GDT: The Four Nations Tournament Thread

[bossram]

I don't see how. You'd need another defenseman on the US to be injured by Thursday, and any "illness" or anything fishy will be highly scrutinized.

They're literally making up the rules on the fly.

Who will scrutinize a "fishy" illness? The NHL? They're the ones changing the rules by the day.

 

[Bleach Clean]

While I get the hesitancy to entertain the idea that there's some kind of ongoing injury, we've only need look at the roster and find Demko on the injury reserve to find an example. Weird stuff does happen to people, and I when a player comes out and says they're fully recovered, I'll take that with a huge grain of salt until they don't play like one leg doesn't work.

Pettersson looks exactly like a guy playing in the playoffs with a significant injury. To me that suggests he is in fact, injured. It's not an excuse, it's arrived at rationally from watching him skate. Not saying I'm correct, and I definitely feel for the posters frustrated with Pettersson post 2024 All Star Game. Which, frankly, is everyone. No one is glad dude looks like my grandfather hauling his corpse around a frozen river.

This.

You have arrived at the rational conclusion: Ongoing injury.

Nothing materially changed on this front for the 4 Nations. The stage got bigger, but he looked more or less the same.

People are just hurt. A franchise C has fallen from grace. It's very difficult to stomach.

Like with Demko, extreme patience is required. There's no other way.

 

[Hodgy]

As a Canucks fans, I don't want Hughes to play. But as a Canada fan, I'm fine with it. The whole point of this tournament is "best on best", and the only reason Hughes didn't initially come was because of an injury. If he's progressed and is now healthy, who cares, let him play. This isn't like the US making a strategic switch where they now think one player they brought isn't necessary, or sucks, or something, and wants to replace him with another different/more effective player.

 

[Dirtyclapper]

I wish they would have just let anyone play without set rosters. We could have had Scheifele, 3 different goalies ect. Just let the best play

 

[Vector]

Hughes

• Can’t play unless there’s one more injury
• Press forgot to ask Mike Sullivan about Vincent Trochek
• Rules have been changing, for this tournament, on a day-to-day basis
• Don’t think it’s impossible that Hughes plays
• Thinks that Team USA told Hughes that there’s a pretty good chance he can to play; not going to fly him to Boston then on to Vegas if he won’t play

 

[krutovsdonut]

i hope hughes is ready and doesn't get hurt but this is best on best so i am fine if he plays.

Yup, run him hard every chance they get. Tom Wilson should have been in the lineup. Scheifele as well for Marner who doesn't really do anything in games like these.

agree on scheifele. wilson maybe.

 

[TruGr1t]

They're literally making up the rules on the fly.

Who will scrutinize a "fishy" illness? The NHL? They're the ones changing the rules by the day.

Bill Daly literally came out and made a statement that Hughes can't play short of another injury. I would be pretty shocked if even the NHL is cynical enough to do this, but I guess nothing would surprise me. They will also have to pretty much about-face after not letting Thomas Harley play for Canada.

 

[quat]

Sorry, haven’t you just now been making the argument that his poor play is a result of off season training? Weren’t you talking about how he has lost muscle in the off season and that’s why he’s playing poorly?

Are you now just switching your argument and saying he’s injured currently? Abandoning the off season training argument?

EDIT: sorry, I thought I was replying to a different poster. My argument was about the poor play being a result of off season training, and I have acknowledged that I think it was more plausible that he was actually just still injured.

I have no idea what his problem is. No, I didn't make an assertion that it was due to a lack of off season training, but that could be the case. It could also be, if there is a chronic issue, it's effecting his play. Both those could be true. I did wonder if he's been told the issue he has can't be further damaged, so he can play through it, but doesn't want to take any pain killers and so it's effecting his play.

I want to say his play mimics a player who has a significant injury, but certainly I don't know that to be the case. Maybe he just wants out, doesn't give a shit, but wants full control of where he goes, so he's saying he wants to stay. Maybe he's having some kind of mental crisis?

I have no idea what the team should do in this situation. There's a massive risk to keeping him if he's one of these mercurial guys who hit their high point and then flame out. One thing is for certain, if they trade him now they'll get very little in return, so that's going to impact all sorts of team building efforts. So is keeping him and he plays like a third line Centre.

I was just sharing, to me he's playing like a guy with a significant injury and I don't believe statements from players saying they're fine when they're playing that way. That's just a habit born out of experience and not so much a point about whether Pettersson is actually being honest when he says he's fine.

Hope this makes sense. I'm not arguing for or against a position, just musing on what watching him reminds me of.

 

[StreetHawk]

Bill Daly literally came out and made a statement that Hughes can't play short of another injury. I would be pretty shocked if even the NHL is cynical enough to do this, but I guess nothing would surprise me. They will also have to pretty much about-face after not letting Thomas Harley play for Canada.

US has 6 Dmen in Fox, Faber, Slavin, Werenski, Hanifin, and Sanderson. That's why they carry more than 6 Dmen. With the flu bug going around, makes sense to add another D on standby. Who knows where Quinn was at the time of the call. Most players are on vacation somewhere warm or back home. Hronek went home. Should be on his way back to Van in the next day or so.
If Quinn went home to hang with his parents, then it's a short flight to get to Boston. Would suck to have to fly 5 hours from th ewest gocast to not end up playing.

 

[Quinning]

Quinn takes one hit from Sam Bennett and he's out of the game.

 

[Bankerguy]

Canadian, Canucks fan here.
Hughes isn't as explosive as Makar but he control the pace of the game considerably better imo. i dont like Canada's chances with Hughes back there for the US. i cant imagine how lethal the US will be with those weapons up front and Hughes controling the play as much as he does. it will be frightening

 

[sandwichbird2023]

I have no idea what his problem is. No, I didn't make an assertion that it was due to a lack of off season training, but that could be the case. It could also be, if there is a chronic issue, it's effecting his play. Both those could be true. I did wonder if he's been told the issue he has can't be further damaged, so he can play through it, but doesn't want to take any pain killers and so it's effecting his play.

I want to say his play mimics a player who has a significant injury, but certainly I don't know that to be the case. Maybe he just wants out, doesn't give a shit, but wants full control of where he goes, so he's saying he wants to stay. Maybe he's having some kind of mental crisis?

I have no idea what the team should do in this situation. There's a massive risk to keeping him if he's one of these mercurial guys who hit their high point and then flame out. One thing is for certain, if they trade him now they'll get very little in return, so that's going to impact all sorts of team building efforts. So is keeping him and he plays like a third line Centre.

I was just sharing, to me he's playing like a guy with a significant injury and I don't believe statements from players saying they're fine when they're playing that way. That's just a habit born out of experience and not so much a point about whether Pettersson is actually being honest when he says he's fine.

Hope this makes sense. I'm not arguing for or against a position, just musing on what watching him reminds me of.

Well if we can come to any conclusion based on this tournament, it is that Petey's struggle isn't because he "doesn't give a shit". He definitely care enough about his country to play in the 4 Nations, and yet his performance is no difference than his play the last 12 months.

Petey does care, he just doesn't have the ability to create anything offensively. To go in as one of Sweden's top center, somebody the team relies upon for offense, and 3 games later finished as the low man in ice time and has zeros across the board for the tournament, that has got to hurt his pride. I just feel sad for him.

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Hughes trolling everyone as he comes out for Canucks practice lol.

 

[TruGr1t]

So much for the grand conspiracy on the NHL completely ignoring their own roles to force him into the line-up somehow. I assume the US tried and the NHL was like "F no, there is no way we can make this look anything but like a total boondoggle."

 

[VanJack]

The result on Thursday is almost immaterial for me, as long as Hughes comes through the contest unscathed.

But after all, this is the 'Canucks' we're talking about. And there is such a thing as 'Canuck-luck'. If they had any luck at all, they wouldn't have any.

For true north, strong and free Canuck fans--the only game that matters is the one in Vegas on Saturday.

 

[StreetHawk]

The result on Thursday is almost immaterial for me, as long as Hughes comes through the contest unscathed.

But after all, this is the 'Canucks' we're talking about. And there is such a thing as 'Canuck-luck'. If they had any luck at all, they wouldn't have any.

For true north, strong and free Canuck fans--the only game that matters is the one in Vegas on Saturday.

Kind of crazy how quick that turnaround is from Thursday to Saturday. I mean, logically, speaking, the finals maybe should have been held in Minny or Chicago, somewhere more central than on the Atlantic coast in Boston with players having to return to their teams for a Saturday game.

I agree. If Quinn isn't going to play, no point in him getting on a plane for 5 hours to Boston and going another 4-5 the other way to LV. If he doesn't get a ruling that he's allowed to play over either Faber/Sanderson, then he shouldn't go.

 

[SillyRabbit]

So much for the grand conspiracy on the NHL completely ignoring their own roles to force him into the line-up somehow. I assume the US tried and the NHL was like "F no, there is no way we can make this look anything but like a total boondoggle."

Please let this be true.

I really don’t want him to play.

It would be fun to watch of course, but the risk of injury would be so high.

Look at how many players have gotten injured already. And Hughes would be going in there cold and presumably still not 100%.

 

[StreetHawk]

Please let this be true.

I really don’t want him to play.

It would be fun to watch of course, but the risk of injury would be so high.

Look at how many players have gotten injured already. And Hughes would be going in there cold and presumably still not 100%.

Concern is that he hasn't practiced with the USA team. Who knows where he's been the past week. Hronek went back home for example. Not sure, it's wise to get dropped off and thrown into the fire of the final game.

Teams have just gotten back together from the layoff. Little surprised that teams are already practicing on Tuesday. Figured they'd only get like Thursday/Friday (maybe Wed) before the Sat games restart.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Please let this be true.

I really don’t want him to play.

It would be fun to watch of course, but the risk of injury would be so high.

Look at how many players have gotten injured already. And Hughes would be going in there cold and presumably still not 100%.

So you've heard the truth, then? So to speak.

 

[Flik]

So much for the grand conspiracy on the NHL completely ignoring their own roles to force him into the line-up somehow. I assume the US tried and the NHL was like "F no, there is no way we can make this look anything but like a total boondoggle."

[image=antoniobanderas.dot.gif]

 

[VanJack]

i thought you were sitting this one out?

Granted I'm relying on the opinion of posters who've actually watched Pettersson play in this tournament. But it's pretty hard to 'spin' anything 'positive' about less than 10 minutes of total ice-time.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

We're winning Thursday.

 

[Orr4Norris]

Imagine being Tocc sitting around the table with the other coaches as they lay out the game plan to run Quinn at every opportunity

View attachment 978961

Yep. Don’t want QH anywhere near this game. Don’t need an injury at this point in the season

 

[SillyRabbit]

So you've heard the truth, then? So to speak.

Hmm?

I’m referring to Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy, Auston Matthews, Shea Theodore and Vincent Trocheck, all of whom have gotten injured while playing in the tournament.

 

[Snatcher Demko]

This.

You have arrived at the rational conclusion: Ongoing injury.

Nothing materially changed on this front for the 4 Nations. The stage got bigger, but he looked more or less the same.

People are just hurt. A franchise C has fallen from grace. It's very difficult to stomach.

Like with Demko, extreme patience is required. There's no other way.

Yeah this is likely it. I doubt anyone will want to take on EP40's risky contract unless its for a song with some crappy salary coming back.

He's just going to need to rehab properly and start the comeback after the offseason. Hopefully he can find some support on the confidence side too. A humiliating season like this should bring about some maturity. We just need to be patient to see what is really there.