Is Quinn Hughes playing in 4 Nations Face-Off? Canucks captain's availability for Team USA revealed

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes will not play in the 4 Nations Face-Off as he is dealing with an oblique muscle injury. Hughes was set to represent Team USA in the tournament but Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson will replace him. Sanderson’s skating and puck-moving skills will help the team; however, Hughes’ absence is a big loss.

Hughes' unavailability was confirmed on Sunday by Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

"Jake Sanderson has been added to the Team USA 🇺🇸 #4Nations roster as an injury replacement, taking the spot vacated by Quinn Hughes." Johnston tweeted.

The 4 Nations Face-Off starts on Wednesday and runs until Feb. 20. The games will take place in Montreal and Boston. Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland will compete, with each team playing three games and the top two will face off in the final.

Hughes' next chance to return to play is on Feb. 22 when the Canucks take on the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The USA roster without Quinn Hughes in the lineup

Team USA’s roster has strong forwards, defensemen, and goalies. The forwards include Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes. The defense will feature stars like Jake Sanderson, Charlie McAvoy and Adam Fox, while goalies are Connor Hellebuyck, Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger. The team has a good mix of skill, speed and defense.

Here's what the new USA roster looks like, per NHL.com.

Forwards (13)

• J.T. Miller - Jack Eichel - Matthew Tkachuk
• Kyle Connor - Auston Matthews - Jack Hughes
• Jake Guentzel - Dylan Larkin - Brady Tkachuk
• Brock Nelson - Vincent Trocheck - Matt Boldy

Chris Kreider (extra)

Defensemen (7)

• Jake Sanderson - Charlie McAvoy
• Jaccob Slavin - Adam Fox
• Zach Werenski - Brock Faber

Noah Hanifin (extra)

Goalies (3)

• Connor Hellebuyck
• Jake Oettinger
• Jeremy Swayman

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The Vancouver Canucks enter the 4 Nations Faceoff break with hat-trick wins

The Vancouver Canucks have a 26-18-11 record and are fourth in the Pacific Division. Jake DeBrusk leads the team in goals with 19 and Quinn Hughes leads in assists (45) and points (59).

The Canucks are doing well without Hughes in the lineup. In their last game before the 4 Nations faceoff on Saturday, they defeated the Maple Leafs 2-1 to extend their winning streak to three games. They also defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-1 and the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-0 shutout.