Canada loses top defensemen for 4 Nations Face Off.
A huge blow to the Canadian lineup for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
The Canadian squad for the 4 Nations Face-Off will be without one of their top defensemen for the tournament.
According to an official announcement from the Vegas Golden Knights, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will be skipping the 4 Nations Face Off for medical reasons. The Golden Knights have described it as an "ailment" but provided no additional details about why Pietrangelo would be held out of the tournament.
It is clear that the Golden Knights feel that Pietrangelo's priority should be to remain healthy and ready for the remainder of the National Hockey League regular season, which of course does a rather poor job of making this tournament feel prestigious or special.
Pietrangelo has appeared in 46 games for the Golden Knights this season and has registered 3 goals and 22 assists for a total of 25 points on the campaign thus far.
There is of course a concern here that this could set a precedent for the tournament and we could potentially see more and more players drop out as they look to focus on what remains of the regular season. That would only serve to further damage the prestige of the tournament, making it feel like a glorified All-Star Game or exhibition rather than something similar to the prestige of the international hockey we have seen at the Olympic Games in the past for example.
How do you feel about this decision from Pietrangelo and the Golden Knights? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
- Chris Gosselin
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