Starting a thread to discuss the 4 Nations Face-Off that will run from February 12th to 20th. Let's take a look at the odds to win via FanDuel, with commentary from SBR's Gary Pearson:
Canada (+140)
"The depth of the Canadian roster goes a long way toward explaining why there's almost no gap between the two 4 Nations Face-Off odds favorites.
The initial six-man unit announced over the summer has combined for six Hart Trophies, seven scoring titles, eight Stanley Cups, and a Norris Trophy. Canada will be flush with offensive talent up front, along with the best puck-moving blue-liner in the league in Makar.
The biggest question mark will be in goal, where no Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, or Carey Price-caliber option is available. The battle to be No. 1 sees Vegas Golden Nights veteran Adin Hill, St. Louis Blues starter Jordan Binnington, and Montreal Canadiens veteran Samuel Montembeault tangle to see who will earn the top job. Binnington is the 4 Nations Face-off Canada starting goalie odds front-runner.
It's difficult to know just how much the lack of top-tier goaltending will matter. But you can be sure that Canada's impressive roster of skaters will do everything it can to ensure it doesn't."
USA (+160)
"The Americans rolling out six sensational players in the prime of their careers as the core of the roster was a heck of a flex. The other 17 players aren't exactly third-liners, either.
That's the thing about this U.S. side: Not only is it deeper than ever, but the majority of players who will suit up are young, hungry, and supremely talented. The expanded list includes Matthew Tkachuk's truculent Ottawa Senators sibling Brady, Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers, talented young defensemen Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild, and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The U.S. also boasts a notable edge in goal, with two of the league's hottest goalies atop the pecking order.
Expect to see Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets as the No. 1 option, though Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars has been playing out of his mind and deserves a shot at the top spot too. Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins rounds out the netminder depth chart, but he's been struggling for most of the season and is the clear No. 3 at the 4 Nations Face-Off."
Sweden (+430)
"You can be certain the Swedish roster will make life quite miserable for opposing forwards.
Any defense corps boasting a pair of high-end puck-movers in Hedman and Karlsson, along with a Stanley Cup-winning lynchpin in Gustav Forsling, will be well-positioned to grind out positive results. Add in the inclusions of former No. 1 pick Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Stanley Cup finalist Mattias Ekholm of the Edmonton Oilers, and defensive prowess is clearly a strength of this team.
That's going to loom especially large for a Swedish side that might struggle to keep up offensively with the North American clubs.
Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings, and Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings will help, and the rest of Sweden's forward additions should contribute too. But there's not nearly the same level of scoring depth here, and although Linus Ullmark and Jacob Markstrom should fare well in goal, it's hard to see this team doing enough to make it to the final."
Finland (+950)
"Finland's top-end talent is among the best in the world.
The team rolled out an initial six-man roster that includes a reigning Stanley Cup champ and two-time Selke Trophy winner (Barkov), a two-time 100-plus-point scorer (Rantanen), a pair of NHL blue-liners who are a combined plus-66 over the past two seasons (Heiskanen and Lindell), and the goalie who has led the NHL in saves during two straight years (Saros).
However, Heiskanen has since been ruled out due to an injury, along with Jani Hakanpaa, and Rasmus Ristolainen. The defense lacked depth even before those three went down, so it will be interesting to see how the Finns cope with the other team's explosive offenses.
Regarding the forwards, the remaining forward group takes a major hit when compared to the other three teams in the tourney beyond Roope Hintz.
But Saros is regarded as one of the NHL's best netminders, despite Nashville's horrendous season. He might need to be again now. Finland could steal a win, but this team is most likely overmatched, even in a short round-robin."
Canada (+140)
"The depth of the Canadian roster goes a long way toward explaining why there's almost no gap between the two 4 Nations Face-Off odds favorites.
The initial six-man unit announced over the summer has combined for six Hart Trophies, seven scoring titles, eight Stanley Cups, and a Norris Trophy. Canada will be flush with offensive talent up front, along with the best puck-moving blue-liner in the league in Makar.
The biggest question mark will be in goal, where no Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, or Carey Price-caliber option is available. The battle to be No. 1 sees Vegas Golden Nights veteran Adin Hill, St. Louis Blues starter Jordan Binnington, and Montreal Canadiens veteran Samuel Montembeault tangle to see who will earn the top job. Binnington is the 4 Nations Face-off Canada starting goalie odds front-runner.
It's difficult to know just how much the lack of top-tier goaltending will matter. But you can be sure that Canada's impressive roster of skaters will do everything it can to ensure it doesn't."
USA (+160)
"The Americans rolling out six sensational players in the prime of their careers as the core of the roster was a heck of a flex. The other 17 players aren't exactly third-liners, either.
That's the thing about this U.S. side: Not only is it deeper than ever, but the majority of players who will suit up are young, hungry, and supremely talented. The expanded list includes Matthew Tkachuk's truculent Ottawa Senators sibling Brady, Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers, talented young defensemen Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild, and Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The U.S. also boasts a notable edge in goal, with two of the league's hottest goalies atop the pecking order.
Expect to see Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets as the No. 1 option, though Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars has been playing out of his mind and deserves a shot at the top spot too. Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins rounds out the netminder depth chart, but he's been struggling for most of the season and is the clear No. 3 at the 4 Nations Face-Off."
Sweden (+430)
"You can be certain the Swedish roster will make life quite miserable for opposing forwards.
Any defense corps boasting a pair of high-end puck-movers in Hedman and Karlsson, along with a Stanley Cup-winning lynchpin in Gustav Forsling, will be well-positioned to grind out positive results. Add in the inclusions of former No. 1 pick Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Stanley Cup finalist Mattias Ekholm of the Edmonton Oilers, and defensive prowess is clearly a strength of this team.
That's going to loom especially large for a Swedish side that might struggle to keep up offensively with the North American clubs.
Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings, and Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings will help, and the rest of Sweden's forward additions should contribute too. But there's not nearly the same level of scoring depth here, and although Linus Ullmark and Jacob Markstrom should fare well in goal, it's hard to see this team doing enough to make it to the final."
Finland (+950)
"Finland's top-end talent is among the best in the world.
The team rolled out an initial six-man roster that includes a reigning Stanley Cup champ and two-time Selke Trophy winner (Barkov), a two-time 100-plus-point scorer (Rantanen), a pair of NHL blue-liners who are a combined plus-66 over the past two seasons (Heiskanen and Lindell), and the goalie who has led the NHL in saves during two straight years (Saros).
However, Heiskanen has since been ruled out due to an injury, along with Jani Hakanpaa, and Rasmus Ristolainen. The defense lacked depth even before those three went down, so it will be interesting to see how the Finns cope with the other team's explosive offenses.
Regarding the forwards, the remaining forward group takes a major hit when compared to the other three teams in the tourney beyond Roope Hintz.
But Saros is regarded as one of the NHL's best netminders, despite Nashville's horrendous season. He might need to be again now. Finland could steal a win, but this team is most likely overmatched, even in a short round-robin."
