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Monday, 27 January 2025
Possible replacements for Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team
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?
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Erie Otters fire coach Stan Butler after internal review
One of the longest-serving coaches in major-junior hockey is out of work.
The Erie Otters announced Monday they have fired Stan Butler, 11 days after the OHL club said it was conducting an internal review of team policy.
At the time they announced the review, the Otters said Butler would not be with the team for a road trip that week.
The team has not announced a replacement.
It has been a challenging season for the Otters. Team owner Jim Waters died unexpectedly last month and star defenceman Matthew Schaefer suffered a broken collarbone playing for Canada at the world junior hockey championship and is expected to be out until at least late March.
Butler was hired by the Otters on Jan. 26, 2023, after spending 22 seasons with the North Bay and Brampton Battalion. The 68-year-old spent time as a head coach, general manager and director of hockey operations at various points throughout his tenure. Before his time with the Battalion, Butler coached the WHL’s Prince George Cougars and OHL’s Oshawa Generals.
The Toronto native has also coached on the international stage in the past, representing Canada at the world juniors at the 2001 and 2002 tournaments.
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Sunday, 26 January 2025
NHL on Sportsnet: Avalanche vs. Rangers
The Colorado Avalanche look to break a three-game skid with a victory against the New York Rangers on Sunday.
The puck drops at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, or follow along with the NHL Live Tracker.
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20 Fantasy Thoughts: Fallout from Rantanen blockbuster trade
What a blockbuster.
The Colorado Avalanche sent the hockey world into pandemonium Friday night, trading star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. In return, the Avs got Martin Necas and Jack Drury plus a couple of draft picks, while Chicago picked up a draft pick for taking on some of Rantanen’s salary. The Canes also got Taylor Hall out of the deal, who comes over from the Blackhawks. It was one of the biggest trades we’ve seen in quite some time.
I actually wrote about Rantanen hours before the deal highlighting how the Avalanche were in a difficult spot with his contract and might have to consider moving him, but I had no idea things would escalate so quickly. Colorado clearly made a tough choice knowing they likely couldn’t re-sign him, even if it may make themselves worse in the short term.
As far as fantasy implications go, I don’t think this move helps Rantanen. He currently ranks third in the NHL in ice time among forwards and I’d expect his minutes to drop a bit. The Hurricanes have a much more balanced lineup than the Avalanche do and coach Rod Brind’Amour won’t have to lean on Rantanen as much as Jared Bednar did. The Canes also play much more structured than the Avalanche, who often try to outscore their problems.
Then there’s the matter of losing Nathan MacKinnon. Rantanen is likely to play with Sebastian Aho, who is a great player, but not on MacKinnon’s level. You don’t need to panic where Rantanen is concerned, just expect his numbers to drop slightly.
When it comes to Taylor Hall, this move obviously helps. Carolina is loaded with far more talent than Chicago, but there are a couple of questions with Hall. Can he stay healthy enough to make an impact? And can he fit into Brind’Amour’s system well enough to get good deployment and ice time to make him fantasy-relevant? Time will tell.
The person I think this really helps the most is Martin Necas. He’s having a great season and playing next to MacKinnon will certainly help that continue. Necas has been inconsistent over the course of his career, but it’s hard to ask for a better landing spot than on Colorado’s top line and if his first game with the Avs is any indication, he’s in for a huge bump in ice time. Necas played a career-high 25:08 on Saturday. If you didn’t sell high on Necas earlier this season, your patience has been rewarded.
Here’s hoping we get a few more of these mega deals before the deadline.
1. Valeri Nichushkin had a setback trying to work his way back from injury and unfortunately it doesn’t sound like he’s close to a return. I’d still stash him if you can, though, as Nichushkin is very productive when healthy. He could give you a huge boost for the fantasy playoffs if he’s back in time.
2. It’s time to circle back on Pavel Zacha. The Boston Bruins’ playoff hopes may be in jeopardy, but Zacha’s ice time is going up and it’s turned into eight points in six games for the forward. Zacha is also giving you a handful of faceoff wins per game, not to mention he has dual-position eligibility. Zacha and David Pastrnak have been really clicking lately, so hopefully Zacha can keep this going and at least remain fantasy-relevant for the rest of the season.
3. It’s easy to overlook someone like Matt Duchene in fantasy hockey. Duchene has played for five teams, was bought out before joining the Dallas Stars and is now in his mid-thirties, but he’s been an incredibly important player this season. Duchene is on pace for close to 80 points and may end up outscoring both Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston in 2024-25.
4. Tough break if you were rostering Connor McDavid this week. His three-game suspension eliminated him from head-to-head matchups and it was a massive advantage if you were facing him. Making it even more challenging is that in a lot of leagues, you can’t even move a suspended player to injured reserve. So, not only was McDavid out of action, he was eating up a roster spot as well. It would’ve been a real nightmare if this came during the fantasy playoffs.
5. Morgan Frost has settled into a nice spot between Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny. It’s been very fruitful for the Philadelphia Flyers forward, who now has seven points in his past nine games. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle and provides decent shot volume. Frost hasn’t always been in John Tortorella’s good books, so it remains to be seen how long this deployment lasts. Ride the wave while you can.
6. It’s been another miserable season for the Buffalo Sabres, but Jiri Kulich has been a bright spot lately. He’s taken advantage of a promotion to the top line with Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka, netting four points in three games.
7. For a player who’s incredibly talented and valuable, Josh Morrissey can sure have some quiet games. Morrissey played more than 22 minutes in a game earlier this week against Utah and posted zeros across the board for his stat line. He did something similar back in November, playing nearly 27 minutes one night and once again was completely shut out on the stat sheet. A lack of offence is one thing, but to play that much and not record a shot, hit or block is almost hard to believe.
8. Seth Jones has really picked it up of late, recording six points in his past four games. Normally, Jones’s best attribute is that he plays a lot and is effective for blocked shots, but he doesn’t really provide much beyond that. If Jones continues to score at the rate he’s clicking at now, though, that changes things. The Chicago Blackhawks defenceman could be a must-roster the rest of the way.
9. Bad news for the New Jersey Devils this week, as Jacob Markstrom went down with an injury and it sounds like he’s going to miss four-to-six weeks. It goes without saying, but don’t hesitate to grab Jake Allen, who now finds himself in a great situation. Allen should play quite a bit while Markstrom is out and the Devils are having an excellent year. They should be able to help Allen to a bunch of wins at the very least.
10. Double-check your waiver wire to see if Drew Doughty is available. His return is imminent and he’s down to around 60 per cent rostered. The veteran’s return will have a ripple effect involving Los Angeles’ blue line, as Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke are likely to lose minutes and power play time.
11. Injuries to the Utah defence corps have thrust Michael Kesselring to the top power play unit and significant ice time. Kesselring has averaged around 21 minutes over the past four games, providing good shot volume and he’s been very effective for penalty minutes. At only 15 per cent rostered, give Kesselring a look if you need help on your blue line.
12. Nick Schmaltz has really taken off since Logan Cooley moved up to the top line. Schmaltz is riding an eight-game point streak, with four power play points over that stretch. He may not provide great peripheral numbers, but there’s no reason Schmaltz shouldn’t be rostered in points leagues.
13. One of the reasons the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff race is goaltending. Elvis Merzlikins has been solid of late, going 6-1-0 in his past seven starts and allowing only nine goals over his last five outings. The Blue Jackets are also providing Merzlikins plenty of goal support, currently sitting seventh overall in goals per game. I’d give Merzlikins a short-term look if you need to solidify your crease.
14. We recently talked about Matthew Tkachuk’s struggles to score, but things aren’t going any better for brother Brady. The Ottawa Senators forward is now pointless in 10 games and is on pace for only 64 points this year. That would be Tkachuk’s lowest total since 2020-21 and a massive step backwards. Tkachuk is still producing solid numbers for hits and shots, but without being at least in the neighbourhood of a point per game, his value goes way down.
15. The Sens as a whole are really struggling, too. They’ve now been shut out an incredible five times in their past 12 games. That essentially averages out to close to every other night this month. There might not be a more inconsistent team in the league than Ottawa. They can look like a juggernaut for a couple of weeks and then all of a sudden go completely cold.
16. Between working his way back from injury and the state of the Vancouver Canucks, I just don’t see Thatcher Demko having much value this season. Demko only has four quality starts this season and is down to a .867 save percentage on the year, not rewarding those who stashed him. There were a lot of question marks about Demko heading into the season because of his health and now that Vancouver is in disarray, he’s in a real uphill battle. If someone is willing to give you something decent right now for Demko in one-year leagues, I’d probably take it.
17. The majority of teams play three times next week, with a handful playing four and a few playing two. One player who is back on my radar is Mason McTavish. The Anaheim Ducks forward has five goals in his past three games and is fairly good for overall category coverage, especially if your league has faceoff wins. Anaheim does play quite a bit on off nights, so McTavish could end up being a hold down the stretch because of his versatility.
Someone else I’d take a chance on is Marco Kasper of the Detroit Red Wings. Kasper had three multi-point nights in a four-game stretch earlier this month and he scored Saturday night as well. Now he’s up in the top six with Patrick Kane injured. Plus, the Wings have four games next week.
I mentioned Max Domi last week as someone to monitor with John Tavares injured, but he’s really not worth holding. He had a decent start when he was promoted after the Tavares injury, though his ice time has really dropped over the past couple of games and it appears head coach Craig Berube doesn’t really trust him. With the Toronto Maple Leafs playing just twice next week, there’s no reason to hang onto Domi.
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32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
18. The San Jose Sharks still aren’t winning much, but they are scoring quite a bit. That includes Will Smith, who has five points in four games and is up on San Jose’s top line. I’d imagine the Sharks will give Smith a good look for the remainder of the season and increase his ice time with nothing to play for in the standings.
19. Don’t look now, but Fedor Svechkov recently had goals in three straight games. The Nashville Predators forward also has a pair of power play points over that span as well. Svechkov is on the third line and on power play two, so don’t drop anyone of significance to pick him up just yet. Put him on your watch list for now and maybe look at him as an injury replacement if you have someone that just went on injured reserve.
20. Once again, no one can be counted out in the Eastern Conference playoff race. After plummeting down the standings for weeks and seemingly being written off, the New York Rangers are suddenly right in the mix again after picking up points in 10 straight games. That’s thanks in large part to Igor Shesterkin, who has been virtually unbeatable recently. The Rangers netminder has allowed just one goal in his past three starts and has a .948 save percentage this month. It wasn’t that long ago that Shesterkin’s value was fading rapidly. New York had a dreadful December and the losses for Shesterkin were piling up. Plus, the Rangers were playing so poorly and hanging Shesterkin out to dry at times that he gave up four goals or more in four different games last month. Then he suffered an injury and some were even considering dropping Shesterkin in one-year leagues.
However, a closer look at his numbers would suggest that would’ve been a hasty move. Even with New York struggling, Shesterkin still managed six quality starts in December and his poor numbers were more due to a few ugly games than a trend of bad play. There have been much lesser goalies that have managed to have value behind bad teams and someone with Shesterkin’s skillset can certainly handle it.
Now that the Rangers have picked it up again and are in pursuit of a playoff spot, Shesterkin could be one of the most valuable goalies down the stretch. The play of Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson has really overshadowed Shesterkin this season and with New York taking a big step backwards, the former Vezina winner has been somewhat forgotten about.
One thing is for sure, though: Regardless of how inconsistent the Rangers have been this season, no team in the East wants to see Shesterkin in the first round of the playoffs.
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