Earlier this afternoon, it was announced that Quinn Hughes will be joining Team USA prior to their final against Canada to wrap up the 4 Nations Face-Off. It initially appeared to be a corresponding move to the absence of Charlie McAvoy, who will not dress for the contest due to an upper body injury.
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Then just 20 minutes later, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman posted that Hughes would not be allowed to play unless another injury or illness occurs.
What is Going On?
Naturally, this led to a lot of confusion. Were the goalposts being moved from when Canada added Thomas Harley when Cale Makar was ill?
Well, no. Despite what some have said, the rule has remained the same the entire time. According to the NHL, “Teams that, by reason of injury, drop below six able-body defenseman, 12 able-body forwards or three able-body goaltenders will be permitted to apply for emergency relief in the form of identifying and adding to their roster additional injury replacement player(s) on an ‘as needed’ basis only.” The US will still have six defensemen with McAvoy out.
Remember, Shea Theodore was hurt in Canada’s first game, meaning they were down to six defensemen. With Makar sick, they were at risk of dropping below six, which meant Harley had to get approved as his injury replacement “by the Chairpersons of the Tournament Directorate (Bill Daly and Rob Zepp).”
Here’s where it gets confusing, and somewhat unfair. “Once an injury replacement player has been approved and added to a team, he will be permitted to practice and participate with his team on an unrestricted basis (practice and/or game) for the balance of the tournament, regardless of whether his team remains in an emergency situation.” This means Harley can play in any game even with Makar fully healthy. If a player is only added for emergency purposes, why can they continue to play when the emergency no longer exists? Thus, as it stands, the United States will have one less defenseman on their roster than Canada for the final.
Most of the confusion now lies in the fact that Hughes isn’t a part of the official roster. “Joining the team”, as head coach Mike Sullivan…
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