LATEST | Tocchet mixing his defensive pairings: The end of Hughes and Hronek

Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek have spent much time playing together this season. They rank 1st and 2nd among Canucks defensemen in points (70 and 44, respectively), and it's not close — Tyler Myers is third with just 23 points.

It appears Rick Tocchet is mixing things up, perhaps to spread the offensive potential throughout the lineup. Hughes was skating with former first-round pick Noah Juulsen at practice, while Hronek skated with Nikita Zadorov. Ian Cole and Myers made up the other pair, while Mark Friedman skated as an extra.

This is amid a rare tough stretch for the team, as they are just 4-4-2 across their last ten games and hold a one-point lead for first in the NHL over Florida and Boston — though Florida has two games in hand, while Boston has one.

The Canucks will host the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night in a crucial divisional matchup.