The Vancouver Canucks announced on Sunday that defenseman Quinn Hughes will not be participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off amid an ongoing injury. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson will be replacing him to represent Team USA.

The injury to Hughes has kept him out of the last four games for the Canucks. The last game he featured in was before the new year on Jan. 31. It was in a 5-3 loss against the Dallas Stars.

There hasn’t been much detail on what has kept Hughes’ out of the lineup and it continues to be listed as an undisclosed injury.

It’s a big loss for Team USA and the Canucks given Hughes’ has been playing at a rate that keeps him in the Hart Trophy conversation.

In 47 games so far this season, he’s scored 14 goals and 59 points. The defenseman leads the team in points by 24, with right-winger Brock Boeser next on the list with 35 points.

Furthermore, before his injury, he was in the middle of an eight-game point streak, recording 12 points and two multi-goal games.

As for Sanderson, he’s having the best season of his short career. In 55 games, he’s scored five goals and 35 points for the Senators.

The 22-year-old has been a big reason for Ottawa’s push for the playoffs. The Sens hold onto the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with a 29-23-4 record and 62 points. The team hasn’t seen the post-season since the 2016-17 campaign.

Sanderson is known for being a minute-muncher and this season is no different. He’s been averaging 24:25 minutes of ice time, a career-high.

The Senators defenseman has represented Team USA before, last season he featured in the World Championship. He provided four assists in eight games for the Americans.

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