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The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off is just around the corner, and it’s time to gear up for the full roster announcements on Dec. 4.
With less than a week to go until the roster announcements, we’re projecting who each team will choose, starting with Team Canada.
We had senior digital correspondent Adam Proteau, editor in chief Ryan Kennedy and managing editor of digital media Michael Traikos each make their projections. And while there are a lot of similarities, things get really interesting when getting into the depth positions.
As it is with each team, the first six picks for Canada have already been made. They are:
F: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
F: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
F: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
F: Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
F: Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
D: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
The three projected squads also had consensus picks, which are pretty much no-brainers.
Sam Reinhart, Mitch Marner and Mark Scheifele rank among Canada’s top 10 scorers currently. Mark Stone once led the NHL in scoring as well before his injury, with 21 points in 13 games.
On defense, the Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey is the top blueliner on the NHL’s best team right now, and his 20 points are the second-most among Canadian D-men. While Noah Dobson only has nine points, the three experts felt he’s a reliable two-way right-handed player. The 24-year-old is also the youngest blueliner on their lists, and he could be a future mainstay for Canada.
Daccord is the most consistent goalie Canada has, sort of – he’s U.S.-born, but his father is Canadian. He’s among the league-leading goalies for a middle-of-the-pack Kraken club.
Related: Team Canada Is Seriously Considering USA-Born Goalie Joey Daccord For 4-Nations Face-Off
Check out the three roster projections below and vote for your favorite at our forum.
Adam Proteau’s Projected Team
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This Team Canada is built around youth, speed and skill, not around skill-specific players, such as elite penalty-killer Anthony Cirelli.
No offense to the very talented Cirelli, of course. But Canada is so flush with talent that it’s best to take full advantage by stuffing the roster with high-end young players, such as Rangers left winger Alexis Lafreniere.
He’s got eight goals and 16 points in 21 NHL games this year,…