Sweden has added Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins to its roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, replacing the injured William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Swedish national team coach Sam Hallam confirmed the roster change on Tuesday. The team also recently brought in Philadelphia’s Samuel Ersson to take the spot of injured New Jersey goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Rakell, 31, leads the Penguins with 23 goals and ranks second with 45 points in 53 games this season. Karlsson, who is out with a lower-body injury, is listed as week-to-week.
“‘Raks’ has just, quietly, had a really strong season,” said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who will also coach for the U.S. in the 4 Nations. “He’s playing the game the right way. He’s playing on both sides of the puck. He has a hardness to his game. He’s stiff on the puck.
He’s physical, he’s willing to block shots. He’s playing defense. The offensive side, everybody sees. But he’s committed to a lot of the subtleties that, on our mind, adds to winning. So, we couldn’t be happier for him. We think he’s so deserving.”
Finland, Sweden’s top international rival, made two replacements on its defense after Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen and Toronto’s Jani Hakanpää were ruled out. Heiskanen underwent knee surgery and is now considered month-to-month, according to Stars coach Peter DeBoer.
In response, Buffalo’s Henri Jokiharju and the New York Rangers’ Urho Vaakanainen were added to Finland’s roster.
The United States is also facing a few injury concerns. Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Columbus’ Zach Werenski are both banged up and missing game time.
“He’s not playing tonight,” said Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason about Werenski in Buffalo. “We’ll continue to evaluate same as we do with everybody that’s hurt or injured. We’ll evaluate it and move forward.”
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet confirmed that Hughes would miss Tuesday night’s game against Colorado after his team’s overtime loss on Monday.
Canada is still deciding on a replacement for Alex Pietrangelo, who withdrew from the tournament to address an injury and prepare for the rest of the season with Vegas. Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, a two-time Cup winner and a member of Canada’s 2014 Olympic team, is one of the top candidates to replace Pietrangelo, though Doughty has only just returned to play after recovering from a broken left ankle.
Practices for the NHL-run tournament will begin on Monday, with games starting next Wednesday, Feb. 12, Thursday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 15 in Montreal.
The round-robin play will finish in Boston, where the championship will take place. The 4 Nations is replacing the usual All-Star Weekend and is being held as a scaled-back version of the World Cup of Hockey, a year before the 2026 Milan Olympics.
