Projected 4 Nations Face-off rosters and 4 players who may get snubbed

We're just over a month into the 2024-25 NHL season and before we know it, it'll be time for the usual All-Star break.

However, the league has scrapped the traditional All-Star Game for a unique, international opportunity called the 4 Nations Face-off which will drop puck from Feb. 12-20.

The U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden will partake in a tournament hosted by Boston's TD Garden and Montreal's Bell Center where the four will play in a round-robin before the top two qualify for a championship game.

It's essentially a mini-version of the Olympic and IIHF World Championships format but exclusively for NHL players.

Which players will participate will be up to the respective countries and coaching staff to decide. However, ESPN — who will broadcast the tournament — has already projected the rosters for all four teams.

Projected Team USA roster

Team USA has a good case to challenge Team Canada for the title here. However, the combinations are slightly unproven. J.T. Miller is taking an "indefinite" leave of absence from the Vancouver Canucks for personal reasons and Tage Thompson is recovering from a nagging lower-body injury. Having both Tkuchuk brothers on the same team again will be quite entertaining though.

Thatcher Demko is probably the biggest "huh" on this projection. He hasn't stepped on the ice for Vancouver since the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, continuing to deal with a knee injury. There's no timetable for his return yet and if that doesn't change by the end of the calendar year, then he's probably not going to be selected for Team USA.

Projected Team Canada roster

There's no real surprises among the forward core for Team Canada. Sidney Crosby gets (presumably) one last ride with the red maple leaf on his chest and combined with recent Stanley Cup winners and contenders in Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhart, they'll be very hard to beat.

The goaltenders provide the biggest question mark here. All three rank well outside the Top 25 in GAA and save percentage. There's likely to be major changes in that category before February rolls around.

Projected Team Finland roster

Matias Maccelli is probably the most unfamiliar name on the projected roster for Team Finland. The 24-year-old left winger would be an injection of youth into the lineup and has had a solid first 18 games for the Utah Hockey Club this season. As part of the Arizona Coyotes, Maccelli was an assist machine. He posted 78 helpers over the last two years and combined for 106 points. Team Finland won't be an easy out with him on the ice.

Kaapo Kahkonen has played only one game in the NHL this season, a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 30. He started the season with the Winnipeg Jets before being waived and then reclaimed after his brief stint with Colorado. While he's projected to be the emergency option for Team Finland, it's surprising to not see Kevin Lankinen or Joonas Korpisalo get a look.

Projected Team Sweden roster

Team Sweden is projected to have a deep forward core and it's hard to argue with the projections. That top line with Forsberg, Zibanejad and Nylander will be deadly not to mention the potential power play with Hedman and Petterson. There's a significant chance Team Sweden could run the table and win the whole thing.

Jesper Wallstedt, who has played just three games for the Minnesota Wild this season, is an odd choice for the emergency goaltender for Team Sweden. Filip Gustavsson is No. 2 in the league in save percentage (.927) and should probably get consideration for at least the backup position given his nine wins this year.

4 players who could get snubbed

The biggest loser from these projected rosters appears to be the Washington Capitals. Not a single player from its Eastern Conference-leading roster is projected to make any team but specifically Team Canada where it has several strong candidates.

Tom Wilson (6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points) and Dylan Strome (6 goals, 22 assists, 28 points) should be under serious consideration and could still make the team in reserve. But Strome ranks fifth in points after 18 games played, well ahead of 31st-ranked Nick Suzuki (19 points).

In goal, Logan Thompson has recorded eight wins and only one loss in overtime for Washington. The team's alternating system with its other goalie Charlie Lindgren may be hampering Thompson slightly. But his .913 save percentage and 2.63 GAA rank him among the Top 25 in the league, ahead of all three goaltenders projected for Team Canada.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger has an even more impressive resume than Thompson and isn't included for Team USA at the moment. His nine wins, .917 save percentage and 2.27 GAA make him a Top 5 goalie in the league. Only Hellebuyck ranks higher.