Fantasy Hockey Four Nations Injury Updates: Cale Makar Out, Thomas Harley In, while Shea Theodore Injured

Alright folks, today we have a mid Four Nations Face-Off update for you guys including some key injuries, specifically to Team Canada. The defensemen woes continue for this tournament, as this seems to be a key recurring theme. 

Missing blueliners has been an issue for Team Finland who lost Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars, Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Jani Hakanpaa of the Toronto Maple Leafs (who has not played an NHL game yet this season) from their defensive core before the tournament even started.

This trend has now continued onto Team Canada. Let's break down the slight roster moves from the great white north.

Team Canada Up Front

We'll start with a simple roster move that has Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers a healthy scratch and Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers in for Team Canada. Konecny was a minus two with two hits against Sweden, so it's no surprise they are giving Bennett the nod while shuffling the lines a bit.

Konecny fantasy owners shouldn't fret, he's having a great season where it counts and this won't diminish his value whatsoever. 

Konecny has 22 goals, 39 assists, 14 powerplay points, 128 shots on goal in 57 games played. He also has 71 hits and 29 blocked shots.

Bennett, on the other hand, has 18 goals, 17 assists, six powerplay points, and 178 shots on goal in 55 games played. He also has 117 hits and 36 blocked shots.

Diminished Blueline

Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche is out with an alleged illness he has been battling for a couple days. He did enter the arena with Team Canada in Saturday night's game, and it's likely we'll see him play in Boston and return to the lineup, however this is a key piece missing from Team Canada. He is not only the best defensemen in the league and on Team Canada, but is also an assistant captain for the team.

Makar has 22 goals, 41 assists, 26 powerplay points, and 175 shots on goal in 57 games played. He also has 41 hits and 91 blocked shots. He has been a mainstay on both the Avalanche and Team Canada first powerplay unit.

Ryan Getzlaf stated when asked if Makar would be back for the tournament said yes, he thinks so. He also said he (Makar) has been working through some things the last couple days. The former Anaheim Duck and Regina, Saskatchewan native (now Team Canada executive) went on to say playing with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins is incredible and he has an effect on the team and on the crowd, which was evident in their first game of the tournament.

Replacing Makar is Thomas Harley of the Stars. How many times do we have to start this engine? Hieskanen goes down, and it's “start the engine!” Makar goes down, and it's “start the engine!”. Harley got an applause from his teammates as he entered the ice at practice to warm up for Saturday night's game against Team USA. Let's see what this kid can bring to the team.

Harley has nine goals, 20 assists, five powerplay points, and 112 shots on goal in 53 games played. He also has 24 hits and 77 blocked shots. Also of note, this kid also has a team leading (Stars, not Team Canada, obviously) +/- rating of +26. That's actually quite impressive.

One last notable injury for Team Canada that will definitely have an impact in your fantasy is that Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights sustained an upper body injury in Team Canada's first game against Team Sweden. Theodore is considered week-to-week. This is bad news for Team Canada, and the Golden Knights as he was the main shutdown defender on both teams.

Theodore has seven goals, 41 assists, 19 powerplay points, and 111 shots on goal in 55 games played. He also has only five hits, but 69 blocked shots.

His current expected return date is March 3, but considering his week-to-week status, this does not seem likely. I would look to pick up a streamer now while everyone else is distracted with the Four Nations Face-Off during this extended two-week matchup. Theodore is likely to return sometime after the trade deadline and before the NHL playoffs, so there is a chance you may need a full replacement for fantasy league playoffs.

Closing Thoughts

Not great for Team Canada, all around. Although, Bennett did partake in the three fights that started the Team Canada vs. Team USA game on Saturday night that included back to back fights from Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk from Team USA. Obviously, they are making their dad Keith Tkachuk proud. This three-fight start to the game within the first minute of play really emphasized the rivalry between Canada and the USA.

Theodore going down with a legitimate injury is bad for Theodore owners, as well as Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov owners, as the defensive impact on the Golden Knights will take a hit to their goaltending. They do still have plenty of depth, but with losing Theodore in the Four Nations Face-Off, and Alex Pietrangelo electing to opt out of the tournament to deal with an ongoing ailment, things in Vegas are not ideal.

Food for thought, but hopefully with Petro having the time off during this tournament to focus on recovery, he will be better on your fantasy team for the break than he would be should he have played for Team Canada. I would still watch and be mindful of him not playing at 100% when NHL games resume.

We'll see how the rest of the tournament goes. So far this has been, in my opinion, way more exciting than the All-Star break usually is and is a welcome change of pace. I will update you with a wrap-up article once the Four Nations Face-Off is done, before we start to focus on the NHL trade deadline. Stay tuned!