4 Nations Face-Off goalie power rankings: Who has the inside track to start for his country?

Credit: Oct 4, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) makes a save against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

The 4 Nations Face-Off no longer feels like a far off, imaginary tournament concocted by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association. Not only have its participants, Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States, each named their ‘First Six’ team members, but the deadline for final roster announcements arrives in December. That means players not yet named to teams have only a couple more months to make their cases for selection via their play.

That includes almost every goaltender hoping to compete in the eight-day event next February. During the First Six announcements in June, Finland’s Juuse Saros was the lone puck-stopper locked in.

What does the pecking order for each nation look like in goal right now? Here’s a breakdown of my initial thinking. I’ll update the list again in late November to see which netminders have strengthened or weakened their positions.

CANADA

1. Jordan Binnington
2. Adin Hill
3. Sam Montembeault (stock up)
4. Stuart Skinner (stock down)
5. Connor Ingram

Bubble: Logan Thompson, Marc-Andre Fleury, Darcy Kuemper, Cam Talbot, Tristan Jarry, Joel Hofer

Binnington checks several boxes. He’s coming off the second-best season of his NHL career, he’s a proven Stanley Cup winner, and he did so backstopping the St. Louis Blues, whose GM, Doug Armstrong, is Canada’s 4 Nations GM. Binnington is much more experienced than the other top candidates for Canada’s crease. The towering Hill is also a Cup winner and can be as good as any goalie in the game when he’s healthy and on a heater. The underappreciated Montembeault was excellent for a bad Montreal Canadiens team last season and is starting to get more recognition. It feels like he’s leapfrogged Skinner, who, despite reaching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year, is maddeningly inconsistent.

FINLAND

1. Juuse Saros (selected)
2. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
3. Joonas Korpisalo
4. Justus Annunen
5. Joel Blomqvist (stock up)

Bubble: Kevin Lankinen, Ville Husso

The gap between Saros and Luukkonen and Finland’s other options feels enormous right now. Korpisalo has looked about as shaky with the Boston Bruins as he did last season in Ottawa so far. Annunen has a golden opportunity to seize the Colorado Avalanche’s starting role with Alexandar Georgiev struggling so badly, but Annunen hasn’t played well either. It’s obviously very early, of course. But it does feel like Saros and UPL are the clear 1-2, with the others jockeying for No. 3 status. Keep an eye on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Blomqvist, who has impressed in relief of injured Alex Nedeljkovic.

SWEDEN

1. Linus Ullmark
2. Jacob Markstrom
3. Filip Gustavsson (stock up)
4. Samuel Ersson
5. Jesper Wallstedt

Bubble: Anton Forsberg, Dennis Hildeby, Arvid Soderblom

Ullmark was arguably hockey’s best goaltender across the three previous seasons combined, saving more goals above average per 60 than anyone else. But he has represented Sweden just once internationally in the past decade, a three-game stint at the World Championship in 2022. Does that mean Markstrom, who has gotten the call more often, has an edge? I’m not totally convinced. Ullmark has been so good that it’s tough to imagine anyone else starting Game 1. I could see the two playing in a true platoon, however. Gustavsson, meanwhile, has flashed his awesome 2022-23 form, not his bad 2023-24 form, early on for the Minnesota Wild. He could thus hold off Jesper Wallstedt not just on their shared NHL club, but their international one, too.

USA

1. Connor Hellebuyck
2. Jake Oettinger
3. Jeremy Swayman (stock up)
4. Thatcher Demko (stock down)
5. Charlie Lindgren

Bubble: Joey Daccord, Anthony Stolarz, Dustin Wolf, Alex Lyon, Alex Nedeljkovic

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner Hellebuyck still owns the catbird seat. But Oettinger and Swayman have been superior during high-stakes playoff hockey in recent springs, meaning Hellebuyck’s leash won’t necessarily be long. A year ago, Demko would’ve fit comfortably into a top-three spot. But the Americans have an embarrassment of riches, and his knee problem is a double-edged sword: it makes him a riskier choice, and it’s also possible he’ll want to rest during the 4 Nations period and prioritize the Vancouver Canucks anyway. The sleeper could be Lindgren, who played well for the U.S. at the 2024 Worlds, but the top four feels almost impregnable.

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4 Nations Face-Off goalie power rankings: Who has the inside track to start for his country?

CANADA

FINLAND

SWEDEN

USA

Article presented by Amazon Prime

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