What would Team Europe look like for the 4 Nations Face-Off and how would it do?

The 4 Nations Face-Off is the first opportunity for best-on-best hockey in the mens game since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

But an important component is missing in this tournament some of the biggest stars in the game.

David Pastrnak .

Leon Draisaitl .

Roman Josi .

The problem with the 4 Nations Face-off is in the name: It only includes four nations.

Sweden and Finland may be the two powerhouses in Europe, but there are other up-and-coming countries on the national scene.

Advertisement As gimmicky as Team Europe may have been in 2016, it was an opportunity to include more international talent.

Now, over eight years later, it would have a whole new infusion of skill.

What would Team Europe look like in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February? Lets take a look.

A lot of teams buy into the idea that center depth wins championships.

In a tournament setting, that means two things: stressing strength down the middle in terms of roster construction and having more than just four options.

That gives teams more roster flexibility and injury replacements.

Instead of having four centers at the ready, teams tend to have five or six, shifting pivotal players to the wing for more meaningful minutes.

That line of thinking applies to Team Europe, with six players capable of playing center.

Since Leon Draisaitls last appearance for Team Europe back in 2016, he has developed his game to be more than just a one-dimensional scoring threat.

Draisaitl is an offensive powerhouse who has proven he can drive his own line in Edmonton away from Connor McDavid .

And he can elevate his game in high-pressure situations, which should translate here.

Behind him, Nico Hischier makes for an ideal 2C who can go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the world.

He is an elite two-way center who can be trusted in any situation against any competition.

The 3C position is where Europe has an option between Tim Stutzle and Anze Kopitar .

Stutzle is scoring at a career-high rate with 3.72 points per 60 through his first 27 games.

And unlike seasons past, his defensive woes arent drowning out the offense he can generate; he has a 59 percent expected goal rate at five-on-five.

Kopitar, similar to his 2016 Team Europe experience, can still be tasked with heavy usage against the opponents best; thats the workload he is still shouldering with Los Angeles today.

Advertisement Kopitars shutdown presence is what gives him the slight edge to stay down the middle, while Stutzle will start at wing for top-six deployment.

But there is always the option to shift these players around if the team needs a recalibration mid-tournament.

Tomas Hertl rounds out the team down the middle.

His season has been far from perfect in Vegas, but he makes the cut for two key reasons: penalty-killing ability and overall body of work over the last few years.

Shorthanded ability is what earns Pavel Zacha a spot on this team as the sixth center option.

If special teams werent a part of the equation and decisions were made based on this year alone, Marco Rossi would be on this team.

Between Hischier, Kopitar, Hertl and Zacha, Europe has four penalty killers to rotate in.

And the teams 13th forward, Pius Suter , could jump into the mix as a shorthanded spark if needed since Hertl isnt killing penalties for Vegas this year.

Originally, Nino Niederreiter was going to be rewarded for his strong efforts this season as the 13th forward, but Suter ultimately gets the nod for his shorthanded ability.

Plus, his presence adds a seventh center option into the mix if needed.

At center, Rossi, Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger fall just outside the roster bubble.

Stutzle kicks off the left winger depth for this tournament.

Timo Meier makes the team after rebounding from a disappointing 2023-24 in New Jersey.

The shot volume and quality are back up, and so is his play below the surface.

The Devils generate a lot more quality offense in his minutes, which tend to be alongside Hischier.

Nikolaj Ehlers rounds out the top nine.

He is scoring at the best pace of his career with 25 points in his first 24 games.

At his best, hes a reliable offensive creator at five-on-five whose results tend to outpace his usage.

The playoff results are the one red flag, especially if his game doesnt translate to a more competitive environment.

But his skill is worth betting on here.

Advertisement Zachas penalty killing earns him that last spot and leaves JJ Peterka off the roster this time.

Juraj Slafkovsky , Ondrej Palat , and Martin Pospisil were some of the other contenders to narrowly miss.

While Zacha slots onto the fourth line for Team Europe, his mainstay partner in Boston headlines the right side of the lineup.

Like Draisaitl, Pastrnak is one of the best NHLers to miss this tournament, despite half of it taking place in his backyard in Boston.

Pastrnak brings the high-end star power Europe needs to contend with the USA and Canada.

So does Martin Necas , whose accession to stardom this season makes him a slam-dunk pick for this tournament.

Not only is he racing to career highs this season, hes tied for the league lead in scoring with 42 points in 27 games.

Kevin Fiala earns a role on Team Europe despite a slower season.

He isnt as effective on the scoresheet this season, nor is he bolstering the Kings offense relative to his teammates, but similar to Hertl, his last couple of seasons strengthen his case to be here.

While he is still sidelined with injury, Mats Zuccarello s early-season efforts (and last couple of years) earn him a spot on Team Europe.

He is the only returning winger from the 2016 roster.

If those injuries were to hold him out of the tournament, Niederreiter, Rossi or Oliver Bjorkstrand would serve as replacements.

Roman Josi leads the way on defense.

Not only is he the only returning member of the 2016 roster, he is the only active NHLer left from that group.

His presence is a no-brainer.

Filip Hronek knows a thing or two about complementing Norris-caliber defensemen.

He has been Quinn Hughes best partner yet in Vancouver and should balance out the top pair well.

Hroneks injury status is a factor since he is on LTIR right now, but he should return before the tournament.

Advertisement Jonas Siegenthaler and Moritz Seider make for a strong shutdown presence on the second pair.

Siengethaler is having an excellent bounce-back year in New Jersey, while Seider is no stranger to tough deployment.

Seider can also be counted on to quarterback the second power play unit, while Josi obviously will lead the first.

JJ Moser rounds out the left side of the blue line.

It puts him on his natural side to start the tournament but also gives the team options if they ultimately need help on the right.

Shifting sides has hurt Mosers game in the past, but he is excelling alongside Victor Hedman on the right this year in Tampa Bay.

That growth in his game is a big reason why he is a part of the teams starting six.

Mosers Lightning teammate, Erik Cernak , rounds out the blue line.

This pair can help kill penalties and take some of the burden off the second pair, considering how tough matchups will be against the USA and Canadas depth.

Martin Fehervary makes the team as the seventh defenseman but would jump into the starting six as an injury replacement if Hronek isnt ready by February.

Radko Gudas would then become the number seven.

Lukas Dostal is the bona fide No.

1 goaltender for Team Europe.

He has saved 19 goals above expected in 15 games, second in the league to only Connor Hellebuyck .

Dostal manages chaos better than most goalies this year, considering how awful Anaheim has been defensively.

He should have a lot more support behind this blue line.

The toughest decision comes behind Dostal.

Elvis Merzlikins , Petr Mrazek , Vitek Vanecek and Alexandar Georgiev were among the choices.

But Philipp Grubauer and Karel Vejmelka are the best available picks.

Grubauer has tournament experience from 2016 and the championship experience with the Capitals .

While he tends to raise his game in the playoffs, he doesnt have the regular-season consistency to cement his place as this teams No.

2.

Instead, he opens the tournament as the No.

3 behind Vejmelka, who has stepped up in a big way in Utah this year and is playing the best hockey of his NHL career.

GO DEEPER Ranking the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters: America's golden era is here How would Team Europe stack up to the rest of the world ? With a plus-115 Offensive Rating, Europe has the chops to match up to Sweden and Finland.

But they dont have the depth or star power, on paper, to beat USA or Canada.

Up front, Europe has strength down the middle to stack up to both the USA and Canada.

But the team doesnt measure up nearly as well on the wing; Europes combined value on the wingers is closer to Team Sweden.

Team Europes plus-25 Defensive Rating is what holds them back relative to the competition.

The U.S., Canada and Sweden boast star-studded blue lines.

And while Dostal is a very solid starter for this tournament, most of the competition has stronger number twos in net.

Team Europe may not measure up as a favorite to some other contenders in the 4 Nations tournament, but teams can always perform better than the sum of their parts.

Just look at how disruptive Europe and North America were in 2016.

But their presence would still serve an important purpose to ensure that this is a true best-on-best by including some of the biggest stars in hockey.

Data via Evolving-Hockey, NaturalStatTrick, HockeyStatCards, and Dom Luszczyszyn (Top photo of Leon Draisaitl at the 2019 world hockey championships: Martin Rose / Getty Images).

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