Shea Theodore injury update
(Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Shea Theodore suffered an upper-body injury in Canada’s 4-3 OT win against Sweden
  • Vegas Golden Knights announced their star defenseman is week-to-week
  • Read below for full details on Theodore’s injury and impact on Team Canada

The 4 Nations Face-Off started with a bang for Team Canada, but the celebration was short-lived.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore will miss the remainder of the tournament with an upper-body injury after a crushing hit from Sweden’s Adrian Kempe early in the second period of Canada’s opening 4-3 overtime win.

The Golden Knights announced Thursday that Theodore is considered week-to-week, dealing a significant blow to Canada’s blue line depth. The 29-year-old defenseman managed just under seven minutes of ice time paired with Drew Doughty before his tournament came to an abrupt end.

“That’s a big blow,” Canada head coach Jon Cooper said. “What a kid, and he only got to play six minutes. It’s heartbreaking for the kid. And he was the first one there at the door high fiving everybody when we came off.”

The injury forced Canada to navigate most of the high-tempo affair with just five defensemen, something that didn’t go unnoticed by captain Connor McDavid.

“I thought it hurt us a lot,” McDavid said. “He’s a great player and it’s tough. You guys saw the pace tonight, we felt the pace and it’s tough on those ‘D’ to play five ‘D’ to defend.”

The timing couldn’t be worse for Theodore, who’s been enjoying a career year with Vegas. The offensively-gifted blueliner has racked up 48 points in 55 games this season, including seven goals and 41 assists.

While Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is available as a healthy scratch, Canada’s hands are tied when it comes to bringing in reinforcements. Tournament rules prevent them from adding another defenseman unless they drop below 18 healthy skaters.

The defensive corps was already dealing with adversity before Theodore’s injury, as Vegas teammate Alex Pietrangelo had to withdraw from the tournament due to an ailment of his own.

Canada’s remaining defensive group of Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, Colton Parayko, Devon Toews and Doughty will need to shoulder the load when they face the United States on Saturday.

“We are really proud of our D-men, our D-core, just stepping up,” goaltender Jordan Binnington said after making 23 saves in the win. “It’s tough to see Shea go down like that, but it happened and sometimes things happen like that and it’s how you handle it.”