Can Canada's Coaching Powerhouse Solve the Goaltending Question for 4 Nations Face-Off?

Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer and Rick Tocchet are huge additions to Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off team, but it won't mean much if they can't get the most out of their goaltending, says Adam Proteau.

Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer and Rick Tocchet are huge additions to Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off team, but it won't mean much if they can't get the most out of their goaltending.

Canada didn't hold back in choosing its coaching staff for next February's 4 Nations Face-Off.

Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, Dallas Stars bench boss Peter DeBoer, Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet and Stars assistant coach Misha Donskov will serve as assistants to Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper, providing Stanley Cup-winning experience and competitive know-how to the Canadian team.

While the newly unveiled assistants can only help Team Canada, the biggest question for the team will be decided by tournament GM Don Sweeney when he and the rest of team brass chooses the team’s goaltending. If there is intrigue regarding that choice, it’s in the experience the coaching staff has when it comes to netminding.

Indeed, DeBoer and Donskov have been fortunate to have star goalie Jake Oettinger between the pipes for Dallas. Similarly, Cooper has employed elite netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, and Tocchet has benefitted from working with Thatcher Demko. But not every coach is that lucky, as evidenced by Cassidy winning a Cup with Adin Hill – a goalie who isn’t regarded as a superstar but came through in the clutch for the Golden Knights.

With that type of coaching balance and their astonishing depth at forward and on defense, Canada will be one of the favorites to win the 4 Nations Face-Off. But their downfall could well come between the pipes.

There’s no clear favorite to be Canada’s starting goalie, although St. Louis Blues No. 1 Jordan Binnington will be in the running, as will Hill, Oilers starter Stuart Skinner and Penguins netminder Stuart Skinner. But there could be someone like Utah Hockey Club goalie Connor Ingram, or perhaps Detroit Red Wings newcomer Cam Talbot, who thrives at the right time of the year and inserts themselves into the conversation about who Cooper & Co. should be going with for Team Canada.

On paper, at least, the American team has the best collection of goalies in the tournament, with Jake Oettinger, Demko, Connor Hellebuyck and Bruins star Jeremy Swayman all excellent options for American coach Mike Sullivan and GM Bill Guerin. The United States' depth on forward and at ‘D’ is comparable to Canada’s, which is why many observers believe the Americans should be the odds-on favorite to win the 4 Nations Face-Off. But if Canada gets capable goaltending, they will be right there at the end of the tournament.

It’s all about which goalies are peaking come February. While Canada doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 option in net, so long as the staff picks the right talent and one of the aforementioned goalies gives them an honest shot at winning, the Canadians will be difficult to eliminate.

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