The United States and Canada will be playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game on Thursday and Team USA will have a bit of unexpected help in the form of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.

Hughes was named to the U.S. roster in June but bowed out due to an oblique injury. He can't play unless another defenseman is unavailable.

What's best for country isn't always what's best for club, as made clear by this week's dance among the Canucks, Team USA and the NHL.

Quinn Hughes will be a game-time decision for the Canucks against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN). The defenseman has missed six games because of an undisclosed injury, which also caused him to miss the 4 Nations Face-Off after he was selected to play for the United States.

Hughes leads the Canucks in scoring with 60 points, and his 46 assists are the most among NHL defensemen. His return comes as the Canucks are fighting for a playoff spot. Wednesday night's win put them one point ahead of Calgary for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

Team USA will be without Charlie McAvoy in the 4 Nations Face-Off final vs. Canada, but there are several moving parts regarding who’ll replace him.

With Quinn Hughes unavailable for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, the Americans needed someone to step up and help push their offense from the back end.

Team USA planned on bringing in defenseman Quinn Hughes as an injury replacement for Charlie McAvoy for their 4 Nations Face-Off Final against Canada. Will Hughes travel to Boston for the big game on Thursday?

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The saga around injury replacements and extra players for teams at the 4 Nations Face-Off has a new layer as Team USA was informed the Vancouver Canucks captain

The Boston Bruins say defenseman Charlie McAvoy won’t be able to play for the United States in the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off on his home ice because of an undisclosed upper-body injury.

BOSTON — The United States didn’t have to sacrifice much ... Reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes was ready to step in. American coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday “Quinn Hughes is ...