Did the Edmonton Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final help crystallize Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster?
The tournament — which begins Feb. 12, 2025 — is now just six months away and when it was initially announced one year out, we all rushed to jot down our lines.
The first name any Canadian hockey fan carved in stone was Connor McDavid as the team’s 1C. But even 60 per cent of the way through this past season, would Evan Bouchard, Stuart Skinner, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or even Zach Hyman have been considered strong bets to make this squad?
Today, Hyman is a lock, Bouchard is officially one of the most productive young D-men in the world and if Team Canada GM Don Sweeney puts a lot of stock in continuity ahead of this short tourney, you have to think Nugent-Hopkins will get a long look.
As for Skinner, he opens the door to the conversation Canadian hockey fans are least anxious — or maybe extremely anxious? — to have: Goaltending.
There’s no stud Canadian stopper to be found, nor is there even a guy — unless you count Marc-Andre Fleury — with a solid body of past work that would make him a default choice. Given that, how could Skinner — who posted a .935 save percentage in the final four contests of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final — not be in serious contention for a starting gig?
With our American, Finnish and Swedish rosters already constructed, let’s put together a lineup for a Canadian squad that, after a nearly decade-long wait following the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, will be trying to claim its fourth consecutive best-on-best event.
(A couple of quick notes before we begin. The six players already named to the squad are listed in bold. Also, on Friday we’ll publish a piece on Sportsnet.ca that examines a handful of young Canadians who could push their way onto the team. None of them appear in this article as we’ll go into more detail about their potential on Friday.)
Forwards
Zach Hyman-Connor McDavid-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Brayden Point–Nathan MacKinnon-Travis Konecny
Brad Marchand–Sidney Crosby-Connor Bedard
Sam Reinhart-Wyatt Johnston-Mathew Barzal
Extra: Mark Stone
In the mix: Mitch Marner, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Anthony Cirelli, Robert Thomas, Carter Verhaeghe, Mark Scheifele
Look, it’s easy to see three or four guys who are not listed on any of the four lines being a regular on the team. Mitch Marner could actually be a dream fit on the top unit; Steven Stamkos could fill the net in Nashville; Robert Thomas might be on pace for 100 points in February. That said, you just build such instant and precious chemistry by porting over the Oilers’ top line and making that Canada’s first trio.
Travis Konecny brings some bump and Connor Bedard with Sidney Crosby would be something that makes sense, while simultaneously acting as a sort of symbolic torch-passing. Wyatt Johnston is only 21, but he has pushed his way into the conversation with a great sophomore showing and already establishing himself as a big-game player.
It’s understandable that Marchand is already named to the team. After all, he’s got a history playing with Crosby, has appeared in numerous huge games and remains a very versatile and effective two-way player. But if we were to climb into the truth tree, perhaps we could discuss whether a younger, more overtly talented winger would have been a better option given the calibre of player who will ultimately be squeezed off this squad. Then again, the final of this tournament is in Boston and — should Canada and the U.S. meet there — the idea of Marchand being a Massachusetts villain is just too delicious to pass up.
Defence
Devon Toews-Cale Makar
Josh Morrissey-Evan Bouchard
Morgan Rielly-Drew Doughty
Extra: Alex Pietrangelo
In the mix: Shea Theodore, MacKenzie Weegar, Noah Dobson, Aaron Ekblad
Most squads, whether domestic or international, are crying out for another righty or two to man the blue line, but this is the rarely seen case of a team having to sort through too many right-shot defencemen.
Canada has three blue-liners who registered at least 70 points this past season and they’re all righties who are 25 or younger (Cale Makar, Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson). As it stands, the likes of Drew Doughty, Noah Dobson, Alex Pietrangelo and 2024 Cup champ Aaron Ekblad are all righties who could fall victim to a numbers game of sorts. And even if you think having Makar makes Bouchard’s offence-first approach redundant, just think of the advantage it is for Canada to feature four-fifths of the Edmonton power play that’s scored 30 per cent of the time the past two seasons.
The flipside to all that righthanded power, though, is there may be an opening for somebody on the left side of the ice to rise up and snag a spot. Similar to the first forward unit made up entirely of Oilers, there’s a benefit to having Devon Toews line up with Makar and that — along with his fantastic skillset — probably makes the former a lock to skate beside his Avalanche teammate at this tourney. But it sure seems like the door is open for a lefty like Shea Theodore — after a couple of injury-marred seasons — to seize a spot.
Goalies
Stuart Skinner
Jordan Binnington
Extra: Adin Hill
In the mix: Tristan Jarry, Connor Ingram, Laurent Brossoit, Sam Montembault
The last two best-on-best tournaments were held in 2014 and 2016. That means they sandwiched the 2014-15 NHL season when Carey Price won the Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. Canada went to battle in those events with a guy who was at the peak of his powers and the unimpeachable choice as the goalie you’d want in your crease.
My goodness, how things can change.
If you own both goalie pads and a Canadian passport, think about keeping your February clear.
To be clear, there are absolutely a few guys here capable of backstopping a stacked team to a win. It’s just jarring, though, how not a single name jumps off the page as a fantastic candidate. Everybody comes with an asterisk, which is why you do have to put stock in Stuart Skinner’s largely fine showing during a pressure-packed trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Really, this will come down to who is playing the best when Sweeney and Co. name the team. And, hey, if nothing else, this is an opportunity for a new Canadian goalie hero to emerge.