Hall Of Fame D-Man Says Canucks’ Quinn Hughes Is His Favorite To Watch, Paying Back Compliment

It was during his draft year in 2018 when Quinn Hughes was asked by reporters which defenseman he looked to as a blueprint for success.

His answer: Duncan Keith.

“He’s so fun to watch. I think his offensive game is awesome. I don’t have to tell you how good he is in that zone. His D-zone is just as good,” said Hughes back then. “I want to get to that point, for sure.”

Seven years later, the recent Hall of Fame inductee paid the compliment back, with Keith telling The Hockey News on Saturday that now that he’s retired, Hughes is one of the defensemen that he enjoys watching the most.

“I had the chance to talk with Quinn Hughes when the Vancouver Canucks came to Penticton for training camp. It was interesting, (because) the more you watch a player, the more you can see,” said Keith. “Every player has certain things they like to do on the ice over and over again, and during a game, it becomes a pattern. Those two guys right there (Cale Makar and Hughes) are my favorite players to watch.

“It’s so fun to watch the things they do at the offensive blueline and that whole approach.”

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Keith played parts of four seasons against Hughes and Makar before retiring at the end of 2021-22. In fact, Keith’s last game was a 6-5 overtime loss against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final, with Makar scoring a goal and picking up four assists — including setting up the OT-winner — in Game 4.

That game likely signalled that Keith’s time in the NHL was coming to a close, while also providing a glimpse of what was to come. That season, Makar won the Norris Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after scoring 29 points in 20 playoff games. Two years later, Hughes won the Norris Trophy after scoring 92 points in 82 games.

Indeed, not a lot of time has passed in the three years since Keith has been retired. And yet, to hear Keith talking about today’s NHL defensemen, so much has changed with a position that continues to evolve.

You can see it every night, in every game, said the two-time Norris Trophy winner, whether it’s watching how New York Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer sprints up the ice with the puck like he’s Connor McDavid on a rush or in the way in which Hughes, Makar and Montreal’s Lane Hutson are able to walk the tight-rope of the offensive blueline in a way that neither Keith nor his predecessors dreamed was possible.

“Each generation does things that nobody has seen before, and that’s part of what makes hockey so special. It’s changed a lot,” Keith said. “I think it’s just their skating. It comes down to their skating.” 

Yes, the skating has improved. But it’s not just that.

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Keith, who trained with a figure skater early in his career, was often praised as much for his skating ability as his ability to spend half the game on the ice logging big-time minutes. And yet, he didn’t do the flashy things that Hughes, Makar and others are doing today.

No question, today’s NHL defensemen are great at skating the puck out of danger. But there’s a fearlessness they all possess, combined with an element of creativity, which has allowed them to do things in the offensive zone that simply weren’t done before.

“When I first watched (Nicklas) Lidstrom, he would walk that blueline and take that half slapper,” said Keith. “And now, you’re walking the blueline, and you’re faking a certain thing and going down to the corner, and it’s on another level. That’s just the way that hockey goes.”

At the same time, the reason Keith is in the Hall of Fame isn’t because of his offensive ability. Rather, it was his ability to defend and do the things that led to three Stanley Cup wins, whether it was blocking a shot or taking a hit to make an outlet pass.

Those things, said the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, haven’t changed.

“There are certain foundational things that have to be there,” he said. “The edge work and the skill keeps going up and up, but determination, willing to sacrifice and keeping it simple are things that maybe don’t get a lot of talk, but they can be effective too in the playoffs.”

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