We likely won't see any NY Islanders at the 4 Nations Faceoff

It’s a shame that it’s been eight years since we’ve seen best on best on the international stage. The World Cup of Hockey in 2016 was a massive success, but without Olympic Hockey, we’ve never seen the likes of Connor McDavid suit up for Canada or Auston Matthews representing the Stars and Stripes at the highest level. 

With the introduction of 4 Nations Faceoff, we’ll get a taste of international flavor, but we're still missing some of the world's hockey-rich nations. 

The rosters have been finalized for each team with Sweden and Finland being unveiled tomorrow at 2:00 pm, and USA and Canada at 6:30 pm.

NY Islanders miss the cut

As things look at the moment, it seems we won’t see any NY Islanders participating in the nine-day tournament.

Leading up to this season, it appeared as if Noah Dobson was close to being a lock to man the blue line for Team Canada. His 70-point breakout season in 2023-24 appeared to propel him into the upper echelon of offensive defensemen, but his lackluster performance through 25 games to start this season has allowed others to leapfrog him, as few project him to be part of Canada's roster.

Mat Barzal was thought to potentially be the 13th forward for Canada, as his zone entries on the power play and ability to create with some of the world's best at his side could be an asset to the Canadians. But his injury this season has forced him to miss significant time, not allowing him the opportunity to make his case for selection.

Brock Nelson was thought to be the Islanders' best option for Team USA, given his experience and pedigree as his nation's leading scorer at the World Championships. But this team has so much firepower, it doesn’t look like there’s space for Nelson within this squad.

Anders Lee could potentially be a late emerger for a roster spot given his net-front presence and comeback season. Despite his recent efforts and being one of the Islanders' top performers this season, it’s hard to see Bill Guerin passing on some of the more skilled Americans for Lee.

With all that being said, it is probably in the best interest of the Islanders to not have any of their players participating. The injury bug has plagued the lineup all season and they’ll need all hands on deck if they’re to make a push for the playoffs. 

While it would make this tournament much more intriguing, in the long run, the Isles' best hopes at turning the season around revolve around two weeks of rest for this lineup.