As the month of February is slowly moving along, this means only one thing for the hockey fans: the inaugural four Nations Face-off is almost here. With the puck drop set to take place in less than one week, let’s have a look at Team Canada and how their roster stacks up in the best-on-best international tournament.
Forwards
Reinhart – McDavid – Marner
Hagel – MacKinnon – Point
Marchand – Crosby – Stone
Jarvis – Cirelli – Konecny
Healthy scratch: Sam Bennett
Canada’s forward depth is certainly its biggest strength, which begins at centre position. With Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon centring the top two lines, you have two of the best hockey players in the world leading the charge.
Despite being 37-years-old, Sidney Crosby continues to have an incredible season with 57 points. More importantly, his leadership and experience on the international stage, which includes the Golden Goal in the 2010 Olympics, will be heavily relied on. Let’s not forget our fourth line centre, Anthony Cirelli, who is currently on pace to have his best season statistically for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
When it comes to international hockey, Team Canada is known for playing hard and physical brand of hockey, dating back to Canada versus USSR days. Having forwards like Brad Marchand, Mark Stone, and MacKinnon will continue to reinforce this identity and help Team Canada to maintain puck possession to create offensive opportunities. Oh and if more gritty forward depth is needed against players like the Tkachuks, Sam Bennett is there to jump into the line-up.
The rest of the forward depth are consistent performers. Mitch Marner is having another offensively strong campaign while Brayden Point’s scoring pace has him primed to crack the 40-goal mark for the third consecutive season. Both Brandon Hagel and Travis Konecny are continuing to harness their offensive game with both producing at the best point-per-game rates of their careers.
Defence
Toews – Makar
Morrissey- Parayko
Theodore – Sanheim
If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it and that is exactly what we can say about Team Canada’s top defensive pairing. The chemistry between Colorado Avalanche teammates Devon Toews and Cale Makar has been developing for quite sometime and includes a Stanley Cup victory in 2022. This duo will be heavily relied upon to lead Canada’s defensive group, which likely includes Makar running the first power play unit.
Had it not been for Alex Pietrangelo withdrawing due to injury, Shea Theodore and Pietrangelo would have been the more likely second line given the two are teammates on the Vegas Golden Knights.
Josh Morrissey has been having another great season for the Winnipeg Jets and has established himself as one of the more underrated defenders in the league with a +34 plus-minus rating last year. He has earned the spot on the second line alongside Colton Parayko, whose development through the years has allowed him to shut down his opponents’ top line on a nightly basis for the St. Louis Blues.
This would mean that the Theodore and Travis Sanheim combination would be Team Canada’s third duo. Both play significant roles for their club and provide a good offensive pairing. Their ability to play defence against the talented forward groups in the tournament will be tested and something to keep an eye on.
Given that Pietrangelo is officially out for the tournament, a spot has opened up with Drew Doughty, MacKenzie Weegar, and Evan Bouchard as possible replacements. A convincing case can certainly be made for the aforementioned players but given the forward depth of teams like USA, the brass of Team Canada should prioritize recruiting a shut down player, someone like Chris Tanev.
Goaltending
Hill
Binnington
Healthy Scratch: Montembeault
This is undoubtedly Canada’s weakest position. As it currently stands, Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault have save percentages of .900 or lower this season. None have had a particularly memorable campaign and it is up in the air who will be Team Canada’s starter in the tournament. Both Binnington and Hill are Stanley Cup winners with Hill putting up an impressive .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average on his way to lifting the trophy in 2023.
Should Team Canada need a replacement between the pipes, look no further than Logan Thompson who has compiled a 23–2–4 record with a .924 save percentage this season.
What are Team Canada’s chances?
While the depth of their roster on paper is only second to Team USA, Canada has built a team than can go toe-to-toe with any of the other nations in the tournament. Led by two of the best players in the league, McDavid and MacKinnon, this group will certainly pose a big challenge to anyone standing in their way.
Follow The Oil Rig on social media!
Photo from @NHL on Twitter
