Pair of Leafs stars appear snubbed from Canadian 4 Nations roster
Toronto Maple Leafs fans will have plenty of players to cheer on during February’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, but there might be just as much discussion about who isn’t participating.
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Mitch Marner is the lone Canadian player on the Leafs expected to crack the final roster.
“We think Mitch Marner will be the only Maple Leaf to make team Canada,” LeBrun said on a TSN segment on Tuesday.
Auston Matthews and William Nylander will be on the American and Swedish rosters, respectively, but two major stars will not represent the Leafs on Team Canada: Morgan Rielly and John Tavares.
Tavares is one of the more accomplished Canadian international players of his generation, having won two gold medals at the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships, a Spengler Cup in 2012, an Olympic gold medal in 2014, and a World Cup in 2016.
Rielly, meanwhile, has never represented Canada at a true best-on-best tournament, but was often projected to make the country’s roster should Canada have gone to either the 2018 or 2022 Olympics. He was a member of the Team North America under-23 side at the 2016 World Cup.
LeBrun also added Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Mark Stone, and Travis Konecny as other forwards he thinks will be on the team, while tabbing 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.
Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Cale Makar had previously been named to the Canadian team in June.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is an NHL-created replacement for the All-Star Game for next season, and is a precursor for the league’s return to the Winter Olympics in 2026 and an expected World Cup in 2028.
The official rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off will be announced tomorrow, while the tournament kicks off on February 14.
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