Canada is the favorite to win the first ever 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February -- the first best vs. best competition featuring NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
Canada won that tournament eight years ago, and it also emerged with the gold medal in the last Winter Olympic games that involved NHL players in 2010 and 2014.
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What are the chances that the United States, Sweden or Finland could dethrone Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in a few months?
It's certainly possible. The United States has produced more and more elite talent in recent years, and the Americans have a huge advantage over Canada at the goaltender position. Sweden is loaded with high-end talent at pretty much every position, too, and Finland also has plenty of quality players.
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Here's the full schedule for the tournament, which will be hosted by the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston:
- Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.: Canada vs. Sweden at the Bell Centre
- Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.: USA vs. Finland at the Bell Centre
- Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m.: Finland vs. Sweden at the Bell Centre
- Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m.: USA vs. Canada at the Bell Centre
- Monday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m.: Canada vs. Finland at TD Garden
- Monday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m.: USA vs. Sweden at TD Garden
- Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m.: Championship game at TD Garden
The final rosters for each of the four teams will be unveiled Dec. 2. Check out our final Canada roster projection below. Six players have already been selected, and their names are in bold text.
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
Extra: Connor Bedard
No other nation has as much elite talent at forward as Canada. It's truly astounding. There's also a ton of centers in the mix, and some of them probably will need to play on the wing.
In a tournament that doesn't feature a ton of games, developing chemistry between guys who have rarely or never played together is a challenge. That's why we constructed these lines with the idea of putting teammates together, as well as guys who train together in the offseason.
Marchand, Crosby and MacKinnon are all from Nova Scotia and have practiced together there in the summer numerous times. 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 choice. He's having a strong season, and Canada doesn't have a ton of natural left wings in the mix here. Does he deserve a spot over Stamkos, who's having just an average season for the Predators so far? Probably, but experience matters in an international tournament. Plus, Stamkos didn't get selected for the 2010 Olympics and couldn't play in the 2014 Olympics due to injury, so he deserves another chance to represent Canada.
Defensemen
Devon Toews--Cale Makar
Noah Dobson--Evan Bouchard
Shea Theodore--Alex Pietrangelo
Extra: Josh Morrissey
Chemistry is very important on the blue line, so it makes sense to put teammates such as Devon Toews and Cale Makar (Avalanche), as well as Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo (Golden Knights), together. Evan Bouchard has been essential to the Oilers' recent success, while Dobson ranks among the league's most underappreciated blueliners. Josh Morrissey has made a huge impact for the first-place Jets and could easily be in the mix for a top-six spot.
Goaltenders
- Logan Thompson
- Adin Hill
- Cam Talbot
Thompson is having a great 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 teammates with Thompson on the Golden Knights, is having a tough start to the campaign with an .887 save percentage and a 2.99 GAA. However, his Stanley Cup-winning experience and overall playoff resume should help him get 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 above .900 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. He has 36 career playoff appearances with a .915 save percentage in those games.
Goaltender is easily Canada's weakest position. That doesn't mean the players listed above are bad by any means, there's just no elite, slam-dunk option here. In fact, the other three teams all have better netminders. If Canada does not win this tournament, poor goaltending likely will be the primary reason why.
