Chris Kreider's Spot At 4 Nations Face-Off Is Not Guaranteed

By the looks of Team USA's first practice, Chris Kreider will have to scrap in order to get minutes.

Chris Kreider is not guaranteed to play every game of the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team USA.

There are 13 forwards that made Team USA’s roster, meaning one man will be left out of each game, which creates some competition.

At the team’s first practice, Kreider rotated with forward Dylan Larkin, indicating that his spot in the lineup is not set in stone.

Kreider is having what many are considering to be a down year with the New York Rangers for his standard, but he’s coming off an impressive 2023-24 campaign where he recorded 39 goals, 36 assists and 75 points in 82 games while averaging 18:47 minutes.

Kreider will likely have to fight for his position with Team USA. Despite his scoring abilities and hard-nosed style of play, he is now joined by the best American hockey players in the world, so he nor anyone on that roster should get overly comfortable.