4 Nations Face-Off

Snapshots: Greenway, Crosby, Eriksson Ek, Demko

February 8, 2025 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Discussions about a possible contract extension have not started between the Sabres and pending UFA winger Jordan Greenway, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The trade deadline is now less than a month away but it doesn’t appear discussions about a possible new deal will begin until much closer to that time though there is believed to be mutual interest in getting an agreement in place. Greenway is expected to return from his mid-body injury after the break, an injury that will have kept him out for more than two months. The 27-year-old has three goals and four assists in 20 games this season and will likely be heading for a small raise on his current $3MM price tag on his next contract.

Injury Notes: Ristolainen, Rantanen, Samoskevich

February 8, 2025 at 4:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

Earlier this morning, NHL deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman reported that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen would be a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed Ristolainen’s expected absence was due to injury concerns, not trade-related reasons.

In addition to today’s rivalry matchup, Ristolainen’s availability may affect Team Finland in the upcoming Four Nations Face-Off. Friedman suggests that the Flyers would like Ristolainen to participate if he is healthy; however, his current condition may prevent him from playing, becoming a more pressing issue.

Finland has already lost defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpää to various injuries, and the potential loss of Ristolainen would further diminish their chances. Ristolainen has scored two goals and recorded 15 points in 54 games this season while averaging 20:31 of ice time for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is currently the highest-scoring active defenseman on Finland’s roster.

Other injury notes:

In another potential scare for Team Finland, the Carolina Hurricanes announced forward Mikko Rantanen wouldn’t be in the lineup this afternoon due to a lower-body injury after taking a shot off the foot in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Rantanen will miss the 4 Nations Face-Off based on a report from Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff. He’s only mustered one goal and one assist through his first six games with the Hurricanes but he’s still arguably Finland’s top offensive talent.
According to David Dwork of The Hockey News, the Florida Panthers will be without forward Mackie Samoskevich tonight due to an upper-body injury. It’s not expected to be a long-term issue as Dwork noted he’s only considered day-to-day. The second-year product of the University of Michigan has scored eight goals and 17 points in 48 games for the Panthers this year.

Sidney Crosby Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

February 7, 2025 at 11:45 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

Feb. 7: Crosby is day-to-day and won’t play against the Blueshirts, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including the team’s Josh Getzoff. However, his availability for the 4 Nations Face-Off is still uncertain and would certainly be feasible given his short-term designation.

Feb. 6: Crosby skated before practice Thursday but was not a full participant, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. It’s still unclear if he’ll play in tomorrow’s game against the Rangers.

Feb. 5: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is still being evaluated for the upper-body injury he sustained in yesterday’s shootout loss to the Devils, head coach Mike Sullivan confirmed to reporters Wednesday.

Crosby got shaken up midway through the third period of the contest when he was caught between New Jersey skaters Erik Haula and Luke Hughes shortly after disposing of the puck. He didn’t leave the game but wasn’t available to practice today, Sullivan said.

An absence of any length ends Pittsburgh’s increasingly slim playoff hopes, which dropped to 0.9% after the shootout loss. They’re 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and seven points back of a playoff spot but have played three more games than the eight-place Lightning. They’ve been buoyed by their offense amid below-average defense and bottom-five goaltending, and the 37-year-old Crosby leads the pack as their only point-per-game player with 58 in 55 appearances.

Crosby continues to serve as the team’s undoubted MVP, averaging north of 20 minutes per game and winning 56.1% of his draws. He may have a -15 actual rating, but his possession numbers rank among the team’s best at even strength with a 53.4 CF% and +2.6 expected rating. Cody Glass is the only Penguin to post better numbers in both stats.

He hasn’t missed a game due to injury since a concussion kept him out of Game 6 of their 2022 first-round series against the Rangers. The Pens are also without No. 2 mainstay Evgeni Malkin, leaving Glass and Kevin Hayes as their projected top-six centers against the Blueshirts on Friday if Crosby can’t go.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner was also recently named captain for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which begins next week. He’d leave a huge hole on the Canadian squad, whose captaincy would presumably be filled by Connor McDavid if he can’t participate in the tournament.

Evening Notes: Evangelista, Rakell, Brodin, Johansson

February 3, 2025 at 9:48 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 1 Comment

Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista did not dress tonight against the Ottawa Senators and is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Evangelista only recently returned from an eight-game absence and left Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for a brief period before he returned to the bench. The extended absence was due to a lower-body injury, and it is not yet known if the two injuries are related. Vinnie Hinostroza suited up for the Predators in place of Evangelista and joined Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg on the second line.

The 22-year-old Evangelista has dressed in 31 games this season, tallying five goals and ten assists while averaging just shy of 13 minutes of ice time per game. The Toronto, Ontario native garnered some Calder Trophy consideration last season for the top rookie after a solid campaign that saw him post 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games.

In other evening notes:

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell will replace Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson on Team Sweden at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). Rakell is having a nice bounce-back season, registering 23 goals and 22 assists in 53 games, and he will have an opportunity to add to a solid international career that has seen him capture gold medals in the 2012 World Juniors as well as the 2018 IIHF World Championship. Karlsson, on the other hand, has been sidelined for the last six games due to a lower-body injury and will unfortunately miss out on the opportunity to represent his home country.
The Minnesota Wild will be without the services of Ryan Hartman for the next few weeks but will likely be getting Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson back tomorrow night (as per Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Brodin hasn’t played since January 7th, missing 12 consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The timing of the injury was unfortunate as the 31-year-old was heating up at the time with seven points in his past seven games. Johansson’s return would come after an eight-game absence, and he could slide into the lineup in place of Hartman. Johansson has struggled offensively this season, posting just five goals and 11 assists in 44 games.

Canucks Notes: Miller, Trade Chatter, Hughes

February 3, 2025 at 9:48 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

In today’s episode of ’32 Thoughts’ with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks and their recent trade activity were the center of attention. Friedman originally broke the news that the Canucks were trading forward J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers on Friday night, and Friedman provided even more context to the move.

Friedman reported that a players-only meeting happened during Vancouver’s early road trip to Florida in mid-October. This meeting addressed the rift between teammates Miller and Elias Pettersson. While the Sportsnet insider did not disclose which players led the discussion, the focus was on encouraging Miller and Pettersson to improve their relationship for the team’s betterment.

Ultimately, Miller’s relationship with Pettersson didn’t significantly improve, prompting him to take a month-long leave of absence. Friedman noted that when Miller returned in mid-November, the Vancouver organization had committed to trading him at some point this year.

The news from Friedman contradicts many of the reports surrounding Miller in December. In early December, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reported the Canucks had publicly asserted they wouldn’t be trading Miller, and that he wouldn’t be requesting a trade from Vancouver.

As things turned out, Miller was indeed on the chopping block, being sent to the Rangers for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a protected 2025 first-round pick. Vancouver quickly moved the first-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins later that evening to acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Friedman believes that will be the only first-round pick the Canucks will trade this season.

After last night’s overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver is 23-18-11 through 52 games and is two points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Given their status as a bubble team at the moment, the Canucks’ first-round pick has a higher value than most prospective buyers as it could realistically become a lottery selection by the end of the year.

The Canucks are aware of this and have reportedly told interested teams they have no interest in moving their first-round pick unless they have a comfortable spot in the standings by the trade deadline. Vancouver traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Calgary Flames last season in the package for Elias Lindholm making it the first time since 2021 that they hadn’t made a first-round selection.

Vancouver’s position as a playoff contender may impact captain Quinn Hughes’ participation in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off starting next week. Hughes suffered a hand injury in the team’s recent game against the Dallas Stars, keeping him out of the lineup of last night’s contest. Friedman noted in his podcast that although no decision has been made, Vancouver could ask to withdraw from the tournament with Team USA to focus solely on getting healthy for their playoff run.

As arguably the team’s top defenseman, it would be a major blow to the American’s odds of winning the tournament. Still, Team USA has an easy choice for his replacement should he bow out in Washington Capitals’ blue liner, John Carlson.

Atlantic Notes: Ullmark, Hakanpaa, Panthers, Cirelli

February 1, 2025 at 2:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Senators won’t have goaltender Linus Ullmark back for tonight’s game against Minnesota. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter link) that the veteran is nearing a return and is expected to accompany the team on its upcoming four-game road trip that begins on Monday. Ullmark has missed nearly six weeks now due to a back injury. He had settled in well before being sidelined with a 2.38 GAA and a .915 SV% in 23 appearances. Fortunately for Ottawa, prospect Leevi Merilainen has played quite well since being promoted in Ullmark’s absence, helping the Sens not only hang around the playoff picture but actually enter play today in a top-three seed in the division.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa will not play in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off due to his ongoing knee injury. He has been limited to just two appearances with Toronto this season, both of those coming in mid-November. He becomes the second blueliner that Team Finland will need to replace with Miro Heiskanen also out of commission.
Panthers winger Mackie Samoskevich was scratched for today’s contest versus Chicago due to illness, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has done well in his first full NHL season, collecting 16 points in 47 games so far. His spot in the lineup was taken by winger Jonah Gadjovich, who made his return after missing nearly six weeks with an upper-body injury. Gadjovich picked up his second goal of the season early on in the game.
Lightning center Anthony Cirelli is listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s contest against the Islanders, relays team reporter Benjamin Pierce (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Cirelli is under the weather or just dealing with a minor injury. Cirelli has 19 goals and 20 assists in 49 games this season while logging 18:56 per game, a career-high. Considering his personal best in points is 45, he’s well on his way to establishing a new benchmark in that category as well.

Snapshots: Evans, Ersson, Nichushkin, Utah, Chara

January 29, 2025 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 14 Comments

The Canadiens were believed to have been offered a mid-second-round pick back at the draft for center Jake Evans, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. He adds that the Capitals may have been the team making the offer. Evans is in the middle of what is likely to be a career year as he has 11 goals and 14 assists in 50 games while being the league leader for shorthanded ice time by a forward. A pending unrestricted free agent, Evans has a very affordable $1.7MM cap charge this season and could plausibly double that on the open market this summer. Montreal will have to decide if it’s worth accepting what’s likely to be a similar offer by the March 7th trade deadline or trying to sign him to a contract extension in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

The Flyers announced that goaltender Samuel Ersson has officially been added to Sweden’s entry for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. He’ll take the place of injured netminder Jacob Markstrom. Ersson has a 2.77 GAA and a .893 SV% in 27 appearances this season while picking up 15 of Philadelphia’s 23 wins. As things stand, he’s likely to serve as Sweden’s third-string option for the tournament.
It appears that Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin will be out until after the 4 Nations Face-Off, relays Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has yet to play in 2025 due to a lower-body injury. It looked like he was close to returning earlier this month but ultimately suffered a setback, changing his designation to week-to-week. When available, Nichushkin has done well, tallying 11 goals and six assists in 21 games but Colorado won’t have him in the lineup for a while yet.
The Utah Hockey Club announced that they are no longer pursuing some of their preferred team names following the trademark issues that were revealed last week. The team will now run another voting campaign with only three names on the ballot – their current moniker, Mammoth, and Wasatch. This round of voting will occur in-arena during Utah’s next four home games, beginning with tonight’s.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed to Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe that they are in discussions about bringing back long-time blueliner Zdeno Chara in an advisory role. Chara spent 14 years with Boston, playing over 1,000 games with the franchise while winning the Norris Trophy back in 2009. Sweeney added that the role, the specifics of which are still being discussed, would likely have him working with both the players and the coaching staff.

NHL Expected To Announce Next World Cup Of Hockey

January 27, 2025 at 9:09 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 5 Comments

TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that the NHL and the NHLPA intend to move forward with a 2028 World Cup of Hockey without the involvement of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Both the league and the players’ union are hopeful they can make an announcement at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-off that will take place from February 12th – February 20th in Boston and Montreal.

The NHL players have not participated in an international tournament (outside of the IIHF World Championships) since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey but could conceivably have three international tournaments in the next four years if you include the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

A 2028 World Cup of Hockey would be the fourth time the tournament has taken place with the last three happening in 1996, 2004, and the aforementioned 2016. The last World Cup took place in Toronto and was won by Canada with Sidney Crosby taking home the tournament MVP. Eight teams participated in the tournament alongside Canada (the United States, Finland, Czechia, Russia, Sweden, and two all-star teams). A future World Cup of Hockey would likely follow a similar template.

If the IIHF remains on the sidelines for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, it will mean that the NHL will have the final say on who will be able to participate in the tournament.

Poll: Which Team Will Win The 4 Nations Face-Off?

December 7, 2024 at 9:53 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 5 Comments

We are nearly two months away from the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off. NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will compete in the best-on-best matchup for an in-season tournament from February 12 through 20th, 2025. Rosters were recently released on December 4th and each country has a reason to be optimistic about their chances.

Canada objectively has the most star power on their roster and it’s not close. Most teams have trouble dealing with Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid on any given night and he’ll now be joined by the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, and Cale Makar, among others, in the lineup. The only question mark for Team Canada will be in the crease as the combination of Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault have only combined for an approximated .900 SV% for their respective clubs this season.

One team’s weakness is another team’s strength. The United States will deploy the trio of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman in the net giving them an automatic chance to win every game. Team USA should be able to spread the wealth on offense by separating the trio of Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor onto their lines and allowing the puck-movers on defense to lead from the blue line. There were some notable absences from Team USA’s eventual roster but it’s tough to count them out of any game with their impressive conglomeration of netminders.

Team Sweden won’t have nearly the same star power on offense as their North American counterparts but does arguably have the tournament’s best blue line. Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Rasmus Andersson, and Rasmus Dahlin are more than capable puck-moving defensive while Mattias Ekholm, Gustav Forsling, and Jonas Brodin are some of the best shutdown defensemen in the league. Sweden’s success in this tournament will be directly correlated with their defensive core.

Rounding out the group is Team Finland who will be bringing one of the stingiest groups to Montreal and Boston. Finland’s success will be connected to how well they can keep games close between their respective counterparts. Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, and Mikko Rantanen will be relied upon for most of Finland’s offense. Opposing teams will run into annoyance with Finland, having to beat Juuse Saros after getting through a staunch defense.

The rosters can and likely will change based on the health and availability of players heading into the tournament but the final group will look similar to how they are constructed today. Now the crystal ball is being passed to you — who do you think will win the 4 Nations Face-Off in February? Vote below!

Mobile users, click here to vote!

Players On 4 Nations Face-Off Rosters By Team

December 5, 2024 at 8:23 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 5 Comments

After Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States named their first six players for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off over the summer, each country revealed its full 23-man roster yesterday. There’s now just over two months until the first true senior-level best-on-best action in over eight years, even if it’s a limited sampling of the world’s hockey powers.

It’s no surprise that the two most recent Stanley Cup champions are the most well-represented clubs at the tournament. The Panthers have eight representatives, while the Golden Knights have seven.

Florida is also one of two teams to have a player on every country’s roster. The Maple Leafs are the other.

Only two teams did not see one of their players selected to a roster yesterday. Kraken Team Canada hopeful on defense Brandon Montour missed the cut, as did Capitals center Dylan Strome and goaltender Logan Thompson. Washington defenseman John Carlson also missed out for Team USA despite a strong MVP candidacy for one of the league’s most surprising teams in the early going.

Here are the players each NHL team is sending to the seven-game tournament:

Anaheim Ducks

F Leo Carlsson (Sweden)

Boston Bruins

F Elias Lindholm (Sweden)
F Brad Marchand (Canada)
D Charlie McAvoy (USA)
G Jeremy Swayman (USA)

Buffalo Sabres

D Rasmus Dahlin (Sweden)
G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Finland)

Calgary Flames

D Rasmus Andersson (Sweden)

Carolina Hurricanes

F Sebastian Aho (Finland)
F Seth Jarvis (Canada)
D Jaccob Slavin (USA)

Chicago Blackhawks

F Teuvo Teräväinen (Finland)

Colorado Avalanche

F Artturi Lehkonen (Finland)
F Nathan MacKinnon (Canada)
D Cale Makar (Canada)
F Mikko Rantanen (Finland)
D Devon Toews (Canada)

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Zach Werenski (USA)

Dallas Stars

D Miro Heiskanen (Finland)
F Roope Hintz (Finland)
D Esa Lindell (Finland)
G Jake Oettinger (USA)

Detroit Red Wings

F Dylan Larkin (USA)
F Lucas Raymond (Sweden)

Edmonton Oilers

F Viktor Arvidsson (Sweden)
D Mattias Ekholm (Sweden)
F Connor McDavid (Canada)

Florida Panthers

F Aleksander Barkov (Finland)
F Sam Bennett (Canada)
D Gustav Forsling (Sweden)
F Anton Lundell (Finland)
F Eetu Luostarinen (Finland)
D Niko Mikkola (Finland)
F Sam Reinhart (Canada)
F Matthew Tkachuk (USA)

Los Angeles Kings

F Adrian Kempe (Sweden)

Minnesota Wild

F Matt Boldy (USA)
D Jonas Brodin (Sweden)
F Joel Eriksson Ek (Sweden)
D Brock Faber (USA)
G Filip Gustavsson (Sweden)

Montreal Canadiens

F Joel Armia (Finland)
F Patrik Laine (Finland)
G Sam Montembeault (Canada)

Nashville Predators

F Filip Forsberg (Sweden)
F Gustav Nyquist (Sweden)
G Juuse Saros (Finland)

New Jersey Devils

F Jesper Bratt (Sweden)
F Erik Haula (Finland)
F Jack Hughes (USA)
G Jacob Markström (Sweden)

New York Islanders

F Brock Nelson (USA)

New York Rangers

D Adam Fox (USA)
F Kaapo Kakko (Finland)
F Chris Kreider (USA)
F Vincent Trocheck (USA)
F Mika Zibanejad (Sweden)

Ottawa Senators

F Brady Tkachuk (USA)
G Linus Ullmark (Sweden)

Philadelphia Flyers

F Travis Konecny (Canada)
D Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland)
D Travis Sanheim (Canada)

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Sidney Crosby (Canada)
D Erik Karlsson (Sweden)

San Jose Sharks

F Mikael Granlund (Finland)

Seattle Kraken

none

St. Louis Blues

G Jordan Binnington (Canada)
D Colton Parayko (Canada)

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Anthony Cirelli (Canada)
F Jake Guentzel (USA)
F Brandon Hagel (Canada)
D Victor Hedman (Sweden)
F Brayden Point (Canada)

Toronto Maple Leafs

D Jani Hakanpää (Finland)
F Mitch Marner (Canada)
F Auston Matthews (USA)
F William Nylander (Sweden)

Utah Hockey Club

D Olli Määttä (Finland)
D Juuso Välimäki (Finland)

Vancouver Canucks

D Quinn Hughes (USA)
G Kevin Lankinen (Finland)
F J.T. Miller (USA)
F Elias Pettersson (Sweden)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Jack Eichel (USA)
D Noah Hanifin (USA)
G Adin Hill (Canada)
F William Karlsson (Sweden)
D Alex Pietrangelo (Canada)
F Mark Stone (Canada)
D Shea Theodore (Canada)

Washington Capitals