Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is withdrawing from the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an undisclosed ailment, the team announced Sunday.
Pietrangelo, 35, was set to represent Team Canada at the event. He has 25 points this season while playing in 46 of the Knights’ 49 games.
The team said Pietrangelo will use the time off to “prepare for the remainder of the regular season with Vegas.”
Pietrangelo was one of seven Knights players that were slated to participate in the tournament, which takes place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
Center William Karlsson, who is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, is also likely to miss the tournament for Team Sweden. The other Knights players participating are center Jack Eichel and defenseman Noah Hanifin (Team USA) and captain Mark Stone, defenseman Shea Theodore and goaltender Adin Hill (Team Canada). Coach Bruce Cassidy is also an assistant on the Team Canada staff.
Pietrangelo, who won gold with Canada in the 2014 Olympics, was looking forward to participating.
“I think it’s cool my kids get to see me play for my country. They’ve never seen that. That’s going to be a special thing,” Pietrangelo told the Review-Journal in December. “I don’t go into the year thinking, ‘I want to make Team Canada no matter what.’ My priority is my teammates and this organization. That’s what I come into camp for.
“You know it’s there. You know it would be a great opportunity. But I’m a big believer in if you believe in yourself and you just get out there and play your game, the rest will take care of itself.”
The Knights begin a three-game homestand Sunday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
