Brady Tkachuk Alleges There May Have Been Some 'Shady Business' With Quinn Hughes' 4 Nations Situation

As if there was any question about how big of a deal the 4 Nations Face-Off proved to be, it is proving to be so big that nearly a week after the tournament wrapped up, it's still grabbing headlines.

This time, those headlines have to do with one of the biggest storylines leading up to the championship showdown between the US and Canada and that was the "will he play, won't he play?" status of Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.

You may recall that the reigning Norris Trophy winner was ruled out of the tournament due to injury before it even got underway. However, with an injury to Charlie McAvoy, and Team USA in need of an extra defenseman, they turned to Hughes, who by that point was back to skating with the Canucks.

Head coach Mike Sullivan even announced that Hughes was going to be joining the team for the 4 Nations finale in Boston, but it never panned out that way, even with Team USA GM Bill Guerin trying to work his magic.

However, now, Team USA star and Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is making some bold claims about the situation.

Tkachuk spoke to Spittin' Chiclets and seemed to hint that he thought Vancouver may have not cleared Hughes to help Team USA in the 4 Nations Championship.

"I actually FaceTimed Quinn. When he was like figuring it out; people were like ‘Quinn might come, Quinn might not come,’ I think he was all about coming, but I just don't think he got cleared by Vancouver to play,'" Tkachuk said. "A little shady business to begin with. We all know who they were cheering for."

Here we go! 4 Nations continues to deliver the goods.

Did Vancouver really hang onto their top D-man to hose the Americans?

Maybe… but I don't really see it.

The Canucks are going to need a healthy Quinn Hughes if they're going to sneak into the playoffs. (Getty Images)

If Vancouver Wants To Save Their Drama-Plagued Season, They Need A Healthy Quinn Hughes

As much drama as there has been around the Canucks this season, they're only one point out of the Western Conference's second wild card spot. If they're going to make the postseason, they're going to need Hughes, who also serves as their captain.

Now, it was widely reported that Hughes had just flown back to Vancouver around the time rumors flared up about him jumping into the tournament. However, one common thread was that it was a no-go unless Team USA could guarantee he'd play.

They couldn't do that, and you can understand why Hughes and Vancouver wouldn't be jazzed about him flying from Vancouver to Boston after having just flown back to Vancouver, and then catching a flight from Boston to Vegas for the Canucks game on Saturday against the Golden Knights.

Plus, the 4 Nations Face-Off was brutal. Plenty of players are nursing injuries or missing time because of it. So, having seen the first game between the US and Canada, I can kind of understand why Vancouver — who, as I mentioned, will absolutely need Hughes healthy if they want to make a run into the postseason — might have been a bit gun-shy about turning him loose in Boston.

It's also worth noting that Hughes has not been in the team's lineup in the two games post-4 Nations.