When the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Championship goes from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday evening, just who will see the crease as the Team Canada goalie? There has perhaps been much controversy to arise over the play of the current starter. Jordan Binnington has been the starting goalie in all three round-robin games for the squad from North of the 49. However, there’s a recent Stanley Cup winner who’s been riding the pine. Let’s take a look at whether or not Adin Hill deserves the net for the most anticipated gold medal final in hockey in sometime.
All Nations’ Eyes on Team Canada’s Goaltending in 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Tourney
The Team Canada Goalie Situation Isn’t a Mess, but it is a Challenge
Let’s first set the stage. Jordan Binnington is a cup winner himself, achieving the feat amazingly as a rookie in 2019 as a member of the St. Louis Blues. Conversely, the team’s defence that year featured a stacked lineup. Vince Dunn, Jay Bouwmeester, and two (original) Team Canada members as well in Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko. As a note, Pietrangelo decided to sit the tournament out, allowing Drew Doughty to be added to the club.
However, the argument against Binnington is more about his overall game. Yes, his rookie season saw him post a still career-best .927 SV% through 32 games. In contrast, since that time, he has failed to relive that magical run. Last year was a bit of a resurgence, seeing him post a 28-21-5 record with a 2.84 GAA and a .913 SV%. (The .913 SV% was the second-best mark of his career). Last year’s performance, combined with the thought he has matured, does still make him a suitable contender to be within the selection for Team Canada top-three goalies.
Focusing in On Binnington
Now, let’s fast forward to this year. Binnington has a 15-19-4 record and the second-worst save percentage of his career at .897. You could argue his St. Louis Blues are a team in rebuild mode, but with the talent they do possess on the roster, who knows where a sharper Binnington could have them sitting in the standings right now. Just as a direct example, Joel Hofer is 10-7-1 with a 2.88 GAA and .903 SV% on the season. His winning percentage and other two stats are better than Binnington.
This is not to mention his performance in the 4 Nations tournament itself. In the game against Team USA on Saturday night, the first US goal, a wrist shot by Jake Guentzel halfway through the first period had many Canadian fans shaking their heads at how the best goaltender for their country could possibly let such a melon squeeze through. Then fast forward to Monday’s game, that remember, was do-or-die for Canada potentially (had they lost the game Finland would have moved ahead of them in the standings). Finland scored three times in about five-and-a-half minutes in the third period. Overall in the tournament he has had games with a SV% of .885, .909, and .885, respectively. Good, but not good enough to steal you games.
If Not Binnington, then Who
Sam Montembeault might have had an advantage if the final was at home. He does play well at the Bell Centre. Moreover, at home and on the road combined, 14 times this season with the Montreal Canadiens he’s had a save percentage of .926 or better (in games he faced more than four shots). That is quite remarkable. But he’s not really in this discussion as his inconsistency leads to unreliability.
Climbing the Steep Hill that is the Team Canada Goalie Dilemma
Now maybe it is time to consider the more consistent of the goalies. That being Adin Hill. First of all, Hill has a 20-10-4 record, a far better winning percentage than Binnington. Furthermore, he went on a hot streak this year. Over a 14-3-0 personal stretch, eight times his save percentage was .931 or better. However, he did struggle leading into the tournament, and hasn’t been in the net in what will be 14 days come the final. Four of his last six NHL starts saw him record an .857 SV% or worse.
Therefore, when you really cross Xs and Os, it is getting to be a make-or-break type decision. It just seems that Binnington has allowed too many costly goals, at costly times. Remember this tournament could have played out much differently if Canada started with a loss to Team Sweden after blowing two, two-goal leads. Thanks to Mitch Marner’s heroics, we don’t need to worry about that angle. But in the end, playing Hill seems like the shake up this team needs to rebound against Team USA, in what will be a rematch of the thrilling Saturday night round robin class between the clubs. Hill is calm in the net, and will provide the demeanour this explosive Canadian roster needs back there to prevail. Hill’s proven he is a winner, even on a season where his numbers might not standout, he back’s it up with his team success. He’s familiar with players in the game like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Everything really points to Hill when it boils down to it. Sorry Binner, we need the winner.
Main Photo Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
The post Team Canada Starting Goalie Decision Is Becoming a Debate appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.