It appears Quinn Hughes won't be heading to Boston after all.
The Vancouver Canucks captain won't be joining Team USA ahead of Thursday's 4 Nations Face-Off final versus Canada, Sportsnet can confirm.
Hughes, who is in Vancouver, was not going to travel across the country if he wasn't eligible to play in the final. The Canucks defenceman was listed as an injury replacement after the Boston Bruins announced star defenceman Charlie McAvoy will miss the championship game after being admitted to hospital for tests related to an upper-body injury.
And because Hughes is eligible to play only if there is another injury to a member of the USA's blueline, he's going to stay in Vancouver instead.
Canada vs. USA in 4 Nations Face-Off final on Sportsnet
Fierce rivals Canada and the U.S. collide in Boston on Thursday for the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Full coverage begins on on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT.
Full broadcast schedule
After practising with the Canucks in a red non-contact jersey on Tuesday, Hughes was in a contact jersey at practice on Wednesday. Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote said Wednesday that Hughes has been cleared for contact, but the team determined he wasn't cleared to play yet.
"The rules are the rules. I can't play unless anyone else gets injured, and I obviously don't want to see anyone get injured," Hughes said Tuesday afternoon.
“It's been fun to watch. Hard for me to watch. I’m close with a lot of those USA guys and proud of how they've been playing. And the six (defencemen) that have been there, of course, I want them to play. They've gotten us to the point where we're in a championship game now, and those guys also deserve to play.
"But in saying that, it's obviously been hard for me. I'm a competitor, and I feel like I want to play and need to be there.”
Among six players initially named to the U.S. roster back in June, the 25-year-old Hughes missed Vancouver's final four games ahead of the 4 Nations and was replaced in the Team USA lineup by Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators.
The decision to opt out of the tournament wasn't easy for him.
“Not to be dramatic, but it was extremely hard. I mean, it's been something I've been looking forward to for a long time," Hughes said.
— With files from the Canadian Press
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.