Stanley Cup Champion Defensemen Withdraws From Four Nations Roster for Team Canada
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has withdrawn from team Canada's roster for the upcoming Four-Nations tournament.
Team Canada announced their roster for next month's Four-Nations tournament in December.
There were some surprises in the announcement, but few were surprised to see Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo make the cut.
After all, Pietrangelo is a seasoned veteran with over 1000 games of NHL experience as well as two Stanley Cup championships.
Unfortunately for Canada though, it now appears as though he will not be participating in the event.
The Golden Knights announced today that he has voluntarily elected to withdraw from the roster in order to heal from an 'ailment' and prepare for the rest of the NHL season.
Pietrangelo has missed three games this season, appearing in 46 of the Knights' 49 contests so far.
Furthermore, he has appeared in every game for the team this month. He has been effective as well, potting 3 goals and 22 points.
That being said, it is not unusual for players to play through minor injuries during the season.
In fact, by this point in the season, most players are probably dealing with a minor ailment or two.
Clearly, the NHL playoffs mean more to Pietrangelo than this one-off tournament, especially at this point in his career.
At 35-years-old, this will likely be the last contract of his career, giving him three more seasons including this one to win.
We will have to stay tuned to see how far the Golden Knights make it in the playoffs this year and whether or not Pietrangelo will earn his third Stanley Cup ring.
