We are less than 24 hours away from the unveiling of the formations of Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden at the 4 Nations Showdown.
During his time at Hockey 360 Tuesday, our collaborator with The AthleticPierre LeBrun, was asked by Alain Crête if he thought that the goalkeeper of the Montreal Canadiens, Samuel Montembeault, would be in training for this tournament which will kick off in February.
Last week, LeBrun had already said that he expected to see Jordan Binnington, of the St. Louis Blues, and Adin Hill, of the Vegas Golden Knights, to be named among the goaltenders for the Canadian team. It remains to be seen whether the Quebecer would have done enough to convince Doug Armstrong and the leaders to accept his candidacy. LeBrun made it clear that he had not received any confirmation from within the team about possible names that will end up on the final list. Here is what he replied to our colleague Alain Crête:
“The third name, I think it will be Samuel Montembeault from the Canadiens,” LeBrun said. I’m not saying that 100% because I can tell you Alain that there is no person associated with the Canadian team who wanted to confirm anything in the last few days. We want to keep everything a secret for Wednesday. »
LeBrun then adds that the identity of the third goalie is certainly found in the most difficult decisions of the Canadian management team. He suggests that the names of Stuart Skinner (Edmonton Oilers), Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals) and Marc-André-Fleury (Minnesota Wild) are also circulating to fill the third goalie position.
Also questioned about the presence of Samuel Montembeault among the three goalkeepers of Canada at the 4 Nations Showdown, our colleague Marc Denis also believes that he has his place as he mentioned during his visit to the 5 to 7.
“I am not far from being convinced that Samuel Montembeault will have good news, moreover, he may already have it as we speak, when the announcement will be made officially tomorrow during the composition of the teams which will be from the 4 Nations,” mentioned Marc Denis, recalling that the CH goalkeeper had success representing Canada on the international stage. He notably helped the team win the gold medal at the World Championship in 2023.
The answer will come on Wednesday around 6:30 p.m. when the Canadian team will unveil its formation.
LeBrun was also asked whether other Canadian players risk being named by other teams for this tournament.
Despite his productive start to the campaign, LeBrun does not anticipate that forward Cole Caufield will be on the American roster. Caufield has 16 goals and six assists in 24 games this season.
He continues about Patrik Laine. The one who will play his first game with the Habs this season on Tuesday against the New York Islanders would have long been at the heart of discussions for the Finnish team. LeBrun expects Laine to eventually make the team, as does Joel Armia.
Finland will unveil its team early Wednesday afternoon, while the United States will take part in the exercise like Canada around 6:30 p.m.
