Quinn Hughes is 19 years old. He’s seven games into his NHL career.



His progress will be monitored obsessively, but it’s far too soon to draw sweeping conclusions about his game or his development.



Hughes’ peerless production at the NCAA level, in junior tournaments and in a brief NHL cameo during his draft-plus-one season suggest that his potential is unlimited. There will be bumps and errors and learning experiences along the way for the 2018 seventh-overall pick, however.



It’s cruel league, the NHL. And in the best hockey league in the world, the most talented, ruthless, lethal players in the sport eat their young.



Hughes enters his rookie season with sky-high expectations, and it’s not just media-generated hype. The Canucks themselves have already installed a 15-foot image of Hughes’ likeness standing alongside Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser with the caption “Bright Future” high above...