The Four Nations Face-Off started with a Tring at Bell Centre on Wednesday! A stacked Team Canada showed what it’s capable of by winning (4-3) its first match of the tournament against Sweden in overtime. However, the victory came at a cost. Defenseman Shea Theodore sustained an upper-body injury and is likely to miss the rest of the tournament. But that isn’t the only thing that has got the NHL community in knots.
Under the present circumstances, Team Canada has called the Dallas Stars’ Thomas Harley as the standby defenseman. However, the 23-year-old NHL star won’t officially join the roster until another injury occurs. Nonetheless, this piece of information has the fans scratching their heads.
A post by The Athletics’ Chris Johnston from February 13 shared the shake-up that Canada is looking at after Theodore’s right shoulder injury came to light. “Sources say that Team Canada is having Thomas Harley travel to Boston as its standby ‘D’ in case of emergency,” the social media update announced. With the 4 Nations Face-Off leaving small room for tackling injuries with its 23-man roster regulations, it looks like Team Canada is doing everything it can to be prepared for the rest of the tournament.
However, Harley’s stroke of luck made the fans bewildered. Considering Harley’s place of birth was on this side of the border, one fan was genuinely curious: how is he even announced as the backup defenseman by the Canadian side? “Isn’t he American?” said a baffled fan after learning about Thomas’ possible upcoming duties.
New, for @TheAthletic: Sources say that Team Canada is having Thomas Harley travel to Boston as its standby ‘D’ in case of emergency. What I’m hearing about the fluid #4Nations roster rules after Shea Theodore’s injury. https://t.co/RfCHa1tY6fhttps://t.co/RfCHa1tY6f
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 13, 2025
The story is developing
The post “Isn’t He American”: NHL Fans Baffled by Team Canada’s Latest Move Post Shea Theodore’s Injury at 4 Nations Face-Off appeared first on EssentiallySports.