Quoting: CMcAvoy73
Hughes at 5 on 5 is a below average d man. Awesome on the powerplay, but fox is better. Werenski too. Therefore there’s just zero use to him being on this team. Maybe he’s the 8th d man or something in case of injury.
Pretty much every Canuck fan on this website will (or should) agree with you that he had a really bad season defensively. That part of your take is fine.
Let's take a look at a different player though: Dahlin. It's hard to despite his potential, and we have seen repeated flashes of his skill. But his defense is far from great. Does this mean he is forever a mediocre defensive player? McDavid was in the doghouse from advanced stat nerds for years, and then suddenly went on to master the defensive game as well.
What is more, we are looking at a player who had a offensive year that many defensemen will never reach in their careers, and are still calling it a down year. Down. Year. This implies that he has done better prior to this year. Defensively as well.
Down years don't define players. Nor do small sample sizes. It's pretty foolish to write off a player's talent just because of a bad year (which honestly everyone in VAN did, and the defensive structure also sucks - so he wasn't exactly set up to thrive).
I consider myself a pretty neutral fan compared to many on this site, but I also refuse to form a conclusion based on only recent events. Dude's 21. Pettersson hasn't been written off because of a similarly bad year, so why should Quinn? The guy was 2nd in the Calder race for a reason. That's not a bias thing. And where I agree he isn't to the level of Makar, Fox, or even Heiskanen, there is no reason to use the one down year and write him off as you've clearly inserted into many posts on here.