Team Canada Could Use More Oilers at 4 Nations Face-off – The Hockey Writers –

After watching the emotionally charged 3-1 loss Team Canada experienced at the hands of Team USA on Feb. 15, it became clear that at least three current Canadian-born players on the Edmonton Oilers could’ve helped Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. I’m referring to Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse. Team Canada was picked back in November when Hyman was in a goal scoring drought, and when Bouchard and especially Nurse were just starting to find their game. Too bad for Team Canada, because Connor McDavid could really use a winger like Hyman who knows how to play with his skill set. And, they could’ve used Bouchard’s shot on the power play and Nurse’s toughness against an American team that was hitting everything that moved.

Time will tell if this current Canadian roster put together by Doug Armstrong and Don Sweeney can overcome the obstacles they have before them. First, they have to beat Team Finland on Feb. 17 to have any shot at a rematch with the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final on Feb. 22 in Boston.

Team Canada Roster Not Built for North American Sized Rink

If you’re a fan of Team Canada, you have to hope that both Armstrong and Sweeney may have miscalculated the kind of players needed to play on the smaller North American ice surface. The USA has it right, they stacked their team with skill and a lot of grit. Team Canada on the other hand, might have a roster more suited for the bigger ice surface of the Olympic Winter Games. Big tough skilled players such as Nurse, Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals and Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets should’ve been considered for the team.

This of course is all reactionary to the way Team USA has used skill and toughness to beat their opponents in the 4-Nations Face-Off. Team Canada could still win this thing, but the path is steep. It seems logical to Canadian hockey fans that the roster should be carefully constructed, putting Canada’s best players on the ice, and this includes their team at future World Junior Championships. Canada isn’t falling behind skill-wise, especially with players such as Bouchard, Scheifele, MacKenzie Weegar of the Calgary Flames, and the best Canadian goaltender in the NHL this season,…