Jack Hughes lifts the lid on conversation with brother Quinn Hughes after D-man pulled out of 4 Nations Face-Off with nagging injury

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes is part of a strong United States roster in the 4 Nations Face-off tournament that gets underway later this month. However, his brother, Canucks defenseman and reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes, has chosen to forgo the tournament due to injury.

Jack Hughes revealed what he said to his brother when he was informed about the news.

“Probably just like, ‘Damn, sorry, man,'” Jack said per NHL.com. “That was about it. There’s not much of a message. He’s just like, ‘I’m sorry, I was so pumped,’ but I’m like, ‘We’re both going to play a long time. At some point, we’ll play — maybe the third year.' Last year was All-Star Game, didn’t happen. This year, this. So, hopefully Olympics next year we’ll get it done."

However, Jack knows that injuries happen and are an unfortunate reality of the game.

"It's frustrating," Jack said. "He's not the only one, though. There's a lot of good players that are injured and can't play in this tournament, but definitely something he's fighting over for a week now since he got injured. He wants to be a part of this. He was really excited to come with this group and put the USA jersey back on. It's frustrating, but if you're injured, you're injured."

Quinn Hughes has not played since suffering an undisclosed injury against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 31. He has been replaced on the US roster by Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators.

Jack Hughes on shifting positions to play with Auston Matthews

Devils center Jack Hughes could find himself playing on the wing in the 4 Nations Face-Off to play alongside Auston Matthews. Hughes said he doesn't mind moving to share the ice with the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar.

"I haven't really played with a shooter like that probably in my life," Hughes said. "(Matthews) is one of the best of the best when it comes to goal scoring, so should be fun to play with him and we'll see how it goes. We've just got to find our way early on and I'm excited."

It remains to be seen whether the US will actually use the line of Matthews, Hughes, and Jake Guentzel in the tournament, but Hughes said it "should be a lot of fun" if they do play together.

The top forward on the Devils, Hughes has scored 24 goals with 41 assists so far this season and is on pace to reach 94 points.