Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon could be part of the deadliest line Team Canada has ever put together.
MacKinnon, along with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, were among the first batch of players confirmed for the 4 Nations Face-Off back in June.
Now that the official rosters have been dropped, another star named to the Canadian squad could build the most lethal combination of players ever: The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner.
Marner, MacKinnon, and Crosby have been offseason workout buddies. They have history and chemistry as players and friends. Most importantly, they share the same passion for their native country.
As such, why not load up on a line featuring Crosby at center with MacKinnon and Marner on the wings? MacKinnon and Marner are elite playmakers with Crosby still among the league’s best two-way centers.
Such a combination could not only score goals, but also play a shutdown role. Marner is known as a solid defensive forward that can kill penalties and move the puck out of danger.
Plus, MacKinnon’s speed, skill, and overall hockey sense could lead to him terrorizing opposing teams. The only other player I can think of that could step up against the Crosby-MacKinnon-Marner three-headed monster is Finland’s Sasha Barkov.
Beyond Barkov, it’s hard to imagine another player or combination of players that could shut down such a line.
That’s considering that Canada could deploy Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid with Sam Reinhart and Travis Konecny. Two lines with that type of firepower could make Canada the presumptive favorite to take the gold at the 4 Nations.
Nathan MacKinnon could become the second head of a two-headed hydra monster
Thus far, we’re assuming that MacKinnon will move over to the wing, given that McDavid, Crosby, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, and Seth Jarvis have been named to the Team Canada roster.
But what if Canadian coach John Cooper decided to move MacKinnon to center? What would a McDavid-MacKinnon one-two punch mean for Canada?
The results could be lethal.
There is no other team that could match that type of firepower. Suppose Canada deployed a McDavid-Marner-Reinhart top line, with MacKinnon lining up with Brandon Hagel and Travis Konecny. How could any other team match up to that?
Any way you look at it, MacKinnon is poised to be the tournament’s breakout star. Opposing teams will focus so much on neutralizing McDavid that MacKinnon could easily slip between the cracks.
MacKinnon, plus Cale Makar leading the blue line core, could represent the most lethal combination of players we’ve seen on a Team Canada roster since the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
Of course, MacKinnon’s teammates Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen will have look to spoil Canada’s potential crowning as tournament champion.