If there is one player who was snubbed from making Team Canada’s 4 Nations Faceoff roster, it is Zach Hyman. The 32-year-old native of Toronto, Ontario, who signed a seven-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2021 after Toronto somehow let him go, has achieved career highs since then, scoring 70 goals (including the playoffs) last season. Bringing Hyman out west is arguably one of the best moves made by former Oilers GM Ken Holland, though some might debate this against the outstanding trade that brought Swedish defenseman Mattias Ekholm into the defensive core in February 2023. Either way you look at it, Hyman has become one of the NHL’s stars over the past couple of seasons, and passing up on him will cost Team Canada’s scoring depth come February.
Who Made the Roster?
Forwards (13)
Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers)
Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes)
Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
Mitch Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers)
Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights)
Defensemen (7)
Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets)
Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues)
Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas Golden Knights)
Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers)
Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights)
Devon Toews (Colorado Avalanche)
Goalies (3)
Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues)
Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights)
Sam Montembeault (Montreal Canadiens)
Related Post: 2025 4 Nations Face-Off: Canada’s Roster Announced | Inside The Rink
When looking at the forward group, it’s obvious that star players like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby deserve their spots on Team Canada. However, it’s mind-boggling to see some likely bottom-six forwards that made the roster over Zach Hyman. While Hyman hasn’t produced as he would like so far this season—recording 13 goals and 6 assists and projecting to reach 51 points by the end of the regular season—one cannot overlook his phenomenal performance during both the regular season and playoffs last season. He was a key player for the Oilers in the 2023-2024 season, scoring 16 goals and 6 assists in 25 playoff games, helping them nearly overcome a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, who is also the GM for Team Canada, clearly dropped the ball on this one. Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, who will serve as head coach for Team Canada, also likely played a role in this bad decision. While three Lightning players made the roster, only one Oiler (McDavid) was selected, leaving out high-caliber players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and arguably goaltender Stuart Skinner. There’s a strong argument that Stuart Skinner should have been included over Sam Montembeault and Jordan Binnington in the roster, given his better record so far this season, sitting at 13-8-2 with fewer goals allowed per game (2.85) compared to Binnington (2.88) and Montembeault (2.95).
Now, let’s look at two forwards who should not have made it in over Hyman in my opinion, diving into their stats and history in important games:
Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes):
Jarvis has had an okay start this season, scoring 9 goals and 12 assists in 27 games with the Carolina Hurricanes. He is coming off a career season, where he scored 33 goals and tallied 34 assists during the regular season, adding 9 points during the Hurricanes’ 11-game playoff run, which ended in a six-game defeat to the New York Rangers in the second round. Comparing the two regular season performances, Hyman scored 54 goals, scoring many of them around the crease in “greasy” fashion. While Jarvis is an impressive 22-year-old talent, there is no justification for selecting him over the seasoned veteran Hyman, given Hyman’s experience and knack for scoring in high-pressure situations. One goal that comes to mind is the series-swinging Game 4 overtime goal against LA in 2023, leading to Edmonton eventually winning in 6 games that round.
Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning):
Cirelli is another elite player who should not have been chosen ahead of Hyman, especially when considering their playoff histories. Cirelli is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, but his playoff production is nothing in comparison to Hyman’s. Over the past three playoff seasons, Hyman has tallied 49 points, while Cirelli has scored just 16 points. This stat line proves Hyman’s ability to perform in critical games, which is crucial when facing top teams like the USA, Sweden, and Finland. In terms of this season’s current stat line, Cirelli has gotten off to a better start than Hyman, with 13 goals and 17 assists in 30 games, compared to Hyman’s 13 goals and 6 assists in 29 games. Nevertheless, I believe that past performance should carry some weight in roster decisions, a consideration seemingly overlooked by Sweeney and Cooper. It’s also likely evident that Cooper’s role as the Lightning’s head coach influenced the selection of players like Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli over Hyman, a decision I believe could hinder championship aspirations due to Hyman’s elite scoring and forechecking abilities.
When looking at the forward group selected for Team Canada, it’s clear that management prioritized this season’s performance (just over 1/4th of the way done) over past proven elite success. Since the roster was announced earlier this month, Hyman has been on a terror in the “bubble mask”, netting 10 goals and 1 assist in his last 9 games, placing the poor decision-making by Sweeney in the spotlight. I still think Team Canada will be successful in this tournament, but they will be missing out on a key depth and clutch scorer in Hyman come February, all thanks to some idiotic decisions by management.
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