What the 4 Nations Face-Off could look like for the Blackhawks

This Wednesday night, the group of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders selected to play for the United States and Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February will be announced on TNT at 5:30 p.m., ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks matchup with the Bruins.

Rosters were submitted on Monday, and tomorrow fans across the league will know who was selected to represent Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States.

While the Blackhawks won’t have a ton of representation at the tournament, they could have a few players make the cut.

The NHL’s final projected roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament included Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen for Finland. Teravainen has registered six goals and 12 points across 25 games this season with the Blackhawks.

Last season, the former first round draft pick registered 25 goals and 53 points in 76 games with the Carolina Hurricanes. Teravainen, 30, is one of the only real contenders to make the tournament from Chicago, but there is a pretty popular name for Canada to consider.

Connor Bedard is having a tough start to the 2024-25 NHL Season. Being the face of a Blackhawks team struggling to find success, has been tough on Bedard this season. Before going on a three game point streak this past week, Bedard hadn’t found the back of the net in a month.

Despite his struggles to start this season, it still seems likely that Bedard makes Canada’s lineup for the tournament, NHL.com’s final projected roster included Bedard as has some others.

While Bedard hasn’t had the start to warrant a spot on Canada’s roster, more likely than not he will be there as a 13th forward or winger on a bottom six line. Canada would want to get Bedard some experience playing in an international tournament like this with the best teams facing off.

Having Bedard at the 4 Nations Face-Off would also benefit the Blackhawks. Chicago hasn’t necessarily played in a lot of meaningful hockey the past year and a half with Bedard, and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to experience something different.

Defenseman Alex Vlasic would be an interesting player to watch at the 4 Nations Face-Off. His defensive ability could make for a good shut down defender in the best on best tournament, and there is no doubt he has earned some consideration, but it still seems unlikely he will be announced as part of the roster tomorrow night.

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