A name few expected to hear at the start of the season, has earned a spot on Team Finland's roster for the NHL’s 4 Nations Faceoff. Will a second Sens defenceman get the call?

When the season began, very few people thought Nikolas Matinpalo had a chance to make the Ottawa Senators NHL roster, let alone represent his country at the NHL's 4 Nations Faceoff.

But here we are.

Matinpalo reportedly received the call from Team Finland on Sunday, just three days before the start of the tournament, to be held February 12-20 in Boston and Montreal. The best-on-best, four-team event features Canada, Finland, Sweden, and USA, and replaces this year's NHL All-Star Game.

Matinpalo seemed hopelessly blocked from ascending to Ottawa's NHL roster by fellow right-shot defensemen Nick Jensen, Artem Zub, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Travis Hamonic. However, all of them have been sidelined by injuries at various points this season, forcing the club to experiment with minor league options.

In 18 games, Matinpalo has filled in nicely, playing a calm, simple game. At 6-foot-3, 211 pounds, he eats up minutes, avoiding both calamity and the highlight reel. He's still looking for his first NHL point.

Matinpalo has been a reliable player for Finland, representing them at the 2023 World Championships, which likely helped with the selection process. He'll replace Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who was ruled out due to injury. Ristolainen hasn't played since suffering an upper-body injury on February 2 in a game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Sens fans are now wondering if a second Ottawa defenseman might get to the event as an injury replacement for Team USA. Jake Sanderson would seem like a highly viable candidate if Vancouver's Quinn Hughes can't go. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet addressed Hughes' health on Sportsnet on Saturday night and didn't commit to anything yet, one way or the other.

If Sanderson did get the call, he would join Sens teammate Brady Tkachuk on Team USA. Linus Ullmark, who's played just two games in the past month and a half (losing both), will suit up for Team Sweden.

The 4 Nations event begins on Wednesday with Canada facing Sweden.

February 12: Canada vs. Sweden
February 13: USA vs. Finland
February 15: Finland vs. Sweden
February 15: USA vs. Canada
February 17: Canada vs. Finland
February 17: Sweden vs. USA
February 20: Final

This article is from The Hockey News-Ottawa. For more great Ottawa Senators coverage, check out THN.com/Ottawa or leave a comment below at Senators Roundtable.