Team Canada will need to find another defenseman to bring to the 4 Nations Face-Off, as the Vegas Golden Knights' Alex Pietrangelo has withdrawn from the tournament.

If it were up to some Maple Leafs fans, Auston Matthews would also be opting out of the 4 Nations Face-Off, writes Michael Traikos.

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 With two Stanley Cups and an Olympic gold medal under his belt, Pietrangelo, 35, was one of Canada's most seasoned veterans.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will miss the upcoming 2025 4 Nations Face-Off due to an ailment, the team announced Sunday. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has withdrawn from

Pietrangelo, 35, was one of the most experienced players on the Canadian roster with two Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold and a World Cup of Hockey title on his resume. He is not currently injured and was in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars. He did miss a week in November with an upper-body injury.

Alex Pietrangelo has withdrawn from the 4 Nations Face-Off due to an injury, opening the door for a replacement.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is withdrawing from Team Canada's squad in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off to tend to an ailment and to be ready for the rest of the regular season, the NHL club announced Sunday.

Golden Knights defenseman was on Team Canada's roster for best-on-best tournament, which will be held from Feb. 12-20

Pietrangelo is the first player to withdraw from the tournament, which also features the United States, Sweden and Finland. Sweden is expected to make some lineup changes, though, with goaltenders Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark, and forward William Karlsson, all currently injured.

Auston Matthews will serve as captain for the United States in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, and his team is the only one involved without a glaring injury question to answer.

The Carolina Hurricanes' blockbuster trade to acquire Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday is still resonating and was one of the topics on this week's episode of the " NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers " podcast presented by iHeartPodcasts.