Caufield's great season didn't get him on the Four Nations roster.
With the Four Nations tournament getting ready to start. In Montreal, it’s natural for many to question still why Cole Caufield isn’t on Team USA. To me, this is still one of the biggest snubs of the tournament. There’s no denying that but teams always have reasons as to why a player of his caliber isn’t on the team but will it hold up afterward?
If Team USA wins it all, ok, you can justify it. But if the team is suffering from goal scoring or at the very least a mediocre power play, then that’s where the criticism will come in. It’s unlikely but still a possibility.
There is a bigger question here. Everyone knows that this tournament is a precursor to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano, Cortina, Italy. The same things will apply. It will be a stacked team with an embarrassment of riches but my issue is if this team wins gold in this tournament, do they go with almost all of the same players in 2026? Or at the very least, continue to try and field a bigger lineup? I think they will.
I’m getting the feeling that Caufield is going to have to score a lot more goals down the stretch to get the respect of USA Hockey. Sure, they like the player but they don’t feel like they “need” him either. That’s a weird place to be. Even though he has a great track record internationally too. Let’s see what happens early next season.