NHL.com projects Sweden’s lines, defense pairs, goalies for 4 Nations

The rosters for the four teams competing in the 4 Nations Face-Off were revealed Wednesday, and though the teams are now set, there is still plenty of work to be done for Team Canada, Team United States, Team Finland and Team Sweden.

Now it's up to the respective coaching staffs to find the right line combinations, defense pairs and goalie depth charts to make their teams winners. With only a few practice days between the start of the break in the regular season and the first game of the tournament, most of this will need be figured out ahead of time.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be held from Feb. 12-20 at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston. Tickets for each site are on sale now.

With that in mind, a team of three NHL.com writers and editors will take a stab at each country's lineup.

Here, NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman, NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti and NHL.com/sv independent correspondent Peter Ekholm give their opinion on how Team Sweden should line up when it opens the tournament against Canada on Feb. 12 at Bell Centre.

Forwards (13)

Jesper Bratt -- Mika Zibanejad -- William Nylander

Filip Forsberg -- Elias Pettersson -- Lucas Raymond

Adrian Kempe -- Joel Eriksson Ek - Elias Lindholm

Viktor Arvidsson -- William Karlsson -- Gustav Nyquist

Leo Carlsson

With so much skill and versatility among the forward group, there's a lot of options here. Putting a left-handed shot like Bratt of the New Jersey Devils with two right-handed shots, Zibanejad of the New York Rangers and Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, would give the top line some balance. Same goes for the second line with right-shooting Raymond from the Detroit Red Wings going with left-handed shots Forsberg from the Nashville Predators and Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks. Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings, Eriksson Ek of the Minnesota Wild and Lindholm of the Boston Bruins could provide speed, tenacity and strength as a checking third line that also could supply some offense. A fourth line of Arvidsson of the Edmonton Oilers, Karlsson from the Vegas Golden Knights and Nyquist of the Predators also would bring energy and some nastiness. Carlsson, the second-year player from the Anaheim Ducks and the youngest player on the roster, could be an interesting utility forward. The 19-year-old could play higher up in the lineup in a skill role at center or on the wing or use his speed and size (6-foot-3, 203 pounds) to provide energy and physicality lower in the lineup. -- Kimelman

Defensemen (7)

Victor Hedman -- Rasmus Dahlin

Gustav Forsling -- Erik Karlsson

Mattias Ekholm -- Rasmus Andersson

Jonas Brodin

Defense is perhaps Sweden's deepest position. Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning has been a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL six times and won it in 2018. Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Norris three times (2012, 2015, 2023) and finished second in voting twice (2016, 2017). Forsling helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup last season and has emerged as one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL, and Ekholm's stay-at-home presence was invaluable during the Edmonton Oilers' run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Andersson of the Calgary Flames is having perhaps his best season and Dahlin continues to grow as a top defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres. Brodin is out week to week for the Minnesota Wild because of an upper-body injury, but he is expected to be healthy in time for the tournament. Karlsson and Andersson were the only right-hand shot defensemen selected, but Dahlin plays regularly on the right side for Buffalo and likely will play there at the 4 Nations Face-Off as well to give the three pairs good balance. Hedman, Karlsson and Dahlin are candidates to run the power play from the point and there are plenty of solid options for the penalty kill, including Andersson, Forsling, Ekholm, Brodin and Hedman. -- Gulitti

Goalies (3)

Filip Gustavsson

Jacob Markstrom

Linus Ullmark

Team Sweden has an enviable problem when it comes to goaltending, with three very capable goalies competing for ice time. There is Ullmark from the Ottawa Senators, who won the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL in 2023; there is Markstrom from the New Jersey Devils, who finished second in Vezina voting in 2022 and whose 227 wins are second all-time among Sweden-born goalies behind Henrik Lundqvist (459); and there is Gustavsson from the Wild, arguably the best goalie in the NHL this season. One thing working in favor of Markstrom, 34, and Ullmark, 31, is experience, compared to Gustavsson, 26. In a short tournament like the 4 Nations Face-Off the experience of playing competitive games could be the tiebreaker. But whoever is in goal, Team Sweden will be well-equipped. -- Ekholm