Ex-Canucks Coach Bruce Boudreau Was Asked To Make Quinn Hughes — Arguably The Best Defenseman In Hockey — A Center

Bruce Boudreau's tenure as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks didn't exactly end on the highest note. If this is the kind of nonsense Boudreau was dealing with at the time, it's no wonder why things weren't clicking for the Canucks until this season.

The Canucks have been an enigma over the last few seasons. They had some solid pieces in place — Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Quinn Hughes, for instance — but they just couldn't get it all to work. In fact, last season saw Boudreau getting fired mid-season, general manager Jim Benning was also canned (the same night they fired Boudreau), and then later in the season captain Bo Horvat was dealt to the Islanders).

It was rough.

However, their fortunes turned on a dime this season, and the Canucks are currently one of the best teams in hockey, and look primed for a playoff run.

On Friday, Boudreau appeared on the NHL Network and dropped a tidbit of info that might shine a light on why the Canucks just couldn't make things work during the last few years.

"I gotta say this for the first time — And I'm not gonna say who — but somebody in that Vancouver organization tried to make me make Quinn Hughes a center last year. And I refused to do it," Boudreau told the NHL Network's Jackie Redmond and Kevin Weekes.

Bruce Boudreau opted against moving Quinn Hughes to center because he's not an idiot. (Getty Images)

Boudreau Didn't Move Quinn To Center Because It's A Stupid Idea

Boudreau (who is a legend; I mean, the guy is in Slap Shot) knew better than to take a player who everyone knew was going to be a Norris-caliber defenseman and move him to a new position first.

Sure, others have switched positions in the past, However, taking your top D-man, and moving to center makes no sense, and if anything would've only weakened Vancouver's blue line.

Of course, as Boudreau noted, Quinn — who is now the Canucks' captain — probably wouldn't have taken the move very well either.

"I am so happy I didn't. First of all, he would probably have not taken it pretty well," Boudreau said. "Secondly, the year he's having a Norris trophy kind of year, boy that it's quite a difference from him playing center on that team."

Quinn currently leads defenseman in scoring with 51 points to Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar who has 48 (though it's worth noting that Makar has played several fewer games).

The Canucks are currently at the top of the Pacific Division with a 6-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights as of Saturday afternoon.

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