Quinn Hughes on joining Team USA: 'They still have their 6 D, the rules are the rules'

Quinn Hughes joining Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada on Thursday night in Boston is turning out to be a very strange situation. Once Charlie McAvoy was ruled out for the final, USA coach Mike Sullivan confirmed to the media that Hughes was coming from Vancouver for the final.

The team was quickly reminded about the tournament rules, love them or hate them, but the fact is Hughes would only be eligible to play if USA didn't have six healthy defensemen to dress. Without McAvoy, the team inserted Ottawa Senators blueliner Jake Sanderson to their lineup, and as of right now, all six active players are ready to play. Leaving Hughes in limbo.

"I really want to," Hughes said when asked if he'll head to Boston. "Obviously been really hard to watch. (I) want to play, but from what I can understand, the rules are the rules. They still have their six D, so that changes my position a little bit," Hughes continued. "If (the NHL) had to do it over again they would allow teams to bring a couple extra players."

"The six D that have been there - of course I want to play - but they've gotten us to the point where we're in a championship game now. Those guys also deserve to play," Hughes said. "But in saying that, it's obviously been hard for me. I'm a competitor and feel like I want to play and need to be there. I can't play unless anyone else gets injured and I obviously don't want to see anyone get injured," Hughes said. "So that's where we're at."

So as it stands now, Hughes won't be making the trip to Boston unless someone becomes unavailable for Thursday's final.

So it’s 48 hours to puck drop for the 4 Nations championship game, and multiple sources close to the Quinn Hughes situation say it’s still fluid as to whether he’s coming here to Boston or not.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 19, 2025

Quinn Hughes is still an option to be an emergency D for Team USA here in Boston. U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said they are working through it with Hughes, it’s a fluid situation, but remember the only way he would be eligible to play is if another D got hurt or ill. The…
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) February 19, 2025