We are just three days away from the inaugural 4 Nations Faceoff tournament kicking off in Montreal. This will be the first time that we’ve seen best on best hockey since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 almost ten years ago. The tournament this year is being held during what would usually be the all-star break and is expected to be a recurring event pending the success of this year’s tournament. The all-star game has gotten stale and overly gimmicky in recent years and serves as entertainment to younger hockey fans as opposed to its original purpose of showcasing some of the NHL’s top talent. The four teams that will be facing off (pardon the pun) in this year’s tournament will be Canada, United States, Finland, and Sweden.
First off it’s important to note that we aren’t entirely sure what exactly to expect. As much as we all hope that it’s taken seriously by the players it’s possible that we see a variation of the all-star game at this year’s tournament. Ultimately nobody wants to get hurt in games that don’t count towards winning the Stanley Cup and so it is an entirely real possibility that the players participating may hold back a little on the ice not wanting to risk injury. We’ve already seen a number of players withdraw from the tournament all together to ensure their health going forward this season such as; Quinn Hughes for the US and Alex Pietrangelo for Canada. However it is more than likely that we will see players playing their hearts out in hopes of taking home glory for their country. It’s possible that a good showing here could land you an invite to next year’s Olympic roster where NHL players are expected to be allowed to participate for the first time in 12 years. Moreover for some players like; Brad Marchand, and Mark Stone this could potentially be their last opportunity to represent their country on the global stage. Regardless it’s been far too long since we’ve seen NHL players compete internationally and it is sure to be an exhilarating couple weeks in Boston and Montreal.
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Starting with the believed to be favourites of this tournament: The United States. The US looks to be the team to beat in this tournament with a high octane forward group as well as a strong built defence core they are sure to be dangerous. Additionally they possess without a doubt the best goaltending trio of the tournament in Hellebuyck, Swayman, and Oettinger backstopping the nation. The loss of Quinn Hughes will likely prove to be a major one with him being the best defenceman in the NHL through 50 games this season. However they will still hold strong with Adam Fox leading the black end, also a former Norris winner and a pinch player that knows how to play when the lights are brightest with his home venue being Madison Square Garden. Hughes’ spot will be filled by breakout sensation from the Senators, Jake Sanderson. Although Quinn won’t be participating, his younger brother Jack will still be leading The United States offensive charge up front. Additionally the pair of Tkachuck brothers will both be there allowing for a flexible offensive lineup with first line calibre players at every turn. The team will be led by captain Auston Matthews and they look to be the powerhouse of the tournament, but don’t count the next team out.
Canada, although not the favourite, is not far behind the US in skill. While there is an argument to be made that their offence core is stronger than the State’s, the defence looks to be marginally weaker with a far inferior goaltending trio. Led by Sidney Crosby, Canada has some of the most lethal firepower up front in the tournament with Connor McDavid and Nathan Mackinnon who are arguably the best two hockey players in the world currently. The names up front distract from the shockingly underrated depth with players like Mitch Marner and Brayden Point expected to see third line minutes. The Defence group is spearheaded by another former Norris winner in Cale Makar and is deemed by many as a top 2 defenceman in the NHL. The group also has veteran presence Drew Doughty who has seen his fair share of success wearing the maple leaf on his chest. The biggest question mark for this team going into the tournament is their goaltending. Historically Canada has always had a strong lineup of goaltender with names like Luongo, Brodeur, and Price to name a few. This will be likely the weakest goaltending group the country has ever seen at the International stage. Adin Hill, likely to be the starting goaltender with Jordan Binnington backing him up, isn’t exactly what you want to see if you’re a Canadian. It’s worth noting that both netminders have played pressure time before both having won a Stanley Cup in the last six years.
Moving on is team Finland. Although possessing likely the weakest roster in the tournament, it’s by no means a team to scoff at. Led up front by generational talents Barkov and Rantanen they will be lethal when their top players are on the ice. They also have an abundance of underrated skilled forwards like; Sebastian Aho, and Roope Hintz. Their defence, although made up of NHL’ers is subpar especially with the glaring hole of Miro Heiskanen who suffered an injury earlier this week. A bright spot for the nation however is their goaltending. Having two elite starters in Saros and Lankinen may be enough to steal the team a game or two.
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The final team participating in the tournament is Sweden and they may be the most interesting team here. Unlike Finland they have high end talent up and down their roster, though not as constantly as Canada or the US. Veteran players like Karlsson and Hedman will likely prove invaluable on Sweden’s back end along with highly underrated players like Dahlin, and Forsling. Their Forward core consists of speedy puck moving forwards with a dash of superstar talents like William Nylander and Elias Pettersson. Meshing as a team is a big thing and part of what makes Sweden such a wildcard. If Canada or the US don’t mesh as a group as strongly as Sweden does, they have the roster and capability to catch one of the favourites off guard and potentially steal this tournament. Their goaltending is a bit of a question mark with the recent injury history of the trio but if they can manage to stay healthy, Sweden has the possibility of being the underdog and completing an upset in this tournament.
The highly anticipated International showdown is just mere days away and has been talked about for a year now with fans sure to be on the edge of their seats. Some of our favourite team’s players will be playing for another Nation making for a confusing but excited couple weeks ahead. Will the powerhouse US take home the trophy? Will Finland pull off the ultimate underdog story? So many storylines and such little time till the puck drops on the inaugural 4 Nations Faceoff.