Team Finland Roster Prediction: 4 Nations Face-Off

How will the underdog Team Finland roster look when the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off begins?

Aug 3, 2024; Plymouth, MI, USA; Finland's goaltender Kim Saarinen (31) makes a leg pad save against Sweden during the second period of the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase at USA Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

With the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off approaching, it's just a matter of time until the world's best go toe-to-toe in round robin action. Team Finland enters the tournament as the underdog, with Sweden, Canada, and the United States projected to bring star-studded lineups to Montreal and Boston for the tournament.

That doesn't mean Team Finland is constructing a poor roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. It means quite the opposite actually. Final rosters are due in the coming weeks, so let's take a look at what Finland's lineup might look like at the upcoming tournament.

Goalies - Juuse Saros, Joonas Korpisalo, Ukko-Pekka Luokkonen

Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators should be the unquestioned starter for Team Finland, but a shake start to the season might raise some concerns. Still, he's the best option available, and there are solid back-up options in Ukko-Pekka Luokkonen of the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins' net minder Joonas Korpisalo.

A name to keep an eye on is Vancouver Canucks puck-stopper Kevin Lankinen. Brought in to help ease the burden of their injury situation, he's been fantastic in relief and is now on Finland's radar.

Defensemen - Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Nikko Mikkola, Henri Jokiharju, Juuso Valimaki, Rasmus Ristolainen, Olli Maatta

This was a relatively easy group to predict. The blue line benefits from Dallas Stars teammates Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell likely playing together. They also have some solid penalty killers in Mikkola, Valimaki, and Ristolainen. With three other teams having outstanding scorers, this might be the most defensively responsible blue line in the entire tournament.

There really aren't any other defenders that can steal a roster spot. Urho Vakkanainen of the Anaheim Ducks has 137 games of NHL experience but he's been largely a healthy scratch during his career. Unless there's an injury

Forwards - Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Mikael Granlund, Teuvo Teravainen, Anton Lundell, Mattias Maccelli, Eeli Tolvanen, Erik Haula, Artturi Lekhonen, Eetu Luostarinen, Patrik Laine

Team Finland is headlined by four superstars in Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, and Roope Hintz. After them, the group is sold, but lacks the superstar factor that the other three countries in the tournament possess. That might not hurt the Fins, however, as they could benefit from having one of the most balanced and well-crafted lineups from top to bottom.

Players like Anton Lundell, Artturi Lekhonen, and Mattias Maccelli will be pivotal for Finland. Their top two lines will be productive, but finding that right mix in the bottom two lines will depend largely on these three players.

Even with an injury, Patrik Laine appears locked in to a roster spot. That makes complete sense, as the Fins will need another goal scorer to add to their third or fourth line.

There's a handful of names unlisted that might make the final roster. A few that are tops on Team Finland's list should someone like Laine be unavailable are Jesse Puljujarvi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Kaapo Kakko, Oliver Kapanen, and Joel Armia. This is by far the weakest forward group

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