3 bold predictions: Four Nations Face-Off gold Detroit Red Wings edition

It’s a long break for Detroit Red Wings fans. On my Twitterverse feed, I’m finding the signs of withdrawals everywhere with individuals longing for slimy octopi, the Winged Wheel, and their favorite players. As do I, but there’s also some fresh air to breathe. 

A lead-up to the Olympics next year is quickly approaching. Hopefully, around this time next year, Red Wings fans across the globe can cheer on their favorite players who swap their Winged Wheel logo for their countries. Players like Moritz Seider are all but a lock for Team Germany. Ideally, more Swedes will draw intrigue. 

This time around, we get the privilege to watch two of our beloved stars play in the quick-paced Four Nation’s Face-Off. Here’s a look at the schedule and how to watch both Lucas Raymond (Team Sweden) and Dylan Larkin (Team USA):

There are other games with former Detroit Red Wings defenseman (and a favorite of mine) Olli Määttä. I’m still so bitter that he was traded. I will definitely be rooting for Määttä and Team Finland when they aren’t playing against Larkin or Raymond.

1 The Detroit Red Wings best-kept secret (Lucas Raymond) is about to take center stage at Four Nations Face-Off

Wednesday night, we get to see the start of Raymond and his Team Sweden (yes, I know Raymond is a young player on the team, there are plenty of leaders to put their claim on Team Sweden—including their captain, but the homer in me and the character Raymond has showed over his young career has taught me one thing—put trust in him and good things happen). 

Raymond has been salivating for a chance to play meaningful games. He almost singlehandedly dragged his Detroit Red Wings into the playoffs. However, he hasn’t played in such high-stakes games since joining the Red Wings. 

Seemingly, the higher the pressure, the better Raymond gets. 

It’s a characteristic that is so difficult to find in players. 

In just his fourth season in the NHL, Raymond is sitting in 21st place as of writing this post in total points in the entire National Hockey League (NHL) with 59 in 55 games played. Having any Detroit Red Wings player with over a point per game (PPG) wasn’t something that I had on my BINGO card for 2024-25, but here we are. 

Raymond is a proper blend of playmaker mixed with a threatening shot. If anyone cheats to take away his passing lane, Raymond’s 21 goals show that he is confident and effective with his shot. Learning from Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane hasn’t hurt his development. 

I think back to my trip to Traverse City, Michigan, where I watched those three (and Larkin) taking turns shooting at an empty net. Raymond tried with all his might to rocket his puck into the net. On the flip side, Kane casually skates up, wastes no energy—barely even moving and the puck flies through the air quicker than any shot Raymond put on net. Hard. Accurate. Effective. On the flip side, 

DeBrincat provides exuberance and excitement whenever he’s on the ice. He and Raymond have formed a special connection on the ice where Raymond draws all of the opponents’ attention, while DeBrincat finds quiet, soft space on the ice to the extent that goalies don’t even notice The Cat on the prowl. The connection has worked on numerous occasions.

Since breaking into the league, Raymond has done nothing but improve drastically in every facet of his game. He’s bigger, stronger, meaner, and well-balanced in his overall game. Although he still leans toward offense, he’s becoming a complete player. He’s even spent time on the penalty kill for the Detroit Red Wings this season. Raymond’s dedicated to his 200-foot game, doesn’t cheat, and is built for this kind of tournament. 

Once he earns the respect of his coaches and teammates, it likely won’t take long; he and Team Sweden will be even better for it. I’m not sure how high in the lineup he’ll play or the number of minutes he might play, but the bigger of a role that Raymond is entrusted with, the better Team Sweden will be. 

He hungers to be the best by playing the best, beating them at their own game. 

Fans of the NHL don’t know who Raymond is, or even worse, they make assumptions about him and his overall game without understanding how much of an impact he has on his team and the game. Often compared to his fellow 2020 NHL Entry Level Draft pick Tim Stützle, Raymond is undersold as the lesser prospect.

With a good showing at the Four Nations Face-Off, Raymond will likely access a broader audience. Of course, he won’t get the attention of the Canadian players or even Team USA, but anyone who observes Raymond will have nothing but appreciation for a young man who is etching his name in hockey history. 

Raymond won’t be a secret in Hockeytown much longer. 

2 Dylan Larkin will surprise non-Detroit Red Wings fans at Four Nations Face-Off

You’d think that NHL fans would respect a player that they had the privilege of watching since the 2015-16 season. However, much like his younger counterpart in Raymond, Larkin is a bit of a blind spot for NHL fans.

It sometimes feels like the Red Wings are a blackhole for NHL fans. Hardly anyone outside the fanbase watches the Detroit Red Wings. If they do, it’s usually for a good laugh or to make them feel better about their own team. Yet, the Red Wings are becoming less of a punching bag as we sit in the second wild card of the eastern conference during this two-week break.

The respect for Larkin is still missing—even from the Team USA coaches. Why, I’m not sure. 

Maybe there are only so many hours in a day, so coaches can only scout so much. Yes, I’ll hear people out who say, it’s because Team USA is so stacked, Larkin is down on the totem pole.

I’d scoff. Referring you to his power-play goals, penalty kill expertise, and two-way play against the fastest players in the world where he can control plays with the best of the NHL. Albeit on a team that is severely, and has always in his tenure, lacked a supporting cast. Of course, he had a one-footed Zetterberg, a Niklas Kronwall on the back-nine (as Kane eloquently refers to his later years in the NHL), and a miscast Jonathan Ericsson, along with the newcomers Raymond and Seider (along with Marco Kasper, Elmer Söderblom, etc.) he’s getting help. However, Larkin doesn’t have the team’s some of these other players have around them.

Larkin has faced the NHL challenges mostly on his own. He’s had friends come and go, but nobody consistently (until Seider and Raymond joined the team), and it can’t be easy. Through it all, Larkin has persevered. He’s become an incredible and understanding leader, grown in his own game (rather than thinking about or playing for himself first and foremost, he’s emphasized helping the young guys improve around him, playing off teammates instead of burning ice all on his own), and has become a winner. 

In his professional career, Larkin has only played in two sets of playoffs: with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2014-15 and with the Detroit Red Wings in 2015-16. In his time in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Larkin played in six games, scored three times, and assisted on two goals for a total of five points with a -1 rating. With the Red Wings, he played in five games. Across the five games, he scored once and zero assists with a -2 rating. He amassed a total of 24 penalties in his playoff history. 

Emotion is a big part of Larkin’s drive. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and everyone knows from here to Pluto how Larkin is feeling. At times, he can let his emotions get the better of him (something hopefully Kasper can help him with), but Larkin has even improved in taking fewer penalty minutes. 

As negative as the penalty minutes may be and losing control of one’s emotions may entail, the thing about Larkin is he stands up for himself and his teammates. 

In such a short tournament, it can be difficult to gel and fine that connection with a team. A feeling of belonging. Players may not feel as tightly bonded as they don’t play together all that long (although most of Team USA has played together in some capacity). Larkin has a way of bringing teammates into the fight. 

Drawing on his inner fire, he lights everyone else’s inner torch and is the engine for his team night after night. In a Team USA sweater, it won’t be any different. 

No matter the role he gets and earns throughout the quick series, Larkin will make sure that his team is in it to win it. He’ll ensure that his teammates play for each other, invest in each other, and buy into each shift. He’s an inspiration to Detroit Red Wings fans, media, and teammates. 

If a younger Larkin was invited to this event and was rotating as a fourth line winger in a lesser role, I’m not sure how he might have taken the news. When I see my captain talk about putting on the Team USA sweater now, he’s embracing it. Loving every second of it, Larkin is becoming one of my favorite players (especially seeing how much growth he’s had in his character since he broke into the league as he had a bit of a different attitude). 

Even if Larkin’s role remains the same or he sits a game or two, I think Larkin is there for the experience, to mentor young players, and to bring home the trophy for the Gaudreau family. 

He's going to surprise people as he finally gets to play in some high-pressure games with players who have the skill to match his (something he really hasn't had throughout much of his tenure with the Detroit Red Wings).

3 Team Sweden and USA gold medal game for Four Nations Face-Off

I can feel the eye-rolling from here. 

Hear me out: this is a quick tournament.

While I know who everyone’s heavily favorited team to win the trophy is for the Four Nations Face-Off, I have to disagree with the majority. Not for the sake of being different, but I can’t help but wonder how the dynamics of each team will play out across the short tournament. 

A big thing that I don’t think is talked about enough is egos. Put all the talent, numbers, and flags aside for a second. Hockey is and will always be a team sport. It’s not basketball where one guy or a handful can run things. It’s a five-player game plus a goaltender who must come together to win a hockey game.

Egos can be great, building confidence, self-worth, and helping to justify an existence in something—in this case, the Four Nations Face-Off. At the same time, if a player builds their ego in such a way that it puts themself above the team, having ego backfires. 

There aren’t going to be 20 “it” guys on a team. There will be some roles that players must settle for, if you will, where they aren’t the golden child anymore, but a hardworking, backchecking, line matchup role that they maybe aren’t used to or comfortable playing. Even worse, maybe they don’t know how to swallow their ego (even if they wanted to). I'm not sure that all teams have players who are equipped to handle the lesser roles they're given.

When it comes to building a team, I think Team USA might have a leg up on the competition. 

So many guys have played together across various levels, tournaments, and games that they might be a bit more comfortable in playing different roles within the team dynamics. 

Alternatively, Team Sweden and Finland are always considered the underdogs. Why? I’m not sure, but they’re always considered the lesser countries when it comes to ice hockey—thrown in as kind of extra teams. However, they’re never given the respect that I think their teams demand. 

They’re more than just extra teams for Team Canada and USA to play against. Team Sweden and Finland have just as much power as the other two teams. 

Sweden has the defensemen other teams drool over, while Finland always has their goaltenders. There is plenty of skill scattered throughout the lineups as well.

There’s also a chip on their shoulders, it seems, as they’re never in the full conversation of the best hockey talent in the world. I’ve seen enough fans complain that it should be Team Russia over either Team Sweden or Finland that I get sick. I’m not sure who feels the need to invalidate entire countries who deserve a seat at the table as much as any other team in terms of ice hockey conversations, but I think they might need to research Swedish and Finnish hockey a bit more before they make themselves look even more foolish.

This chip on their shoulder means that players seem to have the need to fight a bit more to get their piece of the pie. In doing so, there’s a bit more buy-in, a bit more willingness to play in various roles or do what they can to help to win. 

In terms of overall team makeup, I like Team Sweden’s overall team. They seem to be well-rounded at every position with enough dynamic players offset by responsible two-way players and decent (even if it’s not mind-altering) goaltending that I think they will surprise a lot of people. 

Of course, if Team Sweden and/or Finland makes too much noise, I’m sure the same fans who talked down on them will say the big dogs weren’t fully invested in such a silly tournament, which may be true. It still won’t diminish any success that either (or both) teams see in the tournament. 

Although I would love nothing more than a Team Sweden and Finland championship game, I can’t bet against Team USA and the Gaudreau family. The loss of Johnny and Matthew is something that all of hockey felt. Moving forward is always so difficult but is an essential part of grieving. 

I can’t imagine how the players, coaching staff, or family must feel, but I know my heart goes out to them and anyone else in mourning. Hopefully, this tournament can provide some type of healing for everyone involved, even if just a small part of the bigger process.

In trying to keep things lighter, I saw Jane Gaudreau’s post on the Twitterverse:

So, I cannot in good faith or spirit bet against the Gaudreau brothers (I don’t bet money, so only bragging rights at stake here). 

My prediction for the championship game between Team Sweden and USA is that it goes to overtime. Of course, we get a couple of goals from Raymond and a goal from Larkin in overtime because he’s the man and wins the final face-off. Larkin understands the stakes and brings the trophy home as our captain is meant to.