Team Canada in trouble? Quinn Hughes activated for 4 Nations Face-Off final
Photo credit: NHL
Breaking news from the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament as Vancouver Canucks star defenceman Quinn Hughes has been activated for the final this Thursday against Team Canada.
Hughes was originally named to Team USA's roster for the tournament, but made the difficult decision to stay back in Vancouver as he nursed an upper body injury he suffered during the Canucks' 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars back on January 31st.
The injury saw Hughes continue to skate and be a game-time decision at various points leading up to the break.
Quinn Hughes to play against Team Canada
According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, Quinn Hughes will be joining the team as the replacement for Charlie McAvoy, who was admitted to hospital last night for an infection, and has been ruled out of the tournament.
Just earlier this morning, Team USA was apparently told that no replacements would be available to them following injuries to not just McAvoy, but also both Tkachuk brothers, Auston Matthews, and Vincent Trochek.
Now, because this tournament is new, the rules on call-ups aren't exactly clear, and it's unclear whether or not Hughes is actually eligible to play in Thursday's game. Here's what Frank Seravalli said about the situation on Tuesday's episode of Daily Faceoff Live.
«It's not entirely clear at this moment in time whether or not Quinn Hughes coming back is eligible to play on Thursday,» said Seravalli, acknowledging that Canada being able to play Thomas Harley was due to the fact they lost two defenceman.
«Unless there's something else at play here and there's another defenceman that's banged up which we don't know about, the US has six defencemen right now.
«So this situation has flipped. There's a lot to figure out, and I'm telling you that this is so fluid because in the last hour, one hour ago, the US was told that they couldn't add anyone. So the NHL and NHLPA have gotten together and have made a decision here that Quinn Hughes can rejoin, and I don't know if it's a different situation, because he was originally named to the roster when they were handed out on December 4, but nonetheless, an incredible turn of events.»
-Frank Seravalli
«Unless there's something else at play here and there's another defenceman that's banged up which we don't know about, the US has six defencemen right now.
«So this situation has flipped. There's a lot to figure out, and I'm telling you that this is so fluid because in the last hour, one hour ago, the US was told that they couldn't add anyone. So the NHL and NHLPA have gotten together and have made a decision here that Quinn Hughes can rejoin, and I don't know if it's a different situation, because he was originally named to the roster when they were handed out on December 4, but nonetheless, an incredible turn of events.»
-Frank Seravalli
