4 Nations Face-Off: Which Panthers Are In Contention For Roster Spots

There’s something about international sports that gets people excited. 

 

National pride certainly plays a part in it. Whether it’s a few days or a few weeks, sports fans temporarily put aside their normal rivalries; New York and Boston tolerate each other, Montrealers and Torontonians root for the same team — it’s a fun time when the national colors come on. 

 

Unfortunately for hockey fans, they’ve waited too long to see their favorite players on a best-on-best stage, international stage.

 

After Canada won their second-straight Gold Medal at Sochi 2014, the NHL did not send its players to the next two Winter Olympics — opting to skip out on  PyeongChang in 2018, then pulling out of the Beijing games in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Consensus around the league hasn’t changed for years; the players want to represent their countries in best-on-best tournaments. 

 

The 4 Nations Face-Off — which is set to take place in Montreal and Boston from Feb 12-20 — will be the first best-on-best tournament in the senior men’s game since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 

 

International hockey is coming back and the best players in the world will be suited up for it. 

 

Who will be there? Who can be?

 

All teams must have their full rosters submitted by Dec. 2; the selections will be made public on Dec. 4.

 

Last June, all of the participating countries had to name six players who were guaranteed roster spots for the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

 

The Florida Panthers have three players who were named to a 4 Nations roster last summer and there will certainly be a few more once the official teams are announced.

 

Here’s the Panthers who will be there (barring injury) and those who could see their name called.

 

TEAM USA 

Matthew Tkachuk already knows he’ll be wearing the red, white and blue, the 26-year-old forward was one of the American’s first six players selected back in June. 

 

Tkachuck will almost certainly be the lone Panther skater representing Team USA at the 4 Nations, however he won’t be the only Panther there.

 

Florida’s GM Bill Zito will be part of the American’s management staff and Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards will be there as the equipment manager. 

​
Team Finland 

Last season, Aleksander Barkov became the first Finnish captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup. The 29-year-old Panthers’ leader is arguably the best Finnish player in the league right now; he was obviously one of the first six Finns selected for the 4 Nations tournament.

Barkov has represented his country a few times already at a best-on-best stage. He won a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and also played at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. 

 

As the only active Finnish captain in the NHL, Barkov very well could be wearing the “C” this February for Finland.

 

We already know Barkov has his spot secured for the 4 Nations, but it’s likely he’ll be joined by a few more Panther Finns in February.

 

Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola are the other three Finnish players on the Panthers roster. Looking at numerous roster predictions, the consensus around the media world is that all three of them are projected to make the team.

 

Lundell and Luostarinen have solidified themselves as legit top-9 NHLers over the past few seasons, with the duo playing an immense role in the Panthers winning the 2024 Stanley Cup. 

 

“That’s my goal, that would be a huge honor to play for Team Finland,” Lundell told me in early November. “You don’t think about it but it’s a big goal for me as well. I’m just trying to play as good as I can to show the coach there that I want to be on the team. Hopefully I’ll make it, but right now I stay in the moment and try to play as good as I can.”

 

Last season, Mikkola established himself as a mainstay on the Panthers blueline, eating plenty of minutes at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. There’s only 10 active Finnish defenseman in the NHL this season and Florida’s 6’6 stalwart blueliner should easily find himself in that lineup.

 

If my prediction of Luostarinen, Lundell and Mikkola making the team comes to fruition, the Panthers will have four players on Team Finland at the 4 Nations. 

 

Team Sweden

People in South Florida have heavily rated defenseman Gustav Forsling for years at this point, but his national coming out party came during the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

 

After winning the Cup as Florida’s No. 1 defenseman, the 28-year-old put the hockey world on notice — including those picking the Swedish national team.

 

Forsling was named as one of Sweden’s first six players selected for the 4 Nations, making him one of three Panthers skaters (Tkachuk, USA, Barkov, Finland) to have their spot secured for the tournament ne​​xt year.

 

This won’t be the first time Forsling represents Sweden, as he played in two World uniors — captaining the Swedish team in 2016 — also make an appearance at the 2015-16 Euro Hockey Tour. However, he’s never played for his country at a major, senior men’s tournament. 

 

The 4 Nations Face-Off is not a IIHF sanctioned event, but it is reserved strictly for players who have a 2024-25 NHL contract and are on an NHL roster, so it’s undoubtedly best-on best. A big reason for this tournament is to prepare for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics — where the NHL will be sending its players, 

“That’s the ultimate goal I feel like, the Olympics would be a very cool experience if I would make the team there too,” Forsling said in June after making Team Sweden. “That’s kind of what we’re playing for, to get to the Olympics.”

 

Team Canada

Canada is the only country that did not have a Panther in its initial six roster selections. That being said, the Stanley Cup champions have a few legit options that could make the Canadian roster.

 

According to TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun, the Canadians made its final roster decisions on Nov 30, with a few “difficult” decisions as the roster came down to the last few players.

 

Nothing is guaranteed, but Sam Reinhart being selected to make Team Canada wouldn’t have been one of those difficult choices. The North Vancouver, BC native had 57 goals last season — second most in the NHL. 

 

Reinhart has been anything but a regressor this season. The 28-year-old leads the NHL with 18 goals in 25 games and is top five in points (34).

 

Him making the Canadian roster is all but in writing, the real question is how many of his Panthers teammates will join him.

 

On the other hand, his teammates — forwards Carter Verheaghe and Sam Bennett — very likely could’ve been involved in those last few cuts. 

 

I had both of them as bubble players to make the Canadian roster. While they undoubtedly deserve to be there — especially considering their respective playoff resumes — Canada has far and away the deepest forward pool to choose from.

Verhaeghe has been Florida’s most consistent goal scorer — regular and postseason — since he arrived in 2020-21. But Canada is already filled to the brim with elite goal scorers, with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Connor McDavid already on the team.

 

Bennett’s play last postseason, followed by his fantastic start to this campaign very well should have raised eyes amongst the Canadian brass. 12 goals, 23 points in 24 games has Bennett top 15 in league scoring a quarter of a way to the season, yet his value to Team Canada relies within his heavy, 200-foot game — which would be important for tournament play.

If I had to guess which of the two would more likely be on Canada, I lean towards Bennett, mostly because he is one of the most physical skilled players in the league and hasn’t slowed down since the season began.

 

There’s one more Panther who hasn’t been getting a ton of media attention in 4 Nation mocks, but may have an outside shot to make the Canadian roster.

 

It’s Aaron Ekblad. 

 

The Windsor, ON. native is no stranger to international hockey. He played for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey and represented Canada at the World Championships in 2015 and 2018.

 

Two years ago, Ekblad was a favorite to make the 2022 Olympic team before the NHL opted out.

 

On a personal level, the part of Ekblad’s game that jumped out to fans was how offensive minded he was, while still being the best defender on the Panthers. 

 

Following a few injuries, the now 28-year-old pivoted his game — for the better of his club — focusing more on being a shutdown defenseman and it paid off for the Panthers as they won the Stanley Cup with Ekblad on their top pair. 

 

“How we appreciate defensemen has changed over the years and it’s skewed to points now,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said earlier this week. “Aaron came in as that player — he was quite a point producer for a while — but he’s been a big part of the change in style of play.”

 

Ekblad has been a top pair defenseman on a team that had back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. He’s not flashy like some of the other potential blueline candidates, but there’s one thing Ekblad has shown over the past few years — he can play at a high-level when the lights are the brightest. 

 

“He’s a spectacular defender, he and Gus [Forsling] are fantastic players,” Maurice added. “I appreciate that for him because there’s a sacrifice that goes with it. A player is up for a contract, these guys all now get paid on points and there’s a sacrifice for him, to our team, to put the defense first and he’s done that.”

The Panthers will be well represented at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Whether there’s three players, six, or more, the defending Stanley Cup champions will see their guys ready to go for gold on an international stage.