10 things we've learned leading up to 4 Nations Face-Off opener

MONTREAL - Jon Cooper was in an odd spot for the final six months of 2024. He had been named Canada's head coach for the 4 Nations Face-Off but only knew the initial six NHL stars who'd be on his lineup card.

So, Cooper did what anybody would do.

"The bar napkins took a beating," Cooper said Tuesday during 4 Nations media day at Bell Centre, with Team Canada general manager Don Sweeney and the event's freshly unveiled silver trophy seated directly to his right.

The fantasy booking is over for Cooper. He spent Monday and Tuesday on the ice with all of Canada's players in advance of Wednesday night's tournament opener against Sweden. The forward trio eliciting the most eyeball emojis is force-of-nature superstar Nathan MacKinnon between all-time great Sidney Crosby and perennial Selke Trophy contender Mark Stone. (For the record, the "other top line" features Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, and Mitch Marner.)

The MacKinnon-Crosby tandem was telegraphed. The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, natives skate together in the summers. Cooper noted they've been inseparable in Montreal, chirping each other like brothers. "It's just natural to put those guys together," Cooper said. "Is it going to work? We don't know."

Stone was tapped as the third wheel due to his rugged, responsible style and hockey sense. Cooper's staff thinks Stone's success with Golden Knights center Jack Eichel suggests there's a fit with MacKinnon, another powerful transition player. "If you can get a guy with that kind of speed coming through the middle of the ice," Stone said, "you can hold onto pucks, then chip it to them, and it just backs (the defensive pressure) off so much."

Here are nine other things we learned at media day.

Chip still on Doughty's shoulder

At worst, Drew Doughty will be a heart-and-soul soldier for Canada.

"This tournament means the world to me," the defenseman said Tuesday.

At best, Doughty will be a leader and Canada's go-to shutdown guy. Doughty, who's been paired in practice with slick-skating Shea Theodore, is deeply motivated. "It's good for me to be here to resurrect my career a little bit," the two-time Olympic medalist said. "A lot of people have me written off."

This isn't the first time Doughty has talked about feeling underappreciated.

I don't disagree with the take; Doughty is indeed underrated in 2025. But, I also don't believe the lack of attention or credit is personal. The 35-year-old plays a relatively boring brand of hockey for a West Coast club during an era of immense skill. Fair or not, the Kings stalwart slips through the cracks.

Binnington's handles could be X-factor

Canada is starting the tournament with the Blues' Jordan Binnington between the pipes, the Golden Knights' Adin Hill backing up, and the Canadiens' Sam Montembeault as the third goaltending option. No surprises. Expect Hill to play at some point.

A side plot: Binnington plays the puck as often as any goalie in the NHL. This can be helpful for controlling dump-ins, kick-starting breakouts, and launching stretch passes. In all likelihood, Binnington will help Canada's rush attack.

That said, there's also a potential downside to consider in a short tournament. Will Binnington's love for playing the puck create confusion among players who don't know his style well and lead to breakdowns in the defensive end?

Colton Parayko is Binnington's only full-time teammate on Canada.

"I know he plays the puck well, so that'll be a little bit different," defenseman Cale Makar said. "I haven't really played with a goalie who can play it up ice and stuff like that, so we'll have to read and react off that."

Team USA's chasing 'fierce' identity

Strong at every position, the U.S. has the best team on paper top to bottom. And, as we saw Tuesday with Johnny Gaudreau's dad joining Team USA's practice and team photo while a No. 13 Gaudreau jersey hung in the dressing room, this is a group ready to rally for more than a trophy or medal.

We've never seen a U.S. men's team this talented and deep, which leaves us wondering what the squad's identity will be under head coach Mike Sullivan.

"We have fierce competitors, first and foremost," Sullivan said. "But, I think we have the ability to play a speed game, and I think we have the ability to play a skilled game. And then we have the types of players on our team that are going to drag us into the fight, so to speak."

J.T. Miller probably best fits the entirety of that description.

Landeskog no small missing piece

It's easy to forget about Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche captain who's been sidelined by a knee injury since Colorado won the 2022 Stanley Cup.

Because Landeskog has been gone so long (the 32-year-old's still working on an NHL comeback), it's flown under the radar that the Swedes will miss him.

"Gabe, in his prime, would have been a great addition for us. He's a great player. I love his tenacity. I love his grit," defenseman Mattias Ekholm said of Sweden's multi-time alternate captain. "He's a guy you follow, right? He's a leader and, I mean, I could see him on the first line for us."

The left-wing depth chart of Filip Forsberg, Rickard Rakell, Jesper Bratt, and Viktor Arvidsson could use Landeskog and his mature power forward game.

"I hope he gets healthy, I hope he gets back. It's unfortunate," Ekholm added.

Isles' Nelson caught in the middle

Brock Nelson considers 4 Nations a "mental break" from the speculation surrounding his future. Reading between the lines of his comments Tuesday, it seems like the pending unrestricted free agent's preference is to not get traded before the March 7 deadline and instead sign a contract extension with the Islanders.

However, until there's a deal in place, all options are on the table.

"People have already decided for me a couple times what's going to happen," said Nelson, whose contract carries a $6-million cap hit and includes a 16-team no-trade clause. "It's all outside (noise), and we'll handle everything, and everything will sort itself out."

"I want what's best for me, my family, and team, and everything," he added.

Nelson, a Team USA forward, noted he loves playing for GM Lou Lamoriello and that his agent has a great relationship with the legendary NHL executive.

Matthew Tkachuk's marketability rising

Marquee annual events like All-Star Weekend, the draft, and the awards show offer the NHL's corporate partners a vehicle to double down on promotions.

4 Nations is no different. Two things sat on each interview stand during media day: microphones (of course) and one-to-four BodyArmor bottles.

BodyArmor is the official sports drink of the NHL - and 4 Nations. On Tuesday, the company announced a multi-year deal with Team USA's Matthew Tkachuk, one of the sport's most colorful characters on and off the ice.

Tkachuk, 27, said on a typical game day he'll down 12-to-14 BodyArmor-branded sport waters, as well as a bottle or two of its fruit punch sports drink. "Everything is real. The flavors are real. The ingredients are real," he said.

Tkachuk's a hot commodity following two 100-point seasons and the Panthers' Cup win. He also recently signed with clothing company Perry Ellis.

Finns won't go down without fight

Finland is embracing the underdog role, which is probably the smart strategy.

There's simply no denying the Finns are the fourth-best team in the four-team tournament. Heck, they were in tough before injuries to Miro Heiskanen, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Jani Hakanpaa decimated an already weak blue line.

Esa Lindell, on his best days a solid second-pair defenseman for the Stars, is going to log a ton of ice time. The same goes for hulking Panthers rearguard Niko Mikkola.

Coach Antti Pennanen refused to name Finland's opening-game starting goalie Tuesday, even though Predators star Juuse Saros feels like the obvious pick over Kevin Lankinen and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Canucks and Sabres, respectively. There's a tiny chance Pennanen goes with the hotter hand in Lankinen.

Honestly, I appreciate the suspense.

Don't sleep on young Sanderson

Jake Sanderson, who recently replaced an injured Quinn Hughes, is on the outside looking in as Team USA's seventh defenseman. Given his trajectory, though, the 22-year-old could sneak into the top four at next year's Olympics.

Sanderson is the Senators' most-used and top-scoring defenseman this season. At the break, he ranks highly league-wide in four key defensive metrics tracked by Sportlogiq - loose-puck recoveries (fourth), defensive-zone denials (ninth), total defensive plays (10th), and blocked passes (13th).

"He's one of the best skaters in the league, without a doubt," teammate Brock Faber said of Sanderson. "The details of his game - he takes pride in a lot of similar things that I do. Good stick, blocks shots, cares about the defensive part of his game. A lot of times, he isn't pushing for offense or pushing for points, then getting out of position. He's so solid up and down the sheet."

The Hughes-less blue line, as currently constructed: Zach Werenski and Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin and Adam Fox, Faber and Noah Hanifin.

Best soundbites from media day

• "I don't take anything personally." - a deadpanning Eichel when asked if he'd take the American national anthem being booed at Bell Centre to heart

• "Yeah, I'm getting older ..." - a smiling Victor Hedman on playing for Sweden alongside a Nylander for a third time (2010 worlds with father Michael; 2017 worlds and 2025 4 Nations with son William)

• "I don't think so ... unless (Hurricanes teammate Sebastian) Aho challenges me." - a joking Seth Jarvis on the possibility of 4 Nations fisticuffs

• "This is hockey heaven." - an eloquent McAvoy on the mood one day from puck drop on the first best-on-best tournament in eight-plus years

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).