On Wednesday night, Team United States announced its roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament that will stretch from Feb. 12-20 with games taking place in Montreal and Boston at the Bell Centre and the TD Garden, respectively. In addition to the game days, there will also be two practice days on Feb. 10 and 11.
Related: Team USA Announces 4 Nations Face-Off Roster
Back when the tournament was revealed at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews were named as immediate roster pieces, along with Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, and Quinn Hughes. The rest of the roster was revealed on NHL on TNT on Wednesday night, however.
While the Americans have a solid squad, and, along with Team Canada, are one of the favourites to win the tournament. However, with the talent pool being so high, there were a few players who were left off that some questioned why, and then there were also a few players chosen for the roster that also left experts scratching their heads.
Here’s what this writer feels they got wrong when picking the team.
What They Got Wrong
Cole Caufield Being Left Off
We’ll address the gigantic elephant in the room first: Cole Caufield. Why he was left off the roster is the biggest head scratcher for any hockey expert. Through four seasons and 10 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Caufield has amassed 172 points (97 goals, 75 assists) with a career-high 28 goals coming in the 2023-24 season.
The University of Wisconsin product has gotten off to a flying start in the 2024-25 season, playing in all 25 games and scoring 16 goals and assisting on seven more. He even has at least one point in each of his last five games.
Perhaps the most puzzling part of leaving Caufield off the roster is all of the games except for the final two will be played on his home ice in Montreal. It will almost be an entire home-ice tournament, something that could potentially help out the US down the road. Alas, Caufield is off the roster, but so is this next player.
Tage Thompson Being Left Off
The other elephant in the room, albeit a slightly smaller one (but not by much), is Tage Thompson. Outside of Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson has been a huge force to be reckoned in the Buffalo Sabres’ offense in this season. For months, there was talk that Thompson was a shoo-in to make the team, but as it turns out general manager Bill Guerin thought otherwise.
Thompson has played in five fewer games than the Sabres leading scorer in Tuch, but he is currently operating at a point-per-game clip through 20 games with 13 goals and seven assists. Thompson has even has superior numbers to Tuch overall. Thompson has 135 goals in his last five seasons and 117 assists to boot.
Why he was left off the roster is beyond me (and many hockey experts), especially if you take into consideration the built-in chemistry he would have with Eichel from the latter’s tenure with Buffalo. As the French say, c’est la vie. Perhaps when the Olympic Games roll around in 2026, Thompson will be on that roster.
Patrick Kane Not Even Being Considered From the Start
Now, with Patrick Kane being placed on injured reserve, it’s understandable why he was not on the roster, but to not even consider him makes the process laughable. Kane is easily one of the best players to ever play don the Red, White, and Blue on the international stage, but with the drop in production he has had since leaving the Chicago Blackhawks, perhaps the reasoning to leave him off the American roster begins to make more sense and will lessen the blow for fans.
With grizzled veterans Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand being previously named to the roster before yesterday’s full roster announcement, one would think Kane would be at least in the conversation for a possible spot on the US’s roster in anticipation of the tournament.
While these are the things Guerin got wrong when selecting his team, here is what Guerin got right about who picked.
What They Got Right
The Goaltending
One of the strengths of the American squad going into the 4 Nations Face-Off is going to be their goaltending. With Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger as their top-two netminders, and Jeremy Swayman as a third-string goalie, they are set up for a long run in the tournament even if they (Heaven forbid) lose one of them to an injury.
The three goaltenders’ combined goals-against-average is 2.53, and their combined save percentage is .911. They also have won 36 of 57 games between them. Oettinger and Swayman are familiar with each other from back in their Hockey East days at Boston University and the University of Maine, respectively.
Hellebuyck and Oettinger have played each other the most, seeing as they are both in the Central Division, and it will be a nice change of pace for both netminders to be on the same team as opposed to sitting on opposite sides of the rink from one another.
Lineup Versatility
When you look up and down the American squad’s lineup, there doesn’t appear to be one specific type of player they were looking to target when putting the team together. They have goal-scorers in Matthews and Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Brock Nelson, but then have the defensive strength of Brock Faber, Zach Werenski, and Adam Fox.
They also have two-way players like Charlie McAvoy, J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider, and Quinn Hughes who are not afraid to both break into the offensive zone, but also can backcheck and play defense if needed.
While the defense is a jumbled up list of players who mainly have not played together, there are some exceptions. I’m looking at you Jack and Quinn Hughes, who have, along with their brother Luke, played together since they were very young.
How Will They Fare?
It’s no secret the experts are picking between the Americans and the Canadians to win the tournament. The US is hoping to win it on home soil. It’s all about a strong start , and right now the US seems poised to make one.
