Vancouver Canucks star defenseman Quinn Hughes is joining Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game versus Canada as a potential injury replacement, U.S. head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including TSN, Tuesday morning.
Boston Bruins rearguard Charlie McAvoy is out for Thursday's final because of an upper-body injury. Team USA has six defensemen currently available and cannot add Hughes to the roster unless another blue-liner drops out, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
However, Hughes was at Canucks practice Tuesday afternoon in Vancouver.
"I really want to," Hughes said when asked if he'll head east to play for USA, per The Athletic's Thomas Drance. "They still have their six D, so that changes my situation a little bit."
Whether Hughes is going to Boston remains a fluid situation, sources told LeBrun.
Hughes was initially on the roster but withdrew before the tournament because of an undisclosed injury.
"We're gonna take each day as it comes," Sullivan told reporters, including TSN. "We'll see what we have available to us, and we'll make decisions accordingly."
Canada was permitted to add Thomas Harley to its roster after Shea Theodore was ruled out for the tournament and Cale Makar was unavailable because of illness Saturday versus the United States.
Hughes last played Jan. 31 against the Dallas Stars. The reigning Norris Trophy winner has 14 goals and 59 points in 47 games this season.
