General manager Patrik Allvin declared on Sunday that Quinn Hughes, a defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, will not play in the 4 Nations Face-Off because of an injury.
USA Hockey has confirmed that Jake Sanderson, a blue liner with the Ottawa Senators, will take Hughes’ position for the Americans.
The Canucks captain Hughes and his younger brother Jack were scheduled to play for the United States in the first international competition to feature the NHL’s top players since 2016.
However, due to an unidentified injury, the 25-year-old missed his fourth consecutive game on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, endangering his chances of playing in the midseason. He hasn’t suited up since Jan. 31, when he appeared to get hurt during a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars
On Hockey Night in Canada’s Saturday Headlines segment, Friedman stated that the Canucks have been letting Hughes make the 4 Nations choice.
Friedman remarked, “I’ve heard he’s just agonizing over it.” “The circumstances in Vancouver and Pittsburgh (with Sidney Crosby) are different. I believe he feels pressure because Vancouver is in the playoffs and Pittsburgh is far lower in the standings.
With 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) from 47 games this season, the defending champion leads the league in defensive scoring.
With five goals and seven assists in his previous eight games, Hughes is also Vancouver’s top scorer. He has at least one point in each of those games.
Before the Canucks play again on February 22 against the Vegas Golden Knights, he will have two weeks to address whatever has been bugging him.
In 55 games this season, Sanderson, 22, has scored 35 points (five goals, 30 assists) for the Senators.
Together with Artem Zub, the 2020 fifth-overall selection has played on a shutdown tandem for Ottawa, who presently owns the Eastern Conference’s top wild-card berth.
In the team’s first game against Finland on Thursday at Montreal’s Bell Centre, Sanderson will don the stars and stripes alongside Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ will provide live coverage of the competition.
A number of players, including Swedish goalie Jacob Markstrom, Finnish blueliner Miro Heiskanen, and Canadian defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, have been forced to withdraw from the international competition due to injuries.
Dave Mantin