Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond will represent Team USA and Team Sweden respectfully this coming February at the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament. The tournament will replace the NHL All-Star game this winter.
The four countries represented in this mini tournament, which takes place February 12th to 20th between Boston and Montreal, will be the USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. The tournament is made up of only NHL players, and each team will play each other once, then the top two teams will play one game for the championship.
Raymond, 22, earning a spot on Team Sweden was the worst-kept secret. The superstar winger has quickly become Detroit's most dangerous forward. Raymond leads the Red Wings with 27 points this season through 25 games while averaging just over 19 minutes per night. Over the past couple of years, Raymond has proven to be a streaky scorer or more of a slow starter, but once that engine begins firing on all cylinders like he's been over the past sixteen games, he's nearly impossible to contain. Over the past seven games, Raymond has recorded seven goals which also included a five-game goal streak. Over the past 16 games, the Swedish star has scored eight goals and 19 points. Not only will Raymond represent Team Sweden, but I expect he will find himself playing as a top-six forward on a team full of stars.
Dylan Larkin named to Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament
I fully expected Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin to be selected to Team USA, but knowing how many great American-born hockey players there are to choose from, it wasn't a sure thing; there are plenty of players who didn't hear their names called on Wednesday evening who feel they are worthy of a spot.
Larkin, 28, is Detroit's heartbeat. He's quickly grown into the best all-around player and tremendous leader of the Red Wings. Larkin currently leads the Red Wings with 12 goals on the season to go with his 20 points over 25 games, which rank third behind Raymond and Alex DeBrincat, his usual linemates. Larkin does everything for Detroit; he often draws the toughest forward assignments at crunch time, kills penalties, works the bumper and puck transporter on the top power-play unit, and he's excellent in the faceoff circle, winning over 56% of his draws. At this tournament, Larkin will likely find himself playing in more of a checking, shutdown role as the third or fourth center behind Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Jack Hughes.
Patrick Kane figured to be a 'bubble' player as this team was being compiled, but he didn't hear his name called. Kane was projected by many to be the veteran leader and possible captain, and while he's maybe not the brightest anymore, he's still a star among stars and perhaps the greatest American-born hockey player of all time. Alex DeBrincat also didn't hear his name called, and he's quietly put together a really good second season with the Red Wings over the first quarter-plus of 2024-25. Neither of these players is the "snub" I referenced in the title of this article, though.
Team Canada did not select Detroit Red Wings starting goaltender Cam Talbot to their squad. Talbot is having a great year in Detroit, posting better numbers than Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. Montembeault, 28, was the surprise pick here. The Montreal Canadien is having an okay season behind a bad team, but he's not a better option than the veteran Talbot or Washington's Logan Thompson. Talbot is currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury but is expected to be back in goal for the Red Wings by the weekend. He's 6-5-2 on the season with a stellar 0.915 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.73.