After a year of anticipation, the NHL’s ‘best-on-best’ international tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off, is finally just weeks away.
Taking place Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, and serving as both a replacement for this year’s All-Star Game and a preview of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the 4 Nations Face-Off will feature Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland.
Each federation revealed their official rosters back in December, consisting of 13 forwards, seven defencemen and three goaltenders. Unfortunately, as of this writing, it seems unlikely that any team’s originally submitted 23-player roster will remain intact from top to bottom by the time the tournament begins.
American defenceman Charlie McAvoy is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and currently has no timeline for his return. Meanwhile, Finnish forward Erik Haula, also on injured reserve with an ankle injury, has resumed skating but remains without a timetable to return.
Then there’s the Swedish roster, which has been hit particularly hard by the injury bug. Forward William Karlsson (lower body), defenceman Jonas Brodin (lower body), and goaltenders Jacob Markstrom (MCL sprain) and Linus Ullmark (back) are all currently sidelined.
While Ullmark is likely to return in time — and Karlsson and Brodin have a chance as well — Markstrom will almost certainly miss the tournament, with a recovery timeline of four to six weeks announced Friday. Set to be Sweden’s starting netminder, his absence is a significant blow to their championship hopes.
Everything seemed on track for Canada to have its full roster healthy and available for the tournament — until defenceman Alex Pietrangelo unexpectedly withdrew on Sunday, citing the need to “tend to an ailment and prepare for the remainder of the regular season.”
Now, team management is tasked with pulling a replacement for Pietrangelo from their back pocket. Hopefully, it will be the only change needed, but with two weeks until the tournament, more injuries could ultimately arise. Injury replacements — who will likely have to cancel booked vacations to sunny destinations — can be named right up until the opening day of play.
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4 Nations Face-Off
With the inaugural edition of the 4 Nations Face-Off fast approaching, be sure to catch up on all the latest news about the highly-anticipated best-on-best event. Puck drops on Feb. 12, 2025, on Sportsnet.
As a reminder, this is how Canada’s roster currently looks:
Forwards
Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers)
Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes)
Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers)
Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights
Defence
Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets)
Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues)Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers)
Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights)
Devon Toews (Colorado Avalanche)
Goaltenders
Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues)
Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights)
Sam Montembeault (Montreal Canadiens)
So, who are some players that could step into Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team if needed? Here’s a selection of forwards, defencemen and goaltenders we’d hope would be considered.
Forwards
Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets): Included on everyone’s list of snubs from Canada’s roster, Scheifele is on pace for career-high goal and point totals this season. Averaging more than a point per game, he has 54 points (27 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games. His 54 points rank second on the Jets, behind only Kyle Connor, and the team is currently the NHL’s second-best — a feat he’s certainly contributed to. It’d be hard for anyone to argue he wasn’t deserving of a spot in the first place, but he was likely left off the roster due to Canada’s already significant depth at centre and the criticisms that exist surrounding his defensive play.
Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues): Around the time Canada’s management was scouting the league for the country’s top roster choices, Thomas was sidelined with a fractured right ankle, missing 12 games from late October to mid-November. Coming off career highs in goals (26), assists (60), and points (86) last season, the 25-year-old has still managed a respectable 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 38 games so far this season. The roster was announced on Dec. 4, and from Dec. 3 to Jan. 9, Thomas recorded 23 points — the 10th-most in the league during that stretch. However, he’s been on a quieter streak recently, with just one goal and two assists in his last seven games.
Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks): Last year’s Calder Trophy winner likely would’ve been a roster shoo-in had he started this season resembling the player who earned Rookie of the Year honours. However, in his first 26 games, Bedard posted just 19 points (five goals, 14 assists). After being left off Canada’s squad, Bedard told TNT he understood the decision, saying, “You kind of sleep in the bed you make, and I obviously haven’t been too happy with the start of the year.” The 2022 first-overall pick also said he would use the snub as motivation, and it seems to be working — he’s now up to 43 points (13 goals, 30 assists) in 49 games.
Zach Hyman (Edmonton Oilers): Between his slow start offensively and an injury that briefly sidelined him, Hyman found himself left off Canada’s roster. Clearly, recency bias played a role in the decision, as the right winger has demonstrated he can compete with the league’s best forwards, posting 83 and 77 points in the past two seasons and scoring 54 goals in 2023-24. Ahead of the final roster decisions, Hyman had managed just three goals and eight points in 20 games. However, he caught fire after the announcement, scoring 10 goals in the nine games immediately following. Since then, he’s raised his season total to 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists) in 44 games.
Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals): With several smaller players on Canada’s roster — Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Mitch Marner, Seth Jarvis, and Brad Marchand — it wouldn’t hurt to add a big body like Wilson, who knows how to make his presence felt. Standing six-foot-four and weighing 220 pounds, Wilson brings more than just size; he adds skill, too. The 30-year-old has 35 points (20 goals, 15 assists) this season and plays a key role on the league-leading Capitals’ penalty kill, which ranks second in the NHL at 84.8 per cent. While Canada already has Sam Bennett, who plays a similar physical style, Wilson could step in if Bennett were unavailable or if additional grit and physicality were wanted.
Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens): When Canada’s roster was announced, Suzuki was scoring at a point-per-game pace, with 26 points in 25 games. After being left off the team, the Canadiens captain said he would use the snub “as fuel” moving forward. Fast forward to today, and Suzuki has maintained his impressive pace, now sitting at 50 points in 49 games. Known for his strong 200-foot game and two-way ability, he regularly matches up against the league’s top players and contributes on both special teams. “That kid knows exactly how good he is, and anybody who watches him knows how good he is, too. … He’s taken that snub personally,” Sportsnet’s Eric Engels recently said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
Defence
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings): For this replacement to happen, Doughty first needs to get healthy himself. Fortunately, it seems he’s close, as he’s been practicing in a full-contact capacity and is travelling with the Kings on their current road trip. The 35-year-old has missed the entire 2024-25 season so far due to a fractured ankle suffered in the pre-season. Had he been healthy, there’s no doubt he would’ve been included on Canada’s roster. Back in November, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in a 32 Thoughts blog that Team Canada had been closely monitoring Doughty’s recovery timeline and asking for information since the moment he was hurt.
MacKenzie Weegar (Calgary Flames): According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Weegar was among the “very last players cut” from the Canadian roster. “You’re a bit bummed not to make the team, but at the same time, you’re honoured to still be in the mix. There’s a bunch of defencemen who could be on that team. It’s a pretty stacked lineup, and I’m proud to say I was in the mix for that,” Weegar said back on Dec. 5. Asked if Canada could keep his number should they need another D-man, Weegar replied, “Of course, they can keep my number. I’ll be staring at my phone if there’s an injury or whatnot, so of course, I’d love to still play for the team. That’s a no-brainer.”
Evan Bouchard (Edmonton Oilers): After an 82-point regular season, the fourth-most by a defenceman in the league in 2023-24, Bouchard recorded the second-most points in the playoffs among all skaters (32), trailing only teammate Connor McDavid (42). He’s having another decent year, though his scoring is slightly down, with 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 49 games — the fourth-most by a Canadian defenceman. Still among the best offensive defencemen in the league, with his high-end passing and playmaking, Bouchard has the ability to quarterback a top power play. However, Cale Makar is currently filling that role on Canada’s roster. It’s understandable, then, why management opted for other defence-first blueliners over Bouchard, who undeniably has his moments as a defensive liability.
Chris Tanev (Toronto Maple Leafs): This one might seem a bit random, as his name hasn’t been widely mentioned in relation to this tournament, but if Canada wants to add a shut-down, stay-at-home defender to their squad, Tanev should be the guy. Often overlooked or underrated because of his steady, no-nonsense style, the 35-year-old is reliable, dependable, and is having a strong first year in Toronto. Goaltending is undoubtedly the weakest part of Canada’s roster, and having Tanev, who has blocked 132 shots this season (third-most in the league), would provide extra insurance in front of the net. Just ask Jake Oettinger, Tanev’s former teammate, who described him as “a goalie’s dream.”
Goaltenders
Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals): During an appearance on The FAN Hockey Show on Wednesday, Thompson revealed that Team Canada brass never contacted him during their selection process. “If there was to be an injury, I know I probably won’t get that call, and that’s OK,” the 27-year-old added. Well, they would be remiss not to consider him. Thompson has the third-most wins this season (22), trailing only Connor Hellebuyck (30) and Oettinger (24). And, among goaltenders with at least eight games played, he boasts the second-best goals-against average (2.09) and third-best save percentage (.925) in the league. Recently, Thompson recorded back-to-back shutouts on Jan. 14 and 16 and posted a career-long shutout streak of 198:22 from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18, the third longest in franchise history.
Marc-Andre Fleury (Minnesota Wild): Since this is the future Hall of Famer’s final NHL season, it would be a fitting sendoff to see Fleury included one last time in an exhibition event like this. The most seasoned netminder in the league with 1,042 career games, the 40-year-old has posted a 2.76 goals-against average and .904 save percentage across 17 appearances this season. While he’s no longer at the peak of his game, realistically, any goalie stepping in as a replacement likely wouldn’t see any playing time. But with three Stanley Cups, a Vezina Trophy and over two decades of experience, would anyone really feel uneasy if Fleury stepped into the crease?
