Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor will be given a large role with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, skating on their first line and second power play unit.
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor will be given a large role with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, skating on their first line and second power play unit.
Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor will be given a large role with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, skating on their first line and second power play unit.
Connor has been nothing short of excellent this season, scoring 30 goals and 69 points in 56 games. His goals and points (tied with Jack Eichel) are tops on Team USA and rank sixth among all players in the NHL. Because of this, it's surprising to no one that Connor has been given a prominent role.
The 28-year-old left winger will play alongside Vegas Golden Knights centre Eichel and Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk. Eichel and Tkachuk are experienced winners in the NHL, both playing major factors in why their respective teams were crowned Stanley Cup champions.
The trio of forwards should each complement each other's games. Eichel and Connor are great in transition, each looking to be playmakers but have lethal shots when placed in scenarios to use it. Tkachuk is one of, if not, the best net-front presence forwards in the NHL which, should open up space for Connor and Eichel.
USA's second line will likely play as much as Connor's line, which consists of Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel, Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews and New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes.
Connor won't play on the first power play unit that will see Matthews, Tkachuk, Hughes, Eichel, and New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox snap it around but will be on the second unit with Guentzel, Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk, Minnesota Wild's Matt Boldy, and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski.
Boldy and Connor will likely play on the flanks, with Guentzel taking the bumper and Tkachuk playing as the net front. Werenski has been dynamite for the Blue Jackets and will quarterback the second unit.
USA play their first game on Thursday, Feb. 13 against Finland with high hopes of winning gold.
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