NHL.com projects Finland’s lines, defense pairs, goalies for 4 Nations

The rosters for the four teams competing in the 4 Nations Face-Off were revealed Wednesday, and though the teams are now set, there is still plenty of work to be done for Team Canada, Team United States, Team Finland and Team Sweden.

Now, it's up to the respective coaching staffs to find the right line combinations, defense pairs and goalie depth charts to make their team a winner. With only a few practice days between the start of the break in the regular season and the first game of the tournament, most of this will need be figured out ahead of time.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be held from Feb. 12-20 at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston. Tickets for each site are on sale now.

With that in mind, a team of three NHL.com writers and editors will take a crack at each country's lineup.

Here, NHL.com senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke, staff writer Tracey Myers and NHL.com/fi editor Sami Haapasalo give their opinion on how Team Finland should line up when it opens the tournament against Team USA on Feb. 13 at Bell Centre in Montreal.

Forwards (13)

Artturi Lehkonen -- Aleksander Barkov -- Mikko Rantanen

Patrik Laine -- Sebastian Aho -- Teuvo Teravainen

Erik Haula -- Roope Hintz -- Mikael Granlund

Eetu Luostarinen -- Anton Lundell -- Kaapo Kakko

Joel Armia

Existing chemistry will be a key in a short tournament like this, and Team Finland has plenty of it. Like general manager Jere Lehtinen said, "You have to be ready right away." The Finns have great depth at center and some of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. Stanley Cup captain and two-time Selke Award winner Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers is the undisputed No. 1 center, and Colorado Avalanche linemates Rantanen and Lehkonen will play with him on the first line, which has the potential to be one of the best in the tournament. The next offensive line is all about high hockey IQ. Aho, of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Teravainen, now with the Chicago Blackhawks, played several years together with the Hurricanes, so they're a good fit on the second line. Laine, who could be the X-factor, possesses elite goal-scoring talent for the Montreal Canadiens but isn't that strong defensively, so he'll fit nicely in a scoring line. The third line of Hintz of the Dallas Stars, Haula of the New Jersey Devils and Granlund of the San Jose Sharks has almost everything: speed, experience, two-way excellence, scoring prowess and versatility since each one can play center or wing. The Panthers' dynamic duo of Lundell and Luostarinen will continue playing together on the fourth line. Kakko of the New York Rangers completes this all-around trio with his defensive awareness and strength in corner battles. Armia of the Canadiens (6-foot-3, 216 pounds) is a versatile and experienced wing with good size, strength and skills for a 200-foot game. This forward group might not be the flashiest goal-scoring machine, but it has the ability to outwork, outsmart and shut down any opponent. -- Haapasalo

Defensemen (7)

Miro Heiskanen -- Esa Lindell

Niko Mikkola -- Rasmus Ristolainen

Juuso Valimaki -- Olli Maatta

Jani Hakanpaa

Like Sami said, existing chemistry is going to be a big factor, so let’s go with the pairing that was easiest for me to choose in Heiskanen and Lindell. They have been teammates with the Stars since 2018-19. They have played together some this season although they’re usually split up to balance the defense, but for this tournament, let’s put them together. With the second pairing of Mikkola of the Panthers and Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers, there isn’t the same level of familiarity together but there’s great size. Mikkola is 6-6 and Ristolainen is 6-4. Mikkola is coming off a Stanley Cup championship and Ristolainen has improved on the defensive front, so they should make a reliable pair. Finally, Valimaki and Maatta are getting familiar with each other (not as a pair but as teammates) after Maatta was acquired by the Utah Hockey Club from the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 30. Maatta, 30, and Valimaki, 26, bring good experience to round out Finland’s defense. I’m keeping Hakanpaa of the Toronto Maple Leafs on the outside looking in, given that he’s struggled with a lower-body injury since late last season, when he was still with the Stars. Hakanpaa has played two games this season and there is confidence he’ll be ready for the tournament. Maybe so, but until he gets fully up and running again, he’s a scratch. -- Myers

Goalies (3)

Juuse Saros

Kevin Lankinen

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

It’s hard to go wrong with this group of goalies, but it’s clear that Saros of the Nashville Predators is the No. 1 guy. The 29-year-old has been the unquestioned starter in Nashville for each of the past four seasons and has won at least 30 games in each of the past three, something that neither Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks nor Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres can boast. Saros has played for the national team at the World Junior and World Championship levels. Where it gets interesting is who is the next goalie in line. For a long time, it was assumed it would be Luukkonen, the heir apparent, would be the No. 2. But Lankinen has played lights out for the Canucks this season. He was a backup to Saros for two seasons in Nashville and will be again here. -- Roarke