Is Connor Bedard playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off? Every Chicago Blackhawk that made the cut

The NHL made the decision to replace the All-Star Game with the 4 Nations Face-Off in a move pretty much any hockey fan is on board with. Instead of seeing a select group of All-Stars compete in a meaningless game, NHL fans will see some of the best players in the league go against each other playing at their absolute hardest in a tournament that means a lot.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12-20 and include NHL players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. The winning country of the tournament will receive the ultimate bragging rights.

With the tournament rapidly approaching, Chicago Blackhawks fans have reason to wonder if their best player, Connor Bedard, will suit up for Team Canada. While the answer to that question might not be what they are looking for, there is, at the very least, one Blackhawk who will be participating.

Is Connor Bedard playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off? Every Blackhawks player to make the cut

Bedard not participating is tough for Blackhawks fans to hear. The second-year forward has 16 goals and 32 assists for 48 points in 54 games. Bedard averaging nearly a point per game on perhaps the worst roster in the NHL as a 19-year-old is beyond impressive and shows why he received an absurd amount of hype prior to getting selected with the No. 1 overall pick back in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

With that being said, it's far from a shock that Bedard was unable to make perhaps the most stacked roster in this tournament in Team Canada. The Canadians are stacked with forward depth, particularly down the middle, with the likes of Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Brayden Point (to name a few). Canada probably could've slotted him in on its bottom six, but Bedard would then be replacing another awesome player.

While Bedard was unable to crack Canada's absurd roster, one Blackhawk, Teuvo Teravainen, was able to crack Team Finland's roster. There will be some Chicago representation in the tournament even if it isn't with the franchise's best player. Plus, with the 2026 Winter Olympics not too far behind, Bedard has a chance for redemption with a strong finish to this season.

Teravainen has been Chicago's best non-Bedard forward this season, scoring 11 goals and racking up 38 points in 54 games - second only to Bedard in points. Given how well he has played on a lackluster Blackhawks team, he might get ample opportunity to produce on the big stage for Team Finland and give Chicago fans something to cheer about.