While Team Canada has a stacked roster heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, goaltending could prove to be their Achilles’ heel.
Canada has yet to announce their goaltenders for the tournament, though based on a report this morning, it sounds as though both Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill will be named to the roster. That leaves one more out of numerous candidates including Cam Talbot, Logan Thompson, Stuart Skinner, and Sam Montembeault to be the third and final netminder to make the cut.
While all the names listed above are respected NHL goaltenders, they are far from elite options. All three other teams competing in the 4 Nations Face-Off undoubtedly have better starting goalies, and the argument could be made that several other countries do as well.
The United States have an embarrassment of riches between the pipes. All four of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman, and Thatcher Demko would be clear-cut number one options for Canada. They aren’t the only American goalies who are capable of starting for the Canadians, either.
Seattle Kraken’s Joey Daccord, who happens to be a dual citizen, had an impressive season in 2023-24 and has been even better in 2024-25. Another who could be argued is Calgary Flames starter Dustin Wolf, who is currently the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy. His 30 games of NHL experience would make him a risky bet, but his numbers trump all of Canada’s options so far this season.
Another nation that is stacked between the pipes is Russia. Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin, and Sergei Bobrovsky are some of the best goalies in the NHL.
There is even an argument to be made that Semyon Varlamov — despite serving as the back up to Sorokin with the New York Islanders — is a better option than what Canada has. He boasts an extremely impressive career save percentage (SV%) of .916.
As for Sweden, they have longtime Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom, as well as Linus Ullmark and Filip Gustavsson. The trio isn’t as strong on paper as that of the Americans or Russians, but they are all better than any Canadian goalies.
Meanwhile, Finland boasts one of the best in the business in Juuse Saros, who has finished in the top five in Vezina Trophy voting in each of the past three seasons. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres has also emerged as a solid NHL starter and is arguably better than anyone Canada has.
Then there’s Denmark’s Frederik Andersen, who, despite struggling to stay healthy in recent years, has been excellent when available for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Other options that could be argued are Czechia’s Petr Mrazek and Lukas Dostal. Mrazek has really turned his game around with the Chicago Blackhawks the past two seasons, while the 24-year-old Dostal has taken over as the number-one goalie for the Anaheim Ducks.
Germany’s Philip Grubauer is likely a worse option than what Canada has at their disposal, as he’s struggled ever since joining the Kraken. That said, he’s shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career and finished as a Vezina Trophy finalist back in 2020-21.
Even Latvia’s Elvis Merzlikins is a name that, at the very least, would be getting some consideration for a spot on Canada’s roster if he were a possibility. The 30-year-old’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but he hasn’t had the easiest go of things playing behind a putrid Columbus Blue Jackets team.
What is clear is that there are at least five countries with goalies who are better than any Canadian and as many as seven that are up for debate. It’s quite alarming how downhill Canada has fallen in the goalie rankings in recent years, and it could wind up costing them in international events such as the 4 Nations Face-Off and even the 2026 Winter Olympics.
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