4 Nations: Mark Scheifele “placed on alert” to replace Sidney Crosby

It is in just a few days that the Four Nations Faceoff will begin, the tournament that will pit the best players in the world against each other under the colors of their respective countries. For the occasion, the NHL will pause its schedule, which will restart on Monday.

There are 14 games today and two more tomorrow, and then the regular schedule will resume on February 22.

For the Canadian team, the big question is what will happen with Sidney Crosby. The Penguins’ captain is injured… and we still don’t know if his condition will allow him to participate in the tournament.

Obviously, the Canadian team does not want to shut the door on the possibility of him being there… but they do have a contingency plan in mind if Crosby cannot make it.

And according to Darren Dreger, the contingency plan in question is possibly Mark Scheifele. He has been “put on alert” to play, either to replace Crosby or if another injury were to occur.

With a full slate of games today and 2 tomorrow, including Tampa Bay, it’s believed Winnipeg Jets star, Mark Scheifele has been placed on alert by Canada in the event of another injury or Sidney Crosby not being ready for the Four Nations Faceoff.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 8, 2025

Of course, the choice of Scheifele makes sense given his incredible season (31 goals and 63 points in 56 games), but also considering that the Jets do not play during the weekend. He is unlikely to get injured in a game, therefore.

Let’s remember that yesterday, Renaud Lavoie stated on the airwaves of BPM Sports that Scheifele, despite his great season, was initially left out due to (at least in part) issues related to his behavior.

Did we realize that it would take another quality forward if Crosby is not there and that we decided to overlook the behavioral issues? Possible.

In short, we will see how all this evolves in the next 48 hours, but we need to keep an eye on Scheifele’s name. Because if Crosby is not there, there seems to be a real chance of seeing Scheifele don the colors of Canada.

Extension

One may wonder where this places Nick Suzuki. We know that the captain of the CH will play two games this weekend, which makes him a riskier contingency plan than a guy like Scheifele… but we also know that the Canadian team told him to stay ready just in case earlier this month.

Would it take a second injury to a forward on the team to open a spot for Suzuki? Possible.