On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off were revealed. The tournament will take place in mid-February. It features Finland, Sweden, Canada, and USA. Games will be played between Feb. 12-20. The two teams with the best record will play in a one-game Final.

The value for a regulation win is three points. It’s two points for overtime or a shootout victory. If a team loses in either overtime or shootout, they get one point. Winning in regulation is the priority for each team. The format is the same as the NHL rules.

Four games will be played at Bell Centre in Montreal. Three will be played at TD Garden in Boston with the home of the Bruins hosting the winner take all Final.

Here are the official rosters:

FINLAND

Goalies

Kevin Lankinen

Ukko-Pekka Luukonen

Juuse Saros

Defense

Jani Hakanpaa

Miro Heiskanen

Esa Lindell

Olli Maatta

Niko Mikkola

Rasmus Ristolainen

Juuso Valimaki

Forwards

Sebastian Aho

Joel Armia

Aleksander Barkov

Mikael Granlund

Erik Haula

Roope Hintz

Kaapo Kakko

Patrik Laine

Artturi Lehkonen

Anton Lundell

Eetu Luostarinen

Mikko Rantanen

Teuvo Teravainen

SWEDEN

Goalies

Filip Gustavsson

Jacob Markstrom

Linus Ullmark

Defense

Rasmus Andersson

Jonas Brodin

Rasmus Dahlin

Mattias Ekholm

Gustav Forsling

Victor Hedman

Erik Karlsson

Forwards

Viktor Arvidsson

Jesper Bratt

Leo Carlsson

Joel Eriksson Ek

Filip Forsberg

William Karlsson

Adrian Kempe

Elias Lindholm

William Nylander

Gustav Nyquist

Elias Pettersson

Lucas Raymond

Mika Zibanejad

CANADA

Goalies

Jordan Binnington

Adin Hill

Sam Montembeault

Defense

Cale Makar

Josh Morrissey

Colton Parayko

Alex Pietrangelo

Travis Sanheim

Shea Theodore

Devon Toews

Forwards

Sam Bennett

Anthony Cirelli

Sidney Crosby

Brandon Hagel

Seth Jarvis

Travis Konecny

Nathan MacKinnon

Brad Marchand

Mitch Marner

Connor McDavid

Brayden Point

Sam Reinhart

Mark Stone

USA

Goalies

Connor Hellebuyck

Jake Oettinger

Jeremy Swayman

Defense

Brock Faber

Adam Fox

Noah Hanifin

Quinn Hughes

Charlie McAvoy

Jaccob Slavin

Zach Werenski

Forwards

Matt Boldy

Kyle Connor

Jack Eichel

Jake Guentzel

Jack Hughes

Chris Kreider

Dylan Larkin

Auston Matthews

J.T. Miller

Brock Nelson

Brady Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk

Vincent Trocheck

Five Rangers Participating in Tournament

Five Rangers are expected to participate in the 4 Nations Tournament. They include Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and Mika Zibanejad. It isn’t surprising that three of the five will represent Team USA.

Fox is the headliner on a good defense that includes Norris winner Quinn Hughes, Long Island native Charlie McAvoy, Brock Faber, Zach Werenski, Jaccob Slavin, and Boston native Noah Hanifin. Even though Devils’ defenseman Luke Hughes was left off the roster, the American blue line should be a team strength. Hughes and Werenski are superb skaters who can turn up the heat quickly. Fox is one of the game’s best passing defensemen. Slavin and McAvoy are shutdown defensemen who add a lot of grit and physicality. Faber is an up-and-coming blue liner for the Wild. Hanifin is a steady defensive presence.

If there was an upset, that would be Trocheck making the roster over Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson. It looks like they valued Trocheck’s versatility over the explosiveness of Caufield and Thompson. Trocheck is a good all-around pivot who can play five-on-five, power play, and on the penalty kill.

Kreider gets one more chance to take the international stage. Despite the Rangers’ struggles, he remains a good finisher who’s money in front of the net. He should see a lot of power play time. He also has become one of the game’s most dangerous shorthanded players, with his 11 shorthanded goals the most since 2021-22.

Despite his struggles with consistency, Zibanejad was selected to play for Sweden. In 24 games, he has five goals and thirteen assists this season to rank fourth in scoring on the Blueshirts. However, anyone who’s watched him knows how hard it’s been to get going. He hasn’t played with much confidence and has looked a step slow. His fellow Swede teammates want Zibanejad to play on the wing. That could free him up to finish a bit more.

Kakko will get to represent Finland. Although he’s still having trouble scoring, Kakko has been a steady presence for the Rangers this season. Having formed solid chemistry with teammates Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle, Kakko has four goals and ten assists. His plus-10 rating is tied with Cuylle for the team lead. He’s also shifted to center and gone 51.9 percent on faceoffs. He might even get to play the middle for his country.

Four Devils Named to Rosters

The Devils will also be well represented at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Four players were named to rosters. They are Jesper Bratt, Erik Haula, Jacob Markstrom, and Jack Hughes.

Bratt and Markstrom will both be on Sweden. Bratt remains one of the league’s best kept secrets. His four-point game helped lead the Devils past the Rangers 5-1 on Monday, Dec. 2. A great skater who excels in transition, Bratt is tied for sixth in league scoring with 12 goals, 23 assists, and 35 points. A former 2016 sixth round pick, he’s turned himself into an excellent three zone player who can play at five-on-five, power play, and shorthanded. He’s probably the Devils’ second-best overall player behind Nico Hischier. Hischier won’t participate in the tournament due to being from Switzerland.

In his first season with the Devils, after coming over from the Flames in a trade, Markstrom is 12-6-1 with a 2.54 goals-against-average and .907 save percentage. He made 38 saves against the Rangers three days ago.

Hughes will get the chance to fly up and down the ice for Team USA. An exciting player who possesses the incredible skills to go with his explosive skating, Hughes has 11 goals with 22 assists for 33 points to rank second behind Bratt in team scoring. He scored twice and set up a goal for three points in the Devils’ victory over the Rangers. After going three games without a point before Thanksgiving, Hughes has eight points over the last three. Might we see Hughes looking to set up Kreider on the power play? The possibility does exist.

Haula will play for Finland. Figure him to be in a checking role. A gritty center who is over 55 percent on faceoffs, Haula plays the game with tenacity. That’s why he’s been successful. He hasn’t lit the world on fire this season. But he can be counted on to contribute. Haula is a complementary player who can play at even strength and on the penalty kill.

How it Affects the Season

When the league takes a break in February, it’ll feel similar to the Olympics. As much as the tournament should provide fans with some excitement, it takes away from the regular season. It’s two weeks off for most players. They’ll have to stay in game shape when the season returns on Feb. 22.

There’s also the concern over injuries to key players. The tournament will be hard fought. Hopefully, there are no setbacks to the players participating in the 4 Nation Face-Off. Keep your fingers crossed.

By having a two-week layoff, the NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 7. The regular season doesn’t conclude until Apr. 17. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Apr. 19.

In 2023-24, the Stanley Cup wasn’t rewarded until June 24. How late into the summer will 2024-25 go? The league should be finishing earlier. The NBA begins two weeks after the NHL. Their season now ends faster than the NHL. That isn’t good for anyone.

Complicating matters is that the 2025-26 season is an Olympic year. The league really needs to explore starting sooner. They should get rid of the bye week. It isn’t necessary.