Maple Leafs Must Make Critical Decision Following Golden Knights' 4 Nations Tournament Move
With news that Team Canada defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has pulled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Maple Leafs might want to ask a couple of players to follow suit.
Though the 4 Nations Face-Off is still a few weeks away, the rosters are finalized and barring one serious absence with Jacob Markstrom, everyone for the most part has stayed healthy enough for the tournament.
But another name willingly dropped out as Canadian defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is pulling out of the tournament in order to focus on a potential nagging injury and Vegas' playoff push.
Auston Matthews And Jani Hakanpaa Shouldn't Play In 4 Nations Faceoff
The Maple Leafs are well represented in the 4 Nations Face-Off with one player playing for each of the four squads. Auston Matthews, Jani Hakanpaa, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander have all been selected to Team USA, Finland, Canada and Sweden respectively.
But it's the first two that draw a lot of attention and a cause for potential concern.
Although Matthews has come back to be able to produce at a rate that's more in line with his past outputs, he has dealt with two injury reserve stints and has missed a good chunk of time.
The team can't force him out but should ask him to think like Pietrangelo and focus on the playoffs as opposed to an arbitrary tournament. He is too valuable to Toronto and the risk of him getting injured is not worth that temporary bit of pride in playing for your country.
Hakanpaa's in an even worse spot, only playing two games this season due to a nagging knee injury and hasn't been on the ice in a proper game since November.
He wants to get back into shape before the tournament but there's no confirmation he'll be good to go by then.
His inclusion was a surprise, although GM Jere Lehtinen was confident that Hakanpaa will play, it's going to take a lot for him to get back into game shape, especially with the added pressure of representing your country.
Toronto would be wise to ask both men to take a step back; Matthews for the playoffs and Hakanpaa for his health and playing career.
They can't force them not to play, but the team can ask nicely and hope that national pride doesn't supersede potential playoff success.
It's important for these players to represent their country, however their importance to their respective teams outweighs a two-week tournament.
There's no point in risking an injury, especially since the backlash will sting just as much.
