Fantasy Hockey Four Nations Face-Off | Team Finland In-Depth Analysis and Prediction

As part of a four-part series, we're going to break down each of the rosters for the Four Nations Face-Off, and give some projections of how each team is going to perform, as well as cover any injuries, replacements, and what this may mean for your fantasy team.

First up is Team Finland. Let's dive in, shall we?

Roster

Forwards

Sebastian Aho (A), Carolina Hurricanes

Joel Armia, Montreal Canadiens

Aleksander Barkov (C), Florida Panthers

Mikael Granlund (A), Dallas Stars

Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils

Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars

Kaapo Kakko, Seattle Kraken

Patrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens

Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche

Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers

Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers

Mikko Rantanen (A), Carolina Hurricanes

Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks

Defensemen

Henri Jokiharju, Buffalo Sabres *

Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars

Olli Maatta, Utah Hockey Club

Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers

Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers

Urho Vaakanainen, New York Rangers *

Juuso Valimaki, Utah Hockey Club

Goalies

Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres

Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators

Injuries *

Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

Jani Hakanpaa, Toronto Maple Leafs

Notable Opinions

Now that we have seen the roster, there are a couple things to note. First being the absence of both Heiskanen and Hakenpaa. Jokiharju and Vaakanainen are slated to replace them. Hakenpaa has not skated a single game this season, so that's not surprising, but Heiskanen was head and shoulders above the rest and is a huge blow to Finland's blueline.

As I've explained before, Heiskanen's elite talent does not always translate into fantasy points, so while on paper he may not be a stud and underachieve in most fantasy formats, his ability to defend and vision on the ice is amongst the best in the league. Without him, Finland is going to struggle on the blueline. You're also going to be without the already formidable chemistry between him and fellow Star Lindell.

Ristolainen is likely your next best option, and being surrounded by actual talented players will suit his defensive hard playing style. He hits, blocks shots, and backchecks. That'll help this team greatly. But. (there's always a but, isn't there?) But, he has missed two consecutive games and is a gametime decision for Saturday night's game against the Penguins. He has been battling an upper-body injury, so let's see. He may not be going into the Four Nations Face-Off at 100%.

Let's call a spade a spade, and not let the elephant stay in the room. Finland is the least deep team in this tournament. Even if Russia was to be allowed a team, they would likely be a deeper team, at least when it comes to forwards and scoring.

That's not to say that Finland doesn't have scoring or playmaking ability. Aho, Rantanen, Laine, Lehkonen, and Barkov are all having decent seasons. Laine being selected was (wrongfully) criticized by many as he had still not skated, but he's put up 12 goals in his 26 games back from injury and is a mainstay on the Habs powerplay. That said, he has been goalless in eight games and keeps getting benched, and has lost 5 minutes of ice time on average per game as of late, so let's see what being surrounded by a real team does for his elite shot.

Aho has been a monster, and is a key to the Canes' success this year. His playmaking ability and leadership are going to shine on this team. Let's not forget that new teammate and fellow assistant captain Rantanen, who was recently brought over in the biggest trade in the NHL this season, brings a unique opportunity for the countrymen to play together in an elevated capacity that may bring their chemistry to a different level. 

The likes of Kakko and Hintz are polar opposites, but having similar seasons point wise. Hintz has fallen out of grace, as this once solidified keeper has been struggling offensively, and for a lot of the season is forgettable and not the difference maker he has been in seasons past. He does have 22 goals, but is a ghost compared to his former self - maybe not so much in that stats categories, but in a hockey sense for sure.

Kakko, on the other hand, had almost no expectations and was for lack of better terms, quite misused and underappreciated by the Rangers. He was dealt to the Kraken and his true potential for all intents and purposes was ‘summoned'. Kakko has seen an uptick in production, ice time, and confidence. Finland naming him to this team is a huge moment in his career and I will bet an Iced Capp he will take full advantage of this opportunity.

The blue paint is decent, but not the best. It's better than Canada to be sure, but that's not saying much. Saros (should) be the main netminder here, but take a look at the Predators' season and tell me you have the same confidence in him you had last year. You can't, can you? To everyone's surprise Lankinen has kind of held his own since the return of Thatcher Demko on the Canucks, while Luukkonen is having some decent success with the Sabres. I really don't know who they are going to rely on.

Luukkonen is considered day-to-day right now, but genuinely they may just play the hot hand. One would assume that it should be Saros as he at least has a lot of deep playoff experience and has proven he can handle pressure and elimination games, but his team's season has been a catastrophe with him in the crease. The blue paint really is a crapshoot here.

Prediction

Fourth. There, I said it. Finland is going to come in last. 

As I mentioned before, they just aren't deep enough to compete. I would rank their forwards last, their defense last, and their goaltending third. While they do have some gems and really elite players, they just don't have the star-studded franchise talent the other three teams have, and for that reason I just don't see them having the compete level to see sustained success.

Sorry Finland fans, it's going to be a fun tournament to watch, but in my opinion you are going to be bringing up the rear at the Four Nations Face-Off.

Fantasy owners, specifically Rantanen and Aho owners, watch to see some chemistry grow here that could carry back into the playoff push. This tournament will be important for their growth to continue. Rantanen has not been producing at the same level he was prior to his trade from the Avalanche, and this may be the spark he needs to ignite himself back into the game, and could be a factor in resigning with the Canes.

Laine owners, watch for this powerplay specialist to gain some confidence back and find the back of the net. His five on five has not been stellar, but once he buries one, the magic should come rushing back to this ‘fantastic Fin'.