspiciously left off this list. Horvat, whom Quinn Hughes was assistant captain with last season, was traded half-way through last season. While it is possible that Hughes just slipped up and forgot his former teammate. This could suggest that there is some bad blood between the two players.
This potentially gives fans an idea of what was going on behind the scenes last season. With Horvat's absense for a full year and the leadership of Hughes, it will be interesting to see how the Canucks play this season.
