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Pietrangelo Withdraws from 4 Nations Team Canada: Who Fills In?
Alex Pietrangelo has withdrawn from the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with an ailment. It’s not known who his replacement will be.
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has officially withdrawn from the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off to focus on recovering from an unspecified ailment. The decision comes as a bit of a surprise, while the severity of his injury is unknown. As of now, no replacement has been named.
The belief is that Pietrangelo will be ready for the remainder of the NHL regular season and the Golden Knights’ anticipated playoff run.
Update: Alex Pietrangelo will be withdrawing from the 2025 4Nations Face-Off to tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season with Vegas. #VegasBorn
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 26, 2025
The 4 Nations Face-Off is a new international tournament replacing the NHL All-Star Weekend. It features players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. While the event has garnered excitement, opinions are varied on whether this is really a best-on-best showcase. It’s not the Olympics, and there’s not Team Russia. Many of the NHL’s best won’t be on hand to showcase their elite talent. So too, Pietrangelo’s withdrawal raises questions about the willingness of players to participate.
At the very least, if Pietrangelo becomes the first of many to withdraw, there will be concerns about the priorities players place on being involved.
NHL analyst John Shannon reported that Pietrangelo will undergo rehab for his injury. However, speculation is already swirling about whether this is a strategic move by the Golden Knights to leverage long-term injured reserve (LTIR) space ahead of the trade deadline. Fans have drawn comparisons to the team’s previous LTIR maneuver involving Mark Stone, humorously dubbing this situation “Mark Stone 2.0.”
Who Will Replace Pietrangelo on Team Canada?
Attention now shifts to who will replace him on Team Canada’s roster for the tournament. There are Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, and MacKenzie Weegar who come to mind and are having strong seasons. Some choices are more popular than others.
Bouchard leads the NHL in terms of Canadian defensemen not already on the team. He has 37 points in 49 games. One fan quipped online, “I’m sure Canadians will be very level-headed if Evan Bouchard is chosen as Alex Pietrangelo’s replacement at 4 Nations.” The team has a power-play quarterback in Cale Makar and might not need another, which is a strength of Bouchard.
Dougie Hamilton has 33 points in 51 games for the New Jersey Devils. Jakob Chychrun has 32 points in 44 games for the red-hot Washington Capitals.
Elliotte Friedman tweeted, “At this time, Team Canada is still working on naming Pietrangelo’s replacement. The deadline is Feb 11, the day before Canada plays Sweden. But the desire is to do it before team arrives in Montreal.”
For now, Pietrangelo’s focus is on recovery and ensuring he’s ready to contribute to Vegas down the stretch. His absence from the tournament may spark conversations about the tournament and the fallout.
Next: Scribes Say Summer May See Blackhawks Go All-In on Rantanen
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