Canada's loss in the bronze medal game of the IIHF World Championship was helped in no way by the mediocre netminding of Jordan Binnington. And with the 4 Nations Face-Off coming in February, things are looking bleak between Team Canada's pipes.
Jordan BinningtonA player’s performance at the IIHF World Championship isn’t the deciding factor in who will represent their country at best-on-best tournaments in the future, but the quality of an individual’s play does have an effect on roster decisions down the line. And as we’ve seen at the 2024 World Championship, Team Canada’s goaltending picture for future tournaments is muddier than ever.
Going into the tournament, veteran St. Louis Blues netminder Jordan Binnington was Canada’s No. 1 option between the pipes. Binnington wasn’t terrible for all of Canada’s games, but he did have extremely disappointing moments, including a brutal giveaway to Sweden’s Carl Grundstrom for the game-winner in the third period of their bronze-medal showdown Sunday. Canada’s other net options – New Jersey’s Nico Daws and St. Louis’ Joel Hofer – weren’t considered better than Binnington, and the Canadians wound up paying for it by missing out on a medal for the first time since 2018.
So, what other goalies could be in the mix for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025? The list isn’t at all intimidating. Besides Binnington, Daws and Hofer, veterans Tristan Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmontonn’s Stuart Skinner haven’t established themselves as big-moment goaltenders either. After that, it’s anyone’s guess who the Canadians could go with. A lot can happen between now and next February, but the days of Canada’s dominance in the net with stars such as Roberto Luongo, Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur are long over.
It doesn’t matter that Canada’s group of forwards and defensemen remain elite in the international hockey picture if they don’t have capable goaltenders. Binnington will have the next NHL regular season to try and rehabilitate his reputation, but he’s no sure thing, and if you consider Canada’s competition will be even tougher once the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters get their full complement of NHL star players, the potential for disaster on the goaltending front will only grow from here.
In one sense, it’s good that there’s going to be healthy competition in goal for the Canadians, but it would be much more of a comfort if there were clear front-runners for the position. Binnington’s chances of being on Canada’s 4 Nations roster took a major hit at the World Championship, and no one can say with any certainty who will be in net for the Canadians at the next best-on-best showdown.
A worrisome spot got even more worrisome at the World Championship, and unless someone steps up in a big way between now and February, Canada’s hopes for international hockey glory are going to be considerably dimmed.