Hyman misses cut in Button and Johnson's latest Team Canada projection

With a week until the 4 Nations Face-Off teams are named, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button and TSN Hockey analyst Mike Johnson revisited the Team Canada roster that they created at the end of October and set a final roster.

Here is what they believe should be the final roster should be when the announcement is made on Dec. 4.

Note that Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point were named to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off roster back in June.

Forwards

Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid and Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner were mainstays on the top line of this team since Johnston and Button put together their initial roster.

What has changed is the addition of Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele on McDavid's left side instead of fellow Oiler Zach Hyman.

Scheifele has helped the Jets to a dominant 18-5-0 record with his 12 goals and 26 points in 23 games this season.  The 6-foot-3 centre is on pace to eclipse his career highs in both goals and points and can act as a finisher on a line the comprises two very skilled playmakers.

Hyman is off to a slow start with just three goals and eight points in 20 games and has been moved off McDavid's wing at times with the Oilers struggling. He had a career-high 54 goals and posted 77 points in 70 games last season. 

Johnston and Button didn't change anything with their second and third lines from their initial roster, having Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon and Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby driving those lines.

Joining MacKinnon on the second line is Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who leads the NHL with 17 goals to go along with 32 points, and Tampa Bay Lightning centre Brayden Point, who has 15 goals and 20 points.

Crosby is in between long-time Canadian linemate Brad Marchand and Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone on his right side on the third line.

The biggest change in the forward group comes on the fourth line, where Johnston and Button had completely remade the unit based on how the season was going.

Originally, they had Montreal Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki between New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere and New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal while Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard was listed as the extra forward.

The two analysts decided to take a different approach with the final roster, focusing on players can play a two-way game while contributing some offence.

Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli centres the new fourth line between St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas and Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny, with Lightning winger Brandon Hagel as the extra forward.

Cirelli was a key contributor to the Lightning's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 and has nine goals and 22 points in 21 games this season.

Thomas missed some time earlier this season due to a fractured ankle but has come back healthy and provided the Blues with two goals and 10 points in 12 games.

Button believes the addition of Konecny will provide some "chaos" to the fourth line with his ability to agitate players to go along with his scoring prowess. The 5-foot-10 winger has 11 goals and 27 points in 23 games this season along with 27 penalty minutes.

Hagel provides Canada with a forward who has the ability to play anywhere in the lineup. The 6-foot-2 winger has nine goals and 26 points in 21 games this season while skating with Cirelli on the Lightning’s second line.

Defence

Button and Johnston didn't make any changes to their defence pairings from this initial roster a month ago.

The defence will be led by the Avalanche pairing of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, who were instrumental in the Avalanche's 2022 Stanley Cup victory.

Makar leads all NHL defencemen with eight goals and 30 points through 23 games, while Toews has been solid defensively while averaging 22:54 of ice time this season.

The second pairing features a pair of Western Canadian defencemen in the Jets' Josh Morrissey and Oilers' Evan Bouchard.

Morrissey has broken out offensively over the last two seasons, recording a career-high 76 points in 2022-23 and followed it up with 69 points last season.

This year, the 6-foot left-shot defenceman is continuing on that pace by providing two goals and 20 points through 23 games while averaging 24:29 of ice time.

Bouchard made a name for himself in the playoffs last season, recording six goals and 32 points to help the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final.

This year, the 6-foot-3 right-shot defenceman has six goals and 15 points through 22 games while averaging 23:54 of ice time.

Canada's third pairing features Islanders defenceman Noah Dobson with Golden Knights defenceman Shea Theodore.

Dobson broke out last season, providing 10 goals and 70 points in 79 games after never surpassing the 51-point mark in his previous four seasons.

The 6-foot-4 right-shot defenceman is currently averaging a career-high 24:43 of ice time and has a goal and nine points in 23 games.

Theodore is one of three Golden Knights from their inaugural 2017-18 roster and was a key contributor to their Stanley Cup win in 2023.

The 29-year-old left-shot defenceman has a goal and 17 points in 22 games this season while averaging 22:37 of ice time.

Chris Tanev, who is in the midst of his first season with the Maple Leafs, is the seventh defenceman of this group.

The 6-foot-3 right-shot defenceman isn't a threat offensively but has been one of the steadiest blueliners in the game throughout his 15-season career.

Tanev is averaging 19:15 of ice time in Toronto and is second in the league with 73 blocked shots through 22 games.

Goaltending

The biggest turnover from Johnston and Button's original list came in net, replacing two of the three goaltenders they had selected.

Originally, Johnston and Button had Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill and Montreal Canadiens netminder Samuel Montembeault to go along with St. Louis Blue goaltender Jordan Binnington.

Binnington is the only one who remains on the final roster, with Washington Capitals netminder Logan Thompson and Seattle Kraken goalie Joey Daccord battling for time in the crease.

Binnington has a winning pedigree with the Blues, helping them win the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2019. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native has a 7-9-1 record this season with an .898 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average.

Thompson helped the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup in 2023 and is in the midst of his first season with the Capitals after an off-season trade. The 6-foot-4 netminder has helped the Capitals to third-place in the Metropolitan Division with his 9-1-1 record to go along with a .917 save percentage and 2.44 GAA.

Daccord's eligibility to play for Canada is still in question due to his dual citizenship. The 28-year-old is a Boston native and could have eligibility to play for the United States, Canada, and Switzerland based on his parent's eligibility.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported on Wednesday that Switzerland asked him to represent their country at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, but he ended up not going, so the netminder has yet to represent any country internationally in his career.

One of the main hiccups is that Daccord does not have a Canadian passport, despite being a dual citizen with the United States, which could end up being a major stumbling block for Canada.

Daccord has been outstanding for the Kraken this season, registering a 10-4-1 record with a .922 save percentage and 2.28 GAA.

The 6-foot-2 netminder had a 19-18-11 record last season in Seattle with a .916 save percentage and 2.46 GAA and was rewarded with a five-year, $25 million contract extension in the off-season.

Craig and MJ's Team Canada projection