Early Trading: Injury updates on Crosby, Hughes

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins Gino Reda to share the latest updates on the injuries to Sidney Crosby and Quinn Hughes with the 4 Nations Face-Off approaching and to explain why signing defenceman Marcus Pettersson to an extension was important for the Canucks.

Less than a week to puck drop of the 4 Nations Face-Off. So, last-minute injury news is pretty important. Team Canada is waiting to hear about its captain. C.J., Sidney Crosby got hurt and left the game on Tuesday against the Devils. What's the latest news on his status?

Johnston: Well, there's some encouraging news, at least on this Morning, with Sidney Crosby skating in Pittsburgh. Now, he didn't participate in the full practice with the Penguins, but needless to say, if he was off the ice for a second straight day, that would be cause for even more concern for Crosby and for Team Canada. In the last 24 hours here, he sought some medical opinions after taking that sort of awkward collision in the game Tuesday night. You know, obviously a huge priority for Sidney Crosby to try to put himself in position to play for Canada, to captain the team there in Montreal. And I think Hockey Canada has a high comfort level, I'll call it, with this situation, both because they have a great relationship with Crosby himself and Kyle Dubas, the Penguins GM, is part of Hockey Canada's brain trust for this tournament. So, we'll have to let this play out a little bit more, but the fact that Crosby's back skating does signal at least a positive note about his potential availability for next week.

Key question marks surrounding Quinn Hughes. Team USA is waiting for news on him. He hasn't played since he got hurt in Friday's game against the Dallas Stars. He's going to miss his third straight game tonight. Where do the Canucks, Hughes and Team USA go from here C.J.?

Johnston: This is a little different of a circumstance - almost, let's call it a player protecting him from himself because you know Quinn Hughes has not played healthy for for stretches this season. Despite that, he's been an absolute horse for the Vancouver Canucks. But he picked up another injury in that game Friday in Dallas and the Canucks have been trying to limit what he's doing this week in terms of just allowing him to get the rest and recovery that he needs. But we know what this tournament means to him. He'd have a chance to play with his brother Jack for team USA. He was part of the initial group of six players named to the American team last June and would be a very important part of that team. And so, the next 48 hours loom very important for Hughes. Yes, he will not play on Thursday night with Vancouver in San Jose, but does he skate Friday? Does he perhaps find his way back into the lineup for Saturday's home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs? All of these will be important mile markers for Hughes as he tries to get ready. In the meantime, of course, team USA has had to start preparing for the possibility of life without him. I think Jake Sanderson is a player that would be called on to replace Hughes, but that call has not yet been made. Frist, they have to see if Hughes can get himself ready for the tournament.

While the Canucks wait to find out what's going on with Quinn Hughes, just after acquiring D-man Marcus Pettersson from the Pens on Friday, Vancouver extended him to a six year, $33 million deal yesterday. C.J., how important was this move in the grand scheme of things for the Canucks' plans?

Johnston: A nice piece of business for Marcus Pettersson - plays two games for Vancouver and gets that fat extension and a nice raise. Of course, part of this is the fact that there's a lot of familiarity there with Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, who were with Pittsburgh when he was acquired from Anaheim back in the day by the Penguins. And, you know, this does remove for the Canucks any uncertainty they might have had after trading a first-round pick among other assets to get Pettersson and him potentially being a free agent. I think this is a really nice piece of business all around. The Canucks are retooling on the fly here, trying to put themselves in position to make a push towards the playoffs, obviously in the wake of the J.T. Miller trade last week. And you know, this does answer a big question. The other thing I would note to you, Gino, is another pending UFA that they acquired in that deal from Pittsburgh. Vancouver is going to make an attempt to sign him as well. So, these were not rental acquisitions from the Canucks, even though both players arrived at that point in time without contracts beyond this season.