Penguins forward Rickard Rakell was left off of Sweden's 4 Nations roster. Should he have been included? When countries announced their 4 Nations Face-off rosters, we learned that only two Pittsburgh Penguins members, captain Sidney Crosby (Canada) and defenseman Erik Karlsson (Sweden), were attending the event. In addition to the two players, Team USA will be led by Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan and recently hired assistant coach David Quinn. However, those four are not the only Pittsburgh connections tied to the February tournament. Three former players will represent their home countries in Montreal and Boston. Here's a look at who they are. JAKE GUENTZEL (TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING) - UNITED STATES Jake Guentzel [https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/guentja01.html] (along with Ty Smith) left the Penguins in February 2024 when he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, and Vasiliy Ponomarev. He played only 17 regular season games with the Hurricanes, scoring 25 points, before signing a lucrative deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning in free agency. Guentzel is averaging a point-per-game thus far in his first season in Tampa Bay, with six more years remaining on his $63 million contract. MIKAEL GRANLUND (SAN JOSE SHARKS) - FINLAND Mikael Granlund [https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/granlmi01.html] played only 21 games with the Penguins in 2022-23, scoring a single goal and adding four assists for five points. He came to Pittsburgh via trade from the Nashville Predators in March 2023 and departed in the deal that brought Erik Karlsson to town in August 2023. The former ninth overall pick in the 2010 Draft now plays with the San Jose Sharks, where he leads the team in scoring. OLLI MÄÄTTÄ (UTAH HOCKEY CLUB) - FINLAND Olli Määttä [https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/maattol01.html] is another former Penguins draft pick, along with Guentzel, to make a 4 Nations Face-off roster. The 22nd overall pick from the 2012 Draft won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017. He spent six seasons with the club before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in June 2019. After a few stops with the Los Angeles Kings and Detroit Red Wings, the 30-year-old defenseman is now with the Utah Hockey Club. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEwNjYwNDIwMDI3OTUwOTI5/thnpitbanner.png]
