4 Nations Face-Off rosters: Projecting each team’s lineup — and the toughest calls - The Athletic

Time is running short for bubble players looking to make an impression on their countries’ management teams ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Just four weeks remain until rosters featuring 20 skaters and three goaltenders need to be finalized and submitted on Dec. 2, and just 100 until play begins.

The February tournament will be the first that brings together all of the top players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. That lengthy window has created a nearly blank slate, with only a few holdovers from hockey’s last best-on-best event.

With player evaluations still ongoing, we’ve taken a crack at forecasting what each country’s roster could look like.

💯 DAYS TO GO #4Nations pic.twitter.com/55wJxDtq8K

— NHL (@NHL) November 4, 2024

(Note: Highlighted players have already been named to the roster.)

The good: Canada is so deep at center, it can contemplate shifting last season’s Hart Trophy winner to the wing. And if it’s not Nathan MacKinnon moving over, it’ll probably be 50-goal man Brayden Point. Given how little preparation time teams will get before the tournament, there’s comfort in familiarity for Canada with two defense pairings that have spent considerable time together in the NHL, plus the Zach Hyman-Connor McDavid duo from Edmonton and Brad Marchand–Sidney Crosby duo from the 2016 World Cup.

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The not-so-good: The goaltending is a major question mark for a country accustomed to lining up in front of surefire Hall of Famers at best-on-best events. Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill have at least both played their share of pressure-packed games — each winning a Stanley Cup — and the competition for playing time between them should remain open right up until February. Basically, the hottest hand gets the job. I went with Cam Talbot at No. 3 based on his strong start to the season in Detroit.

The toughest call(s): When you’re picking a Team Canada, you’re always going to be leaving multiple top forwards off the roster. In this case, they include Alexis Lafrenière, Mark Scheifele, Connor Bedard, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and Quinton Byfield. The defenseman I had the toughest time passing on was Noah Dobson, who gets beat out by the experience of Josh Morrissey and the flexibility of MacKenzie Weegar. I opted for Weegar as the No. 7 because of his comfort playing either side of the ice.

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(Note: Highlighted players have already been named to the roster.)

The good: Built strong down the middle of the ice, Finland’s group of centers is experienced and elite. Being able to lean on Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell coming off back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final with the Florida Panthers will be a major bonus. This forward group also includes a number of players in solid form to start the NHL season, including Mikko Rantanen, Mikael Granlund and Kaapo Kakko. Sending out Juuse Saros as the No. 1 goaltender should also be a source of confidence.

The not-so-good: Just eight Finnish defensemen have played an NHL game so far this season, and Jani Hakanpää — the player I’ve selected as this team’s No. 7 — isn’t among them. He is, however, on the verge of a return to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup after a lengthy knee injury and gets the nod because of his size, penalty-killing acumen and history of playing with Esa Lindell in Dallas. Beyond Miro Heiskanen, this blue line’s star and stalwart, the Finns will be challenged while playing in their own zone against deep offensive competition.

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The toughest call(s): Given the depth down the middle, I couldn’t find a place for Jesperi Kotkaniemi on this roster. Goal scoring may prove to be a challenge for this group, and if that ends up being the case, I may regret leaving Eeli Tolvanen and Patrik Laine at home. Ultimately, Laine’s uncertain injury situation cost him a spot.

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(Note: Highlighted players have already been named to the roster.)

The good: Sweden is built from the back end out, with Vezina Trophy-quality goaltending and an elite group of defenders. It’s an experienced collection of players, too. The Swedes should also be encouraged by the play of the three forwards already named to the roster with Filip Forsberg, Mika Zibanejad and William Nylander each off to productive starts. Leo Carlsson is a potential X-factor for this team if he can handle a meaningful role.

The not-so-good: There’s the potential for this to be a top-heavy forward group, which could pose matchup challenges against the United States and Canada. It’s hard to know what the Swedes will be able to squeeze out of the bottom seven up front.

The toughest call(s): Jonas Brodin, Adam Larsson and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were difficult omissions on this loaded blue line. Rickard Rakell could easily have claimed a spot among the forwards following a great start to the year in Pittsburgh. I opted for youth in the 13th forward spot with William Eklund rather than the experience of Mikael Backlund.

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(Note: Highlighted players have already been named to the roster.)

The good: I mean, look at this roster. Top to bottom, it’s stacked. You’ve got three of the NHL’s top goaltenders, elite puck-movers on every defense pairing and a group of forwards that can match up with any style of play an opponent throws at them. On paper, this has to be considered the tournament favorite.

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The not-so-good: I’d really have to stretch to find something here. One of the challenges I encountered when trying to map out forward lines was the lack of right-shot forwards for the wings. Of course, leaving Tage Thompson and Cole Caufield off my projected roster didn’t help matters. Even if Team USA ends up bringing 10 or 11 left-shot forwards to the tournament, I’m guessing it won’t slow them down any.

The toughest call(s): Passing on Caufield didn’t feel right given his red-hot start to the season, but this team has plenty of players who can put the puck in the net. Among the other forwards who gained strong consideration and were ultimately left home: Jason Robertson, Brock Nelson, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane. It was especially difficult to leave defenseman Jake Sanderson out of this group, but 34-year-old John Carlson is still playing great and should be a steadying presence.

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(Top photo of Connor McDavid celebrating a goal for Canada in 2015: John Crouch / Getty Images)

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