NHL Urged to Change Major 4 Nations Rule by New York Rangers Reporter After Canada Faces Last Minute Challenge

“What a kid, and he only got to play six minutes,” is what coach John Cooper said while discussing Shea Theodore. Despite his excitement to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Vegas Golden Knights suffered an unfortunate injury to the wrist in the first period. However, things got from bad to worse when the NHL player needed to get an X-ray in the second period.

By the time the match ended, with Canada winning it 4-3 in overtime, Theodore was ruled out for the rest of the competition. So, despite Team Canada emerging victorious, the Maple Leaf brigade found themselves in a pickle. What’s worse? Besides losing one of their first-choice defensemen, a convoluted rule has prevented the team from remedying the situation. Now, calls are mounting for the rule to be amended.

Rangers reporter Larry Brooks is leading the way. Brooks shared Pierre LeBrun’s post about Canada’s difficulties. “As per the NHL, that replacement player can be around the Boston area but can’t practice or be with the team. He’s not a member of the team and won’t be unless another D goes down,” explained LeBrun’s post. The only ones who can provide some reprieve to Team Canada are the four GMs.

“Clearly, the four GMs should agree to amend this rule so that a seventh D or a 13th F would be allowed to practice with the team in the event of a tournament-ending injury,” Larry Brooks added while sharing the NHL insider’s post. However, the chances of that happening are slim. In fact, Canada will have to wait until play shifts to Boston.

“I think Canada hopes at least the player can be with the team and maybe practice. But right now, that’s a no-go,” added The Athletic’s senior columnist. However, despite the bad news and hurdles, finding a replacement didn’t pose much of a challenge.

Canada’s silver lining amid the NHL rule challenges

As the nightmare scenario unfolded for Team Canada, another concern reared its head. How challenging would it be to find a replacement? As per Sportsnet, the team would have needed to give prior notice to potential replacements in case of injuries. However, the team barely had to break a sweat to find players to replace Theodore.

Travis Sanheim, who is already in Montreal, will replace Shea Theodore during Saturday night’s crucial clash with Team USA. Meanwhile, the team also found another replacement for the Boston phase. 23-year-old Thomas Harley for the NHL’s Dallas Stars will reach Boston by Friday and prepare to participate when the Canadian teams arrive in America.

While this doesn’t solve the issue of the replacement not getting any time to practice with the squad, it makes a statement to the doubters. Many people doubted that either the fans or the players would take the 4 Nations Face-Off seriously. However, the fact that there’s no shortage of players lining up to play for Canada indicates player interest. Unfortunately, even the tremendous response might not be enough to warrant an NHL rule amendment.