Clarifying the Confusing 4 Nations Face-Off Roster Rules – The Hockey Writers 4 Nations Face-off Latest News, Analysis & More

Earlier this afternoon, it was announced that Quinn Hughes will be joining Team USA prior to their final against Canada to wrap up the 4 Nations Face-Off. It initially appeared to be a corresponding move to the absence of Charlie McAvoy, who will not dress for the contest due to an upper body injury.

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off and Revived Rivalry Between Canada & USA Has Put Hockey in the Spotlight

Then just 20 minutes later, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman posted that Hughes would not be allowed to play unless another injury or illness occurs.

What is Going On?

Naturally, this led to a lot of confusion. Were the goalposts being moved from when Canada added Thomas Harley when Cale Makar was ill?

Well, no. Despite what some have said, the rule has remained the same the entire time. According to the NHL, “Teams that, by reason of injury, drop below six able-body defenseman, 12 able-body forwards or three able-body goaltenders will be permitted to apply for emergency relief in the form of identifying and adding to their roster additional injury replacement player(s) on an ‘as needed’ basis only.” The US will still have six defensemen with McAvoy out.

Remember, Shea Theodore was hurt in Canada’s first game, meaning they were down to six defensemen. With Makar sick, they were at risk of dropping below six, which meant Harley had to get approved as his injury replacement “by the Chairpersons of the Tournament Directorate (Bill Daly and Rob Zepp).”

Here’s where it gets confusing, and somewhat unfair. “Once an injury replacement player has been approved and added to a team, he will be permitted to practice and participate with his team on an unrestricted basis (practice and/or game) for the balance of the tournament, regardless of whether his team remains in an emergency situation.” This means Harley can play in any game even with Makar fully healthy. If a player is only added for emergency purposes, why can they continue to play when the emergency no longer exists? Thus, as it stands, the United States will have one less defenseman on their roster than Canada for the final.

Most of the confusion now lies in the fact that Hughes isn’t a part of the official roster. “Joining the team”, as head coach Mike Sullivan mentioned, is not the same as being a part of the official roster. Hughes cannot take part in any “team activity”, including practice or game.

So, while the rules have remained consistent, it’s become pretty clear through press conferences that not even the coaches and players are aware of exactly how to approach these situations. With this all in mind, the United States could have found one loophole yesterday, but now it’s too late. If they requested Hughes join the team as an emergency against Sweden with Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk out, it likely would have gotten approved since they had less than 12 able-bodied forwards. There is no language differentiating between a defenseman or forward in this “emergency” scenario, as teams can opt to go 11-7 rather than traditional 12-6 if they feel it’ll benefit them. Now, it’s too late with only the final remaining, and Tkachuk and Matthews will be good to go.

Another Potential Loophole

Since Harley was added due to Makar’s illness, was there any sort of protocol that Makar had to go through in order to prove this? Did he have to take any sort of tests, use a thermometer to show a fever, cough in front of a panel of judges, etc.? It sounds silly, but the official rulebook does not have any language indicating a verification system. Thus, who is to stop the United States from saying someone like Jake Sanderson or Adam Fox is sick to get Hughes added as the emergency replacement?

You could argue it’s unfair, sure, but so is Canada having one more defenseman to choose from in the final contest. This all could have been resolved if Harley had to be removed from the roster when Makar made his return.

It is not Canada’s fault that they took advantage of what the rulebook has stated. The NHL has done so much right with this tournament and finally brought eyes from all over the world to their sport. So, to allow one side to have a larger roster than the other certainly undermines the legitimacy of the whole event.

We’ll see if anything changes or if the US decides to take advantage of a loophole. Regardless, the hockey world will be anxiously waiting for puck drop of Thursday’s contest – one of the most anticipated games of all-time.