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Final projection of Canada’s squad for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Canada is the favorite to win the First face-to-face tournament of the 4 Nations in February – the first competition between top and best NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
Canada won that tournament eight years ago and also emerged with the gold medal in the last Winter Olympics involving NHL players in 2010 and 2014.
What are the chances that the United States, Sweden or Finland can dethrone Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off in a few months?
It is certainly possible. United States has produced more and more elite talent In recent years, the Americans have a big advantage over Canada at the goalie position. Sweden is also loaded with high-level talent in virtually every position, and Finland has plenty of quality players as well.
Here is the complete schedule for the tournament, which will be held at the Bell Center in Montreal and the TD Garden in Boston:
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Wednesday, February 12 at 8 pm: Canada vs. Sweden at the Bell Center
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Thursday, February 13 at 8 pm: United States vs. Finland at the Bell Center
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Saturday, February 15 at 1 pm: Finland vs. Sweden at the Bell Center
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Saturday, February 15 at 8 pm: United States vs. Canada at the Bell Center
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Monday, February 17 at 1:00 p.m.: Canada vs. Finland at TD Garden
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Monday, February 17 at 8 pm: United States against Sweden at TD Garden
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Thursday, February 20 at 8 pm: Championship game at TD Garden
The final rosters for each of the four teams will be announced on December 2. Check out our final projection of Canada’s roster below. Six players have already been selected and their names are in bold.
Forwards
Zach Hyman–Connor McDavid-Sam Reinhart
Brad Marchand—Sidney Crosby—Nathan MacKinnon
Brandon Hagel–Brayden Point–Mitch Marner
Travis Konecny–Mark Scheifele–Steven Stamkos
More: Connor Bedard
No other nation has as much elite forward talent as Canada. It’s really amazing. There are also plenty of centers in the mix, and some of them will probably need to play on the wing.
In a tournament that doesn’t include many games, developing chemistry between guys who have rarely or never played together is a challenge. That’s why we built these lines with the idea of bringing together teammates as well as guys who train together during the offseason.
Marchand, Crosby and MacKinnon are all from Nova Scotia and have practiced together there over the summer on numerous occasions. Hyman and McDavid are one of the most prolific duos in the league as part of the Oilers’ first line. Hagel and Point are teammates on the Lightning.
Leaving Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere off the roster was a tough decision. He’s having a good season and Canada doesn’t have many natural left backs in the mix here. Does he deserve a spot over Stamkos, who is having an average season with the Predators so far? Probably, but experience matters in an international tournament. Furthermore, Stamkos was not selected for the 2010 Olympics and was unable to play in the 2014 Olympics due to injury, so he deserves another opportunity to represent Canada.
Defenses
Devon Toews…Cale Makar
Noah Dobson as Evan Bouchard
Shea Theodore as Alex Pietrangelo
More: Josh Morrissey
Chemistry is very important on the blue line, so it makes sense to bring together teammates like Devon Toews and Cale Makar (Avalanche), as well as Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo (Golden Knights). Evan Bouchard has been essential to the Oilers’ recent success, while Dobson is among the league’s most underrated blueliners. Josh Morrissey has made a big impact for the first-place Jets and could easily be in contention for a top-six spot.
Goalkeepers
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logan thompson
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Adin Hill
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Cam Talbot
Thompson is having a breakout season for the resurgent Capitals with a 9-1-1 record, a .917 save percentage, and a 2.44 GAA. Hill, who used to be Thompson’s teammate on the Golden Knights, is having a rough start to the season with a .887 save percentage and 2.99 GAA. However, his Stanley Cup-winning experience and overall playoff resume should help him earn a roster spot.
Talbot has been a model of consistency. He has a .921 save percentage for the Red Wings, putting him on pace to have a save percentage over .900 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. He has 36 career playoff appearances with a .915 save percentage in those games.
Goalie is easily Canada’s weakest position. That doesn’t mean the players listed above are bad by any means, there just isn’t an elite option here. In fact, the other three teams have better goalkeepers. If Canada doesn’t win this tournament, poor goaltending will likely be the main reason.