It was just a few days ago when Vancouver’s own, Quinn Hughes, was unable to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an unknown injury. In his place, another defenseman of Team USA, Jake Sanderson came to the occasion. The reigning Norris Trophy holder seemed to suffer the mishap towards the end of the Canucks’ rather stern 5-3 defeat to the Dallas Stars on January 31st and ever since, he’s been missing from action. That meant four consecutive games without their team captain, and many people were wondering why that was the case. But when the 4 Nations Face-Off arrived, there were still those who expected to see Hughes alongside Matt Boldy and Brock Faber and ready to play for the USA against Finland.

However, when the puck was dropped at Bell Centre that night, there was no No. 43 in sight. While the first 4 Nations Face-Off was full of energy and charged atmosphere, the 25-year-old defenseman was a spectator of this event. And now, after sacrificing a shot at international glory, the question is—when will Hughes return to the NHL?

Quinn Hughes’ NHL comeback gets an update!

Longtime Canucks insider Iain MacIntyre, who’s been covering the squad since way back in ‘91, hopped on X on February 21 to drop some fresh updates straight from the rink. Sharing the latest scoop, he wrote, “Per Canucks coach Rick Tocchet, C Elias Pettersson’s status is day-to-day w injury from 4 Nations, and it doesn’t appear Quinn Hughes will be ready to play SAT vs VGK. Both Pettersson and Hughes left the ice shortly after today’s practice began.”

While Pettersson may not be having the best of seasons with just 11 goals in the NHL season and 0 points in 4 Nations, losing him ahead of a long stretch of away games does not bode well for the Canucks either. Meanwhile, Quinn Hughes has been the Canucks’ leading goal scorer this season with 14 goals and 45 assists.

Earlier, he was rumored to join Team USA in the final as an injury replacement if any other player on the team joined Bruins star Charlie McAvoy on the injury list. But those rumors were eventually quashed after he wasn’t cleared by the Canuck’s to play and the Sabres’ Tage Thompson and the Devils’ Brett Pesce were put on standby as insurance. Needless to say, it has been a hard few days for Hughes. But at least he had the backing of an insider when he took the hard call of not participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Hughes’ decision made sense to the insider

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman thinks Quinn Hughes had one choice—chase international glory or put his NHL team first. And like a true leader, he picked health over headlines and the Canucks over everything. The guy has been out since the end of January and Vancouver cannot afford to have its captain on the bench any longer. NHL insider Friedman explained it on 32 Thoughts, stating that, “If Hughes is in a situation where it gets worse while he’s playing in this tournament, it really could derail Vancouver’s season.” And let’s be real—Hughes is the glue holding this Canucks squad together. If they want to make a deep playoff run, they need their guy at full throttle.

Friedman also recalled his own tough-call experience and mentioned that he once refused to cover the 2018 Winter Olympics because he did not want to miss the NHL games. “Sportsnet offered to release me, and I was gonna go work it for CBC. But I didn’t go. Because the NHL games were going on… and I just didn’t think it was the right thing to do.” That is why even the professionals know what it is like to make sacrifices when the stakes are raised. And when it comes to Hughes, Friedman totally gets it: “I can only imagine how much it stinks not to play with his brother and play for the U.S. in this tournament. But, you know, ultimately, you can’t derail your NHL team season, and I think he knows that.”

Overall, on-the-field, being a captain revolves far beyond the goal line and how many goals have been set. As Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said it: “He has to make sure he takes care of himself. We need a healthy Quinn Hughes if we’re going to go anywhere.” And that is precisely what Hughes is doing. Giving up an opportunity at international ice time was not an easy call but, he does not lose sight of the goal–to get the Vancouver team to the playoffs, that is where the real play is.