With the NHL’s first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off tournament kicking off in a little over two months, many fans are patiently awaiting the unveiling of Canada’s roster.
But while the full list of players is set to drop tonight, a handful of reporters may have already spoiled the surprise.
Hockey insiders Pierre LeBrun, Chris Johnston, and Darren Dreger have been hard at work over the past couple of days, dropping reports about who will and won’t find a spot in the stacked lineup.
“Team Canada is trying to keep the reveal a true reveal. But it doesn’t mean that me, Darren Dreger, and Chris Johnston can’t do a little digging,” LeBrun told Gino Reda during Tuesday’s edition of Insider Trading.
Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Brad Marchand have already been announced as shoo-ins on the forward side, but according to LeBrun, Canada GM Don Sweeney is also keen on collecting role players.
“From making some calls around the league here in the last 24 hours, we believe these are some of the forwards,” he said before dropping names like Mitch Marner, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Mark Stone, and Travis Konecny.
LeBrun later mentioned Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo, Josh Morrissey, and Travis Sanheim to be on the Canadian backend. In terms of goalies, LeBrun expects Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington to be on the final roster, along with Sam Montembeault in a backup role.
Lebrun, Dreger, and Johsnton later got together during a TSN segment to project the entire roster based on the intel they’ve gathered.
If they’re correct, here’s how Team Canada will look when the puck drops in February.
Forwards
Sam Reinhart – Connor McDavid – Mitch Marner
Brad Marchand – Sidney Crosby – Nathan MacKinnon
Brandon Hagel – Brayden Point – Mark Stone
Sam Bennett – Anthony Cirelli – Travis Konecny
Extra: Seth Jarvis
Defence
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Shea Theodore – Alex Pietrangelo
Josh Morrissey – Colton Parayko
Extra: Travis Sanheim
Goalies
Jordan Binnington
Adin Hill
Sam Montembeault
TSN Hockey Insiders Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston project the entire Team Canada roster ahead of Wednesday’s official reveal.
WATCH: https://t.co/g4B5nblhPF pic.twitter.com/PmVzTmUnPZ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 4, 2024
The tournament, running from February 12 to 20, will feature Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland, with games held in Montreal and Boston.