4 Nations Face-Off most valuable player debated by NHL.com staff

The 4 Nations Face-Off has been unforgettable.

The best-on-best tournament featuring four countries and 92 of the top players in the NHL has been whittled to two teams after six epic round-robin games.

Canada and the United States will play for the championship at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, Disney+, SN, TVAS), a winner-take-all showdown five days after their epic round-robin game at Bell Centre in Montreal, a 3-1 victory by the Americans.

When it is finished, one of the players will be named MVP of the 4 Nations, deemed the best play amongst a legion of superstars.

It remains to be seen who it will be, but a panel of NHL.com staff writers who have covered the tournament offer their thoughts on deserving candidates. Here are seven players, in alphabetical order, likely in contention for the award.

Sidney Crosby, Canada

Win and Captain Canada should add another MVP accolade to his robust international resume. Lose and you can still make an argument that he is the most valuable player in this tournament. Crosby's participation was in question because of injury concern. He has four assists, three in a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden on Feb. 12, the last on Mitch Marner's game-winner, and his empty-net goal put away a 5-3 victory against Finland on Monday after the Finns rallied from down 4-0 with three third-period goals, two from Mikael Granlund in 23 seconds. Crosby's five points are tied with U.S. defenseman Zach Werenski for the tournament lead. He has done everything Canada expected and more, his steely-eyed confidence setting the tone for his team and his country. What more do you expect? -- Shawn Roarke, senior director of editorial

Jake Guentzel, United States

Because we are debating who is the leading candidate to win the tournament MVP so far, and not who will be the MVP after the final is played, Guentzel is my answer here. In the United States’ 3-1 win against Canada on Saturday, which is unquestionably the biggest game of the tournament so far, Guentzel scored two goals. The forward tied it 1-1 in the first period after Connor McDavid gave Canada an early 1-0 lead, and he scored the clinching empty-net goal in the third period. Guentzel also scored in the Americans’ 6-1 win against Finland, tying him for tournament lead in goals with Canada forward Nathan MacKinnon and Finland forward Mikael Granlund. -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

Connor Hellebuyck, United States

I'm sticking with the pick I made entering the tournament. Goaltending appeared to be the biggest edge for the Americans. It still appears to be. Look at win against Canada on Saturday. Though the U.S. played well defensively, especially after taking a 2-1 lead, that could have been a 1-0 loss if the Canadians had a difference-maker in net -- a Patrick Roy, a Martin Brodeur, a Carey Price. The fact is, Jordan Binnington allowed two questionable goals before the U.S. iced the game with Jake Guentzel's empty-netter, and Canada didn't have enough of a margin for error. Hellebuyck was better. For the United States to defeat Canada twice, he'll probably have to be better again Thursday. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Connor McDavid, Canada

I know this like shooting fish in a barrel since McDavid is the best player in the NHL and he is going to be rewarded for it. Unlike when the Edmonton Oilers captain won the Conn Smythe Trophy voted as MVP of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs despite a seven-game loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, he will be on the winning side against the U.S. He already has two goals and two assists in three games, and I believe he will play a big role in the championship game. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Did you see McDavid's breakaway goal in Montreal against the United States? Yes, it came in a loss, but did you see it? It easily has been the most spectacular play in the tournament, authored by the most spectacular player in the tournament. He followed that up by opening the scoring in Canada's subsequent win against Finland, but it's more than just numbers. At Bell Centre and TD Garden, there's been a certain murmur whenever McDavid starts accelerating, almost as if there is anticipation that something special is about to happen -- and, at times, it has. No other player gets that type of reaction from fans, home or away, when he touches the puck. Then again, there is no player like McDavid. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Jaccob Slavin, United States

If you think this should be about points, then you haven't been watching this tournament. Take the first Canada-United States game. As Nathan MacKinnon said, many of the best players in the NHL are on the ice at the same time and the scoring chances are limited. The shots too, 49 in total, 26-23 in favor of Canada. A big reason for that was Slavin. He's easily been the best defenseman in the tournament. I'll take it one further and say he's been the best player in the tournament despite having zero points. He played a game-high 25:36 against Canada and was brilliant, plus-3 despite playing regularly against McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart et. al. He was plus-2 in 20:55 against Finland, a 6-1 win in Montreal on Feb. 13. Anybody who knows anything about the Carolina Hurricanes knows how good Slavin has been for a long time, arguably the best stick-on-puck defender in the League. He's been that good and more here. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Brady Tkachuk, United States

There are a lot of players who could be handed the MVP honors for the United States, but I'm giving mine to the younger Tkachuk brother. Brady scored twice in their opening game against Finland and was given the player of the game label by his teammates and with it, Johnny Gaudreau's No. 13 jersey. He was, as many of his teammates acknowledged, a beast with eight hits, helping draw them all into the fight. He did the same with his fight against Canada forward Sam Bennett, being part of the emotional leadership with Matthew Tkachuk. Brady may not be the face of this team, the minutes leader or the defensive stalwart, but he is part of its soul and a huge part of why the U.S. made it to the championship. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

Zach Werenski, United States

Sure, I could go this route because he's one of the leading point scorers in the tournament but it's also about how he's leading the defense. The way the U.S. kept Canada to one goal Saturday was impressive. Certainly, some credit here goes to Charlie McAvoy for his hit on McDavid, which many of McAvoy's teammates said was one of the biggest plays of the game, but Werenski's doing it at both ends of the ice. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman is making the most of his time on the international stage. He's most valuable to me. -- Tracey Myers