Golden Knights' Theodore out week-to-week after injury at 4 Nations

The Vegas Golden Knights were the first team to watch one of their stars go down at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

In Canada's opening game of the tournament against Sweden, Golden Knights defenceman Shea Theodore left in the second period when he got crunched into the glass by Sweden’s Adrian Kempe.

He was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament by Canadian head coach Jon Cooper after the game. On Thursday, the Golden Knights announced that Theodore is expected to be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

“What a kid, and he only got to play six minutes,” Cooper said after Wednesday's game. “It’s heartbreaking for the kid. And he was the first one there at the door high-fiving everybody when we came off. It’s a tough one to swallow because you just know how much it means.”

Philadelphia's Travis Sanheim figures to slot in for Theodore after being a healthy scratch for Canada against Sweden. He is the only other defenceman on the roster because each team was only able to bring seven.

Vegas teammate Jack Eichel spoke to Theodore, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox: "It's a huge loss for our team. More than anything, I just feel for him emotionally, as a person that I care about. I know how much it meant for him to be able to play in this tournament and represent his country."

Although tournament rules indicate that Theodore cannot be replaced now that the puck has dropped, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported late Wednesday night that there was a meeting where the nightmare scenario was discussed: What happens if a team was decimated by injuries? No way you can ask these countries to play high-intensity games shorthanded.

Friedman said that Canada will be allowed to put a defenceman or two “on notice,” so if there’s another injury, one will be able to join when the series switches to Boston. Since these players may be away on vacation, proper notice is necessary.