This is not a good situation that the Vancouver Canucks are finding themselves in as the schedule officially hits crunch time with the NHL Trade Deadline now only days away.

Following Saturday night's loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Canucks are now 1-4 in their last five games. Even worse is that captain Quinn Hughes, who has been battling an ailment that kept him from playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-off tournament, didn't play for the last nine minutes of regulation against the Kraken.

According to coach Rick Tocchet, Hughes “tweaked” something against Seattle and will undergo further testing, via X.

“He tweaked something, so we'll look at it tomorrow. I'm not sure right now what's going on,” Tocchet said after the game.

The Canucks can ill-afford to lose Hughes for any lengthy amount of time, especially considering their precarious position in the standings. As of Sunday, they're in fourth place in the Pacific Division by a single point.

They next host the Anaheim Ducks, who are right behind them in the standings, on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver; puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 PM EST.

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Canucks captain Quinn Hughes couldn't play in the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) handles the puck against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Rogers Arena.
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Thanks to his ongoing ailment, Hughes was not medically cleared by Team USA to play in the 4 Nations Face-off tournament.

“Team USA has been informed Quinn Hughes is not traveling here to Boston to join the team. Wasn’t medically cleared,” NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun reported on X. “Sounds like Team USA looking at bringing in a couple of other players just as insurance, because of illness going around.”

Hughes, who is the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman from 2023-24, has 14 goals with 46 assists in 50 games so far in 2024-25.