Defenseman Quinn Hughes will not join Team USA for their 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada, as he is still recovering from an oblique injury that kept him out of action since Jan. 31.
Hughes’ team, the Vancouver Canucks, had cleared him for contact in practice on Wednesday, but traveling to Boston for the game and then to Las Vegas for their next match would have been a taxing schedule for him.
Tournament rules state that if a team loses two players due to injury or illness, they can bring in a non-roster player as an emergency replacement.
The decision ends speculation about Hughes’ potential return, despite having initially made the Team USA roster. His brother Jack Hughes, who plays on Team USA’s top line, said Quinn is frustrated but will be excited for upcoming events like the Olympics and World Cup of Hockey.
Source: https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/43924781/quinn-hughes-join-us-4-nations-championship-game