Oilers Fans Livid as Two Players Are Named Biggest Snubs In Canada's 4 Nation Faceoff Roster
Photo credit: Oilers Nation
Shock waves continued to be felt across the NHL as the rosters of the Four Nations FaceOff were revealed and according to one NHL Insider the Oilers were snubbed twice.
During the recent podcast of the Daily Faceoff Live with Frank Seravalli, Oilersnation Everyday host Tyler Yaremchuk Sat down with the insider and both agreed that Oilers forward Zach Hyman was the biggest snub from the roster reveal.
«Hyman, to me, stands out in a big way,» when talking about players who didn't
make the Canadian roster. «I think there's a ton of recency bias there for the poor start to the season that he's had. When you look at the last number of years, he's fifth among all Canadian-born players in goals.
It's not just the goal scoring, it's the connection he has with Connor McDavid. When you're looking at a short tournament and trying to put that together, where you're trying to find as much chemistry as you can possibly have, that stands out in a big way.
Plus, the fact he's also, for my money, the best forechecking presence in the NHL. I call him a 'press player' and I don't think there's anyone better and more consistent at getting in and grinding and creating and winning battles, and I think you need that in a short tournament. - Frank Seravalli »
make the Canadian roster. «I think there's a ton of recency bias there for the poor start to the season that he's had. When you look at the last number of years, he's fifth among all Canadian-born players in goals.
It's not just the goal scoring, it's the connection he has with Connor McDavid. When you're looking at a short tournament and trying to put that together, where you're trying to find as much chemistry as you can possibly have, that stands out in a big way.
Plus, the fact he's also, for my money, the best forechecking presence in the NHL. I call him a 'press player' and I don't think there's anyone better and more consistent at getting in and grinding and creating and winning battles, and I think you need that in a short tournament. - Frank Seravalli »
Even though he's had a down season, many feel that Hyman would be a lock for Canada's roster as his underlying numbers are still impressive.
Both men feel that the connection between him and Connor McDavid and as one of the best forecheckers in the NHL should have been considered when they chose their roster.
The other great snub was Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard. His stats line an underlying number also show that he is better in several of the players including Travis Sanheim, Alex Pieterangelo and Colton Parayko. Matt Larkin of the daily faceoff also weighed in on Bouchard.
The most glaring omission is Evan Bouchard. Perhaps Canada figured he wouldn't displace Makar on the top power play unit and wouldn't be as useful playing shutdown minutes lower in the lineup. But the notion that Bouchard is a defensive liability is lazy and flat-out wrong.
The tape can look ugly at times, as he's prone to the big mistake, but the results tell us otherwise.
Edmonton gets 59.82 percent of the scoring chances and 59.77 percent of the high-danger chances with him on the ice at 5-on-5 this season. He and Mattias Ekholm grade out as a top two pair in the NHL at suppressing shots and shot attempts. Bouchard has even fared well when he's not on the ice with Ekholm.
The tape can look ugly at times, as he's prone to the big mistake, but the results tell us otherwise.
Edmonton gets 59.82 percent of the scoring chances and 59.77 percent of the high-danger chances with him on the ice at 5-on-5 this season. He and Mattias Ekholm grade out as a top two pair in the NHL at suppressing shots and shot attempts. Bouchard has even fared well when he's not on the ice with Ekholm.
The NHL and their fanbases will have plenty of time to debate the rosters as the tournament is set to take place in February of 2025 and will begin on the 12th stretching till the 20th.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 5 | 72 ANSWERS Oilers Fans Livid as Two Players Are Named Biggest Snubs In Canada's 4 Nation Faceoff Roster Who do you think should be on Team Canada for Team Canada? | ||
| Zach Hyman | 20 | 27.8 % |
| Evan Bouchard | 2 | 2.8 % |
| Both of them | 24 | 33.3 % |
| Neither of them | 26 | 36.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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