The situation involving Quinn Hughes and Team USA is very unclear as the Championship Game is less than 48 hours away. On Tuesday morning, during his media availability, Head Coach Mike Sullivan casually said that Quinn Hughes was coming when asked about a possible replacement for the injured Charlie McAvoy.
However, the rules clearly stated that even though Hughes could come to Boston, he could not practice or play unless Team USA fell below 18 skaters. But he was originally named to the initial roster back in Vegas in June at the 2024 NHL Draft. However, due to an injury suffered in the regular season, Hughes missed the final four games for the Canucks and was replaced by Jake Sanderson.
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It was a disappointing blow to the American blueline, but it appeared he was coming back for the big matchup with Canada on Thursday. However, Quinn Hughes did not sound like a player who was coming to Boston to help out Team USA on Thursday, as he met with the media after practice on Tuesday as NHL activities resumed.
“I think the plan was to just see how my skate went today,” Hughes told the media in Vancouver. “I feel like I felt pretty good. I mean, 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. So, yeah, I think that’s where we’re at.”
Sullivan is taking the same approach regarding the participation of the reigning Norris Trophy winner with Team USA.
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“Well, right now, we’re just taking each day as it comes,” Sullivan added. “We’re gonna take it one day at a time. We’ll see what potential options might be available for us for the championship game, and then we’ll make decisions accordingly.”
Whether he was fed bad information or it was made unclear to him that Hughes was not ready to play, the plot thickens heading into Thursday. The Canucks defenseman was spotted at practice back in Vancouver and was still wearing a red non-contact jersey.
Quinn Hughes action video from #Canucks practice @CanucksArmy pic.twitter.com/gk3UmduxMZ
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) February 18, 2025
So, it makes you ask two questions. One, why would Sullivan drop his name out of nowhere and so casually? And two, why would Quinn Hughes fly from his vacation location to New Jersey, Vancouver, Boston, and then to Vegas to meet the Canucks, only not to play? That is a lot of miles for a player who is not playing.
“I guess we’ll just see what happens. I’ll be in touch with those guys and just go from there,” Hughes continued with the Vancouver media. “I guess I could fly down there and then fly back, but we’ll just see where this goes.”
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It has been a long process for Hughes, who wanted to play for Team USA from the start. It was a long and hard decision not to play for Team USA. Quinn Hughes is thankful to GM Bill Guerin for being so patient with him through this entire process.
“I gotta thank Bill Guerin for how patient he was with me, not only 10 days ago but even last night and the last 24 hours,” Hughes continued with the Vancouver media. “He understood how much I wanted to play and also what my obligations were to the Canucks. Really, what it came down to, I just wasn’t healthy enough.”
The situation remains fluid. Nobody knows what exactly is going on. There should be clarification on Monday morning. However, there is a report that Quinn Hughes will not fly to Boston if he knows he is not going to play on Thursday.
Team USA will currently have 12 forwards and six defensemen. However, if they lose another player upfront, could Quinn Hughes actually play? Stay tuned to find out as the drama surrounding Team USA continues.