HC Rick Tocchet turns heads weighing in on Quinn Hughes' availability for 4 Nations

Vancouver Canucks superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes is dealing with an undisclosed injury that's put his status for the 4 Nations Face-Off up in the air.

The injury occurred during the Canucks 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday. Hughes has missed the last two games since and will miss his third consecutive game on Thursday in San Jose. Vancouver has fared all right, going 1-0-1 in this short stint without Hughes, though that won't last forever.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was asked about his captain's availability for the upcoming tournament after today's practice, which Hughes was absent from.

Canucks play-by-play voice Brendan Batchelor shared Tocchet's response on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

"It depends on the next 48 hours. We'll sit down with Quinn and talk to him. Like every player, you're concerned about safety and health," Tocchet said, per Batchelor.

It would be a massive loss for Team USA not to have arguably its best player available for the 4 Nations.

Reasonably so, the Canucks will prioritize getting Hughes fully healthy for the stretch run after the break. They're in the thick of a playoff race, tied with the Calgary Flames (59 points) for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Quinn Hughes has been the NHL's best defenseman this season

Quinn Hughes' tremendous play so far this season has him on track to win his second consecutive Norris Trophy. The Vancouver Canucks captain has racked up 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 47 games played, leading the NHL point scoring from defense, even though he missed six games due to injuries. His 1.25 points per game blows by his previous career-best rate of 1.12 during the 2023-24 campaign.

His efforts are being recognized as FanDuel has Hughes with the shortest odds to take home the Norris Trophy at -130. Cale Makar (+210) and Zach Werenski (+370) cap off the top three. Hughes is even getting some love with the fifth shortest odds to win the Hart Trophy as the league MVP at +1600.

The Canucks will continue without their captain on Thursday night in San Jose against the Sharks. The puck drops at 10:30 p.m. EST at the SAP Center.