Defenseman Quinn Hughes will not play for the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury, the Vancouver Canucks announced Sunday. He'll be replaced by Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson.
Hughes has missed four straight games for the Canucks, having been out since Jan. 31 with what is speculated to be a lower-body injury. He is acting on the advice of team medical staff.
"He knows his body, and what he can do or not do, so I trust him a lot," Vancouver general manager Patrick Alvin told Sportsnet on Thursday. "We're supporting him."
Coach Rick Tocchet said it's "possible" that Hughes would have been available to the Canucks this week if there weren't a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but that it was "a tough question to answer."
It's a disappointing loss for the Americans in the four-team round-robin tournament that begins this week. Hughes, 25, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman last season and has been his team's most valuable player this season with 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 47 games.
He's part of a generation of young stars getting a chance to represent the U.S. in a "best on best" tournament for the first time -- a generation that includes Jack Hughes, the New Jersey Devils star and Quinn's younger brother.
Sanderson, 22, is in his third NHL season and has 35 points in 55 games for the Senators. The University of North Dakota alum was selected fifth overall in the 2020 NHL draft. He joins a U.S. defense corps that includes Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Team USA opens 4 Nations Face-Off play Thursday against Finland in Montreal (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).