With the recent news that Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes would not be medically cleared to join Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off final in Boston Tuesday night, the United States has reportedly named two injury replacements just in case.
With an illness purportedly circulating through the team, the U.S. is bringing in two new players as a precaution. New Jersey Devils defenceman Brett Pesce and Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson are the players designated to fill in for Hughes and, potentially, any other players who come down with an injury or illness.
Pesce, a stay-at-home defender, has played extensively with Quinn's youngest brother, Luke Hughes, in New Jersey this season. Thompson, a big-bodied sniper, was among the U.S.'s last cuts before the tournament, so he will assuredly be a worth fill-in if called upon. We wonder about Clayton Keller, though...
Same rules apply for Pesce and Thompson that did for Canada 🇨🇦 and Thomas Harley in Montréal: They cannot join the team in Thursday's morning skate unless USA 🇺🇸 drops below the roster thresholds. https://t.co/oUXHom8LEj
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 19, 2025
Bear in mind that, even if the Canucks cleared Hughes to play at the 4 Nations, he would have only been allowed to play if, and only if, a U.S. defenceman suffered an illness or injury that prevented them from playing. With Charlie McAvoy out with an unfortunate injury and subsequent infection, the U.S. is down to exactly six defencemen, including Hughes's original injury replacement in Jake Sanderson.
On the other side of the final, Canada has already gone through the NHL's rule roulette with injuries. When Vegas defenceman Shea Theodore suffered a tournament-ending injury, Dallas defenceman Thomas Harley was identified as his replacement. However, Harley was only allowed to play and practice with Canada when Cale Makar missed a game with an illness. From that point forward, Harley was permitted to play and practice with Canada at any time.
So, while the 4 Nations Face-Off has been an unforeseen boon to the sport of hockey and the NHL's popularity, this injury situation is one they will have to correct in future iterations of the tournament, if there are any.