Should injured NHL superstars play at the four nations face off? It’s a legitimate question. Already Sidney Crosby, Quinn Hughes and Mitch Marner are dealing with injuries that may hold them out of the tournament and representing their country. We’ve already seen Los Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo announce that he will be missing the tournament to rest. The thing is, he is still playing games for Vegas he’s not even hurt. The thing to remember is that the four nations face off is replacing the all-star game. Players sit out of the all-star game all the time. The thing players care about more is the Olympics which are happening next year.
Sidney Crosby is “being evaluated for an upper-body injury.” He returned to the game on Tuesday after this collision, but missed practice on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/gB4pxt99aH
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 5, 2025
So what do the players care about more, the four nations or playing for their NHL team? I think it should be the team’s choice to send a player, especially if they are dealing with an injury. Team’s do this with the world juniors and the young players. So why not the stars? Like I said before, it’s not the Olympics. So who are these players more valuable for? I think the answer is their NHL team.
Okay, maybe I’m being a bit bias because I’m a Canucks fan and Quinn Hughes’s status is in question. But Hughes is already super beat up and has been for awhile. He’s already missing important games for the Canucks. I don’t want to see him risk any more injury at this tournament. I don’t care that he’s playing with his brother. I don’t think I’m the only one with this opinion, what do you think? Should teams let their injured superstars attend the four nations?