Quinn Hughes’ Absence Looms Large for Team USA in 4 Nations Final
In a surprising turn of events, defenseman Quinn Hughes will not be making the trip to Boston to join the United States team as an injury replacement for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada. This news was confirmed by his agent to ESPN on Wednesday, leaving fans and analysts alike buzzing with speculation and disappointment.
For those who have been following the tournament closely, the absence of Hughes is a significant blow. The Americans, however, have prepared for such contingencies. Sources have informed ESPN that the team will have Tage Thompson from the Buffalo Sabres and Brett Pesce from the New Jersey Devils as their injury insurance for Thursday night’s final.
Hughes, at 25, was initially expected to step in for the Americans after defenseman Charlie McAvoy was sidelined due to a significant injury. McAvoy’s unfortunate hospitalization on Monday with an infection in his right shoulder and a severe AC joint injury left a gap that Hughes was anticipated to fill.
Initially, Hughes was part of Team USA’s roster but had to withdraw due to an oblique injury. The Vancouver Canucks have not yet officially cleared him to return to play, as he has been out of action since January 31. Although he wore a red non-contact jersey during Canucks practice on Tuesday, he was only cleared for contact in Wednesday’s practice.
Adding to the complexity, sources revealed that Hughes recently traveled back to Vancouver from the East Coast. The prospect of flying to Boston and then to Las Vegas for the Canucks’ next game on Saturday would have made for an exhausting travel schedule.
According to tournament rules, if a team loses two players at forward or on defense due to injury or illness, they can bring in a non-roster player as an emergency replacement. Team Canada, for instance, called up Thomas Harley from the Dallas Stars after losing Shea Theodore from the Vegas Golden Knights to injury, and with Cale Makar from the Colorado Avalanche unable to play against the U.S.
- Quinn Hughes’ absence is a significant blow to Team USA.
- Hughes was initially part of the roster but withdrew due to injury.
- Team USA will rely on Tage Thompson and Brett Pesce as replacements.
- Hughes’ travel schedule was a factor in his decision not to join the team.
Hughes himself commented on the situation, saying, “The rules are the rules. I can’t play unless anyone else gets injured, and I obviously don’t want to see anyone get injured. If they had to do it over again, I think they’d allow teams to bring a couple extra players.”
The decision not to play ends two days of intense speculation about whether one of the NHL’s best players could make a surprise comeback in the championship game. Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman last season, has 14 goals and 59 points to lead the Canucks, while averaging more than 25:18 in ice time this season.
On Tuesday, U.S. coach Mike Sullivan had confidently stated, “Quinn Hughes is coming,” when asked about bringing in a defenseman from outside their roster. However, after Wednesday’s morning skate, Sullivan acknowledged that Hughes was not yet on his way from Vancouver, and that Team USA GM Bill Guerin and his assistants were still working to bring him to the 4 Nations final.
U.S. players had been hopeful that Hughes might join them in Boston, if not to play, then at least to support the team. “I know he’s been watching every game,” said his brother Jack Hughes of the Devils, who plays on Team USA’s top line. “I know he is definitely frustrated. He wishes he could be a part of this and a lot of great players that were injured and couldn’t play a couple of them, so he’s one of them and we’re missing him big time. But I know he was really looking forward to this and coming down the road here at the Olympics and World Cup Hockey coming up, I know he’ll be really excited for those events.”
Jack Hughes described the drama surrounding his brother’s Team USA status as “just a tough situation for everyone” involved. Quinn Hughes himself admitted that the initial decision not to play was “extremely hard” for him.
“I gotta thank Bill Guerin for how patient he was with me, not only 10 days ago but even last night and the last 24 hours. He understood how much I wanted to play and also what my obligations were to the Canucks. Really what it came down to, I just wasn’t healthy enough where I wasn’t sure it could get worse,” he said. “If there’s a positive, I should be healthy enough to go next game against Vegas.”
As Team USA prepares to face Canada for the 4 Nations championship Thursday night at TD Garden, fans are eagerly anticipating a rematch of their emotional battle in Montreal on Saturday night. That game featured three fights in the opening nine seconds and ended with a 3-1 victory for the Americans.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan contributed to this report.
Originally Written by: Greg Wyshynski
