Ekblad Letang split with 4 Nations bug

Team Canada will need to add a defenseman for the 4 Nations Face-Off after the Vegas Golden Knights announced Sunday that Alex Pietrangelo will miss the best-on-best tournament because of an ailment.

The tournament starts Feb. 12 in Montreal with Canada playing Sweden at Bell Centre (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS), so it will need to act quickly to replace Pietrangelo.

Who should join Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets), Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues), Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers), Shea Theodore (Golden Knights) and Devon Toews (Avalanche)? That's the question we put to a group of NHL.com writers and editors in a special 4 Nations Face-Off roundtable:

Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers

You want a battle-tested defenseman who can pick up a couple of points on the power play? I'll give you Bouchard, who made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season with the Oilers. Bouchard is ninth in the NHL in points among defensemen with 37 (eight goals, 29 assists) while averaging 23:32 per game. This season hasn't been Bouchard's best, but with the carrot of winning the 4 Nations Face-Off for Canada, maybe he can get himself back where he was last season. He has the passing ability, the shot and the play-driving skills to balance some of the more defensive-minded defensemen on Canada's roster, even if he's not perfect in his own end. He's certainly not the perfect defenseman, but I see a spot for him on Canada's roster, especially with Canada assistant general manager Jim Nill mentioning his name as one of the toughest to leave off the roster while talking to NHL.com in December. Add in the familiarity that Connor McDavid has playing with Bouchard, I think he's a worthy candidate. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

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      EDM@COL: Bouchard hammers home a one-timer to take the lead

      Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres

      Byram is under the radar a bit with the Sabres but making huge strides. He plays more than 23 minutes a game (23:08), second to Rasmus Dahlin (24:30), who will play for Team Sweden. Byram is plus-5, tops among all Buffalo defensemen. He's not the sexiest pick but makes sense as a depth option. He has a bit of offense (23 points) and size (6-foot-1, 205 pounds), but perhaps the biggest reason is he's 23 and next season will be in his prime and vying for a spot on Canada's roster for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Get a look at him now and get him some seasoning for when that time comes -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

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          NHL Now: Alex Pietrangelo withdraws from Four Nations Face-Off

          Jakob Chychrun, Washington Capitals

          Yes, I'm going with someone who has dual status with the United States and Canada (born in Boca Raton, Florida) but Chychrun's international play has always come with Canada. And the 26-year-old is enjoying as much of an individual renaissance as the Capitals are as a team this season. He has 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 44 games, nine from his NHL career high (41) set in 82 games for the Ottawa Senators last season and the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21. He's plus-20 and averaging 20:49 of ice time per game, second on the Capitals behind fellow defenseman John Carlson, and third on Washington with 11 power-play points. Chychrun has been outstanding. Give him the vacant defenseman spot with Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

          Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

          Doughty has been out all season with a broken ankle, but he's close to returning for the Kings and wants to play for Canada. "I'm still hoping I have that outside chance of playing in 4 Nations," he said Sunday. "I don't want a break, I want to play, so we'll see what happens." You never know. Though some teams might want a player to sit out when returning from an injury, the Kings might want Doughty to play to help him get back up to speed. The 35-year-old is one of the best defensemen in the NHL when healthy and a veteran in best-on-best tournaments. He helped Canada win gold in two Olympics -- 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi -- and at the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto. Doughty had 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games for Los Angeles last season, averaging 25:48 per game. If he returns to the Kings lineup before the tournament and looks at least close to his usual self, why wouldn't Canada want him on the roster? -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

          Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers

          One of Ekblad's most underrated aspects is the growl he has in his game. He has developed into a shutdown, top-pair defenseman at this point in his career and a tough player to go up against, especially in dirty areas like the corners. No, he doesn't have the same physical game that Pietrangelo brings to the rink, but few do. At the same time, he's developed his own semblance of grit since being selected No. 1 by the Panthers in the 2014 NHL Draft. After missing seven games with an upper-body injury sustained against the Utah Hockey Club on Jan. 8, Ekblad returned to Florida's top pair with Gustav Forsling on Friday and had two points (one goal, one assist) in a 7-2 win at the San Jose Sharks. He's a versatile player, a key cog on both the penalty kill and power play. And though I might give a slight edge to Bouchard as Pietrangelo's replacement, a legitimate case can be made for someone like Ekblad, who goes up against Matthew Tkachuk almost every day at Panthers practice. Hey, someone is going to have to go into the corners against Tkachuk when Team United States plays Canada on Feb. 15. Why not Ekblad? -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

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              FLA@SJS: Ekblad grabs the lead with a stellar shot

              Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils

              After missing all but 20 games last season, Hamilton is healthy, and a big reason New Jersey is in the thick of Stanley Cup Playoff race in the Eastern Conference. He is fifth among Canada-born defensemen with 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists). His five power-play goals and 14 power-play points rank second to Makar (eight) and fourth, respectively. The 31-year-old hasn't represented Canada since the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship, so this would be a great chance for him to do it again, and well-deserved, too. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

              Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

              Pietrangelo's absence leaves Canada in need of a right-shot defenseman they can count on at the international level. Letang could be a viable option if they want experience and someone who knows a thing or two about winning. Letang has won the Stanley Cup three times with the Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017) and would bring that championship pedigree to Canada. He is still playing top-pair minutes, averaging 23:33 per game, the most of any Penguins defenseman including Sweden's Erik Karlsson (22:47). Letang has not represented Canada internationally since winning back-to-back gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Juniors but would look good in a Canada jersey again. He's in his 17th season with the Penguins and a cornerstone of that franchise with forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He can still provide offense and, more importantly, get the puck up to Canada's speedy forwards. He had 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games last season and has 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 44 games this season. Letang likely would not be relied on as heavily with Canada like in Pittsburgh but would provide quality minutes in a short tournament. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

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                  PIT@MTL: Letang increases Penguins' lead with PPG in 3rd period

                  Brandon Montour, Seattle Kraken

                  Pietrangelo's departure leaves Canada with only two right-shooting defensemen: Makar and Parayko, so rather than create an imbalance or force a someone to play on his off side, Canada will likely look to add another right-handed shot. Montour is among the best available and his experience in big games reaching the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons with the Panthers – and winning the Cup last season – gives him an advantage here. The 30-year-old has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) while averaging 23:31 of ice time in 49 games this season for Seattle, which signed him to a seven-year, $50 million contract July 1. But Montour had 73 points (16 goals, 57 assists) in 80 regular-season games two seasons ago before needing offseason shoulder surgery that limited him to 66 regular-season games last season. His 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) and average of 24:40 in ice time in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games the past two seasons led Panthers defensemen and demonstrated his ability to perform when the game is being played at the highest level, which it will be again in this tournament. -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

                  MacKenzie Weegar, Calgary Flames

                  Losing Pietrangelo is a blow to Canada's blue line. That much we know and can admit. He's a plus player. He plays big minutes, 22:43 per game this season. He can produce; 25 points in 47 games. He has a winning background as a two-time Stanley Cup champion. He's familiar with the best-on-best format having won the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey 2016. Weegar doesn't have that pedigree. Not even close. But you know what he does have? He has some of Pietrangelo's intangibles. He's also a plus player (plus-10 this season with the Calgary Flames), plays big minutes (23:25 per game) and has 25 points in 48 games, one more than Pietrangelo. Like Pietrangelo, Weegar is a right-handed shooter, can control possession from the back end and be reliable to defend in his own end, and he can play effective minutes on the power play and/or the penalty kill. Canada picked Pietrangelo for several reasons, some of which likely have to do with his history of winning at best-on-best tournaments but mostly because of the effectiveness of his game and his style of play. Weegar doesn't have the international resume, but he can provide Canada almost as much as Pietrangelo would have. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

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