Markstrom Injury Changes Goalie Picture At 4 Nations Face-Off, But Swedes Still Solid In Net

When the NHL announced the rosters for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in December, there was always the sense that the rosters for the four teams would change because of injuries. And this week, we saw a major change when the New Jersey Devils announced starting goalie Jacob Markstrom would be out of the lineup for the next 4-to-6 weeks with an MCL sprain.

The news of Markstrom’s injury is a setback for the Devils, but it also triggers a ripple effect for Sweden’s team at the 4 Nations Face-Off, as Markstrom was expected to battle for his homeland’s starting netminder position. It’s not a total disaster situation, especially if Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is able to come back from an injury of his own and push Minnesota Wild starter Filip Gustavsson for Sweden’s starter’s job. A Swedish report has Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson set to replace Markstrom on Sweden’s roster, but let’s be real here – if there’s a scenario in which Ersson is playing for the Swedes at the 4 Nations Face-Off, something has gone horribly wrong for them.

To be sure, either Ullmark or Gustavsson should be the first and second options for Sweden. The pecking order may change, depending on which of the two netminders is hotter once the 4 Nations tournament arrives in mid-February. But unless there’s another injury to one or both of Gustavsson and Ullmark, there’s no way Ersson should be anything other than a backup.

This is not to cast aspersions on Ersson. He’s still just 25 years old, and his individual numbers (including a 2.80 goals–against average and .891 save percentage) this season are a product of playing on a sub-par Flyers team. There will be other international tournaments down the line where he might be the right choice in net. But right now, given Gustavsson’s talents (.913 SP, 2.63 GAA) and Ullmark’s abilities (.915 SP, 2.38 GAA), they’re both better options between the pipes than Ersson is.

That said, Markstrom’s injury does even the playing field a little bit when it comes to Sweden’s place at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The American team still has the best and deepest group of netminders, and after that, we’d argue that the Swedish goalies are the second-best of the four teams, followed by the Finnish team and finally, the Canadian goaltenders. Of course, everything can change if and when a hot goaltender goes on a roll and steals games for his team, but if we’re talking about a pure collection of talent, America’s three goalies – Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman – are clearly the best group at this tournament.

And let’s remember, there’s plenty of time left for other goalies to be injured, so there’s no guarantee the current goalies selected to play will be healthy enough and thriving enough when the tourney is underway. But as always, depth matters in elite hockey, and the country that has the most stellar options in net should be the one that ultimately wins the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Winning doesn’t always hinge on goaltending, but if you don’t have options, you’re in trouble. And the Swedes definitely have options, even if Ersson isn’t likely to ever play a game in the tournament.

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