Hughes was named to the U.S. roster in June but bowed out due to an oblique injury. He can't play unless another defenseman is unavailable.

The United States and Canada will be playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday and Team USA will have a bit of unexpected help in the form of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.

What's best for country isn't always what's best for club, as made clear by this week's dance among the Canucks, Team USA and the NHL.

The USA took some casualties during the round-robin portion of the 4 Nations Face-Off, which included a 3-1 win over Canada to secure a spot in the championship. Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews both sat out the Americans' matchup with Sweden on Monday,

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With defenseman Charlie McAvoy out for the 4 Nations Face-off final against Canada on Thursday, head coach Mike Sullivan reassured everyone that a strong player was waiting in the wings and on the

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman, who had to drop out of the tournament Feb. 9 because of an undisclosed injury, practiced for a second straight day in Vancouver on Wednesday, this time with a regular jersey. He practiced Tuesday in a red, non-contact jersey.

With Hughes unavailable, Team USA has extended invitations to Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson and New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce to join the team in Boston as injury replacements. Like Hughes, Thompson and Pesce would only be available to play if another member of the team is unable to play.

While Mike Sullivan discussed the loss of Charlie McAvoy, his alternate captain, son-in-law and impact defenseman, the coach of the United States was asked whether an extra defenseman might be on his way to Boston ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off championship against Canada (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, SN, TVAS) on Thursday.

The Boston Bruins say defenseman Charlie McAvoy won’t be able to play for the United States in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on his home ice because of an undisclosed upper-body injury.

With Charlie McAvoy‘s injury, the Vancouver Canucks Quinn Hughes has joined Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship. If Hughes gets a chance to play — which has not yet been determined based on the health of Team USA’s roster– ,

After days of wondering whether Quinn Hughes will join Team USA against Canada in the 4 Nations championship, a final decision has been made.