Edmonton Oilers

NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup: Canucks, Jets & Oilers

NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup (Feb 19), Quinn Hughes unlikely to play, Connor Hellebuyck MVP status, Connor McDavid’s amazing speed

by
Old Prof
February 19, 2025

Welcome to today’s NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup (February 19). Each morning, we’ll bring you three key NHL stories. Here, you can stay updated on the latest team wins and losses, trade talk, and player news from around the NHL. Again, with no other NHL games on the slate, we’ll focus on the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off games in today’s Trade Talk roundup.

Tomorrow’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game pits Team USA against Team Canada. In today’s roundup, we’ll look at Quinn Hughes’s likelihood of not playing for the US squad. We’ll look at who might be the tourney’s MVP and focus on one of the great Connor McDavid’s most significant attributes – his skating speed.

Quinn Hughes Likely Out for 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game

Will Quinn Hughes be headed to the 4 Nations Face-Off or not? Yesterday, he practiced with Vancouver Canucks, and his joining Team USA now seems uncertain for the championship game. Injuries (which no one wants), rules, and roster limits complicate his potential to play in the tournament. Instead, it looks like the Canucks captain will target his team’s next game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported that Hughes will not fly to Boston unless he’s told he can play. Michael Russo writes, “Team USA GM Bill Guerin tells me they’re still working through the Quinn Hughes situation and are still trying to bring him to Boston. He’ll skate again with the Canucks today.”

4 Nations Tournament MVP Candidates

The championship game has not been played yet, but there are already likely four candidates (two on each team) for the 4 Nations tournament MVP. For Team Canada, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby has four assists and leadership, making him an MVP contender. The Oilers Connor McDavid might have scored the prettiest goal of the tournament, slicing through an entire team.

For Team USA, the Lightning’s Jake Guentzel’s two goals in big games put him in contention. But, if he puts up another great game in the championship, one has to believe that the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck’s stellar goaltending has given Team USA an edge, and he will win the MVP.

McDavid Leads 4 Nations Face-Off with Dominant Speed Bursts

The Oilers Connor McDavid ranks as one of the fastest skaters ever, and the 4 Nations Face-Off has proven to be no exception. He leads the tournament with 23 speed bursts of over 20-plus mph. That’s four more than any other skater in the tournament. The Avlannche’s Nathan MacKinnon and the Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel rank second and third.