Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced on Sunday afternoon that defenceman Quinn Hughes will not participate in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA. He was one of the first six selections in June and was going to be a huge part of the American blue line. Currently sidelined with an undisclosed injury, it was going to be his decision on whether he felt healthy enough to take part in the tournament. He has been out since the Canucks’ 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Jan. 31, and will now rehab the injury over the next two weeks so that he is available for the playoff push that sees the Canucks three points up on the Calgary Flames for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
It was reportedly a tough decision for Hughes. According to his agent Pat Brisson, “It’s not in his DNA to back out of anything. It was so hard for him to make that decision… but he just feels responsible as captain of the Canucks to be the best he can be for his team. His level of maturity is unmatched for a 25 [year old]”
Hughes is the Canucks’ leading scorer with 14 goals and 59 points in 47 games, and despite being out for four games, he is still second in scoring amongst defencemen – tied with Zach Werenski – and four points back of Cale Makar. He is also still one of the frontrunners for the Norris Trophy, something he won last season with 17 goals and 92 points. If he returns at 100 percent when the Canucks resume play on Feb. 22 against the Vegas Golden Knights, he should get close to that total again, as his point-per-game numbers put him on pace for 93 points.
With Hughes’ decision to pull out and J.T. Miller traded to the New York Rangers, the Canucks will only have two representatives at the tournament, Kevin Lankinen for Team Finland, and Elias Pettersson for Team Sweden. Sweden’s first game will be against Canada on Wednesday while Finland will face the Americans on Thursday.
