Quinn Hughes will not play for United States at 4 Nations Face-Off

Quinn Hughes will not play for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Sunday.

The 25-year-old defenseman was replaced by Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators.

Hughes missed the Canucks' final four games before the 4 Nations Face-Off because of an undisclosed injury. He hasn't played since a 5-3 loss at the Dallas Stars on Jan. 31, when he had one assist in 23:26 of ice time. However, Hughes only played three shifts in the final 15:28 of that loss and appeared to be in discomfort on the bench. He then took warmups ahead of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 2 but ultimately did not play.

Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman last season, leads Vancouver with 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 47 games this season.

“I know Quinn is a USA guy, loves his country, playing with his brother. There’s a lot of positives to that,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said on Wednesday. “But he’s a smart kid, too. He understands what’s at stake.”

Hughes, who is from Orlando, Florida, was one of the first six players named to the U.S. roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in June. His brother, forward Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, was added to the team when the full rosters were announced on Dec. 4.

Sanderson, 22, has 35 points (five goals, 30 assists) in 55 games for the Senators this season. Selected by Ottawa with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Sanderson has 105 points (19 goals, 86 assists) in 211 games.

The U.S. will open its tournament against Finland at Bell Centre in Montreal on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS).