Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off final ended in heartbreak, with Canada edging them out 3-2 in overtime. And when they played ‘O Canada’ for the second time, there were barely any Americans left in the arena to boo. The absence of a key player on the American roster was the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Quinn Hughes. And although the reason attributed was a failed medical, the most recent update from left winger Braeden Tkachuk hinted that there’s more to this than just an injury update.

Hughes hasn’t played since January 31. The reason? An oblique injury forced him to bow out of the tournament before it even started. However, to fill in for Charlie McAvoy who was reported to have developed an infection owing to an upper-body injury, U.S. HC Mike Sullivan, although not fully certain, had updated that Hughes was well on his way to joining the team, “We’ll see what we have available to us. We’ll make decisions accordingly. I wish I could offer more on that. I can’t.”

Interestingly, a week ago, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly shared that Hughes couldn’t play unless Team USA didn’t have enough defensemen to play against Canada. Had the decision been left to him, the Vancouver Canucks defenseman would have been present to aid Team USA in their biggest game in more than a decade! We say this because, about a week ago, when Hughes was asked about joining Team USA, he stated, “I really want to… They still have their six D, so that changes my situation a little bit.” Brady Tkachuk, however, had a different story to tell, one that suggested Quinn’s NHL team wanted to prioritize their interest and protect the player from further harm, but nevertheless, deemed “shady.”

Tkachuk appeared on the Spittin’ Chiclets on YouTube and shared:

“I actually FaceTimed Quinn. Kinda like when he was figuring it out when people were like ‘Quinn might come, Quinn might not come’. I think he was all about coming, but I just don’t think he got cleared by Vancouver to play. So, little shady business to begin with. We all know who they are cheering for. 

“But I think that just opens the gate for excitement that this whole tournament was special and know we’re one shot away and still didn’t have one of the best defensemen in the NHL, if not the best, with Quinn.”

Top Comment by Elon

Hey Rohit Yadav, I think we need to clear some things up with what you wrote. Although Hughes wanted to play,...more

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Regardless, losing Hughes was a major blow to Team USA, especially with McAvoy already out. But there was so much more happening in the background.

Reasons why Quinn Hughes was kept back

Hughes’ absence from Team USA’s roster wasn’t a last-minute call—it had been in discussion for days. After McAvoy’s injury, Team USA considered adding Hughes under the tournament’s injury replacement policy and while the player was all in, things simply didn’t materialize.

There were two reasons the player couldn’t represent his country:
1. Hughes’ medical condition/injury.
2. Team USA already had six healthy defencemen available.

In fact, Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote (who previously represented Canada in international play) knew it would turn out to be a dud conclusion for the player.

So it isn’t surprising that many, including Tkachuk, viewed Vancouver’s decision as typical franchise caution, prioritizing team interests over international competition.

With the title slipping narrowly away from Team USA, the argument that Hughes didn’t appear won’t be fading any time soon. Regardless, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored for their side, whereas Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots in regulation, and an additional three in OT. Team USA lost all except one game against Canada in best-on-best international play, which dates back to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.