Three Toronto Maple Leafs Robbed in Upcoming 4 Nations Face-Offs

With the announcement of all four rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off, it'll be a battle of wits, skill, and passion as they look to prove who is the dominant force in hockey when the tournament takes place in February.

The Maple Leafs have one representative on each of the rosters, and while it's a great accomplishment for them, there were a few who were quite deserving and got overlooked namely John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, and Chris Tanev.

While the Canadian squad features surefire Hall of Famers like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, they do have a couple of names that stand out on paper as perhaps a bit puzzling such as Brandon Hagel and Travis Sanheim.

It's not exactly known why these three were left off the roster, but with the way that Hagel has been playing, he has a case that he's earned it. Scoring 29 points in 23 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hagel is a young power forward who broke out after leaving Chicago for the Sunshine State.

He's a possession machine, and his team more often than not controls the ice when he's on it, and his playmaking ability will go hand in hand with Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner and teammate Brayden Point.

Team Canada is going for a roster that is filled with a lot of veterans who are still under the age of 30; it's still a fairly young roster and perhaps GM Don Sweeney wanted to put Hagel in for an older Tavares.

For what it's worth, Tavares has 22 points in 23 games and has been a big part of why Toronto is up at the top of the Atlantic Division.

The exclusion of Rielly with Sanheim being selected is understandable, as Sanheim as been a stonewall this season while adding 15 points. He has 59 blocks and nearly as many takeaways as giveaways. He's a great representation of a two-way defenseman.

Tanev's exclusion however is a bit perplexing. The Leafs elite shutdown defenseman, he has been near the top or leading the league in several defensive categories, and also sits 2nd in the NHL with 75 blocks already this season.

While Sanheim does offer more offensively, Tanev's ability to keep possession and make smart decisions is equally as important to the offense as goals and assists.

Canada already has Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Josh Morrissey on their roster for offensive production, and adding a shot-blocker the caliber of Tanev can be the difference between a puck reaching the net or not, leading to less scoring chances.

It's a fantastic roster for Team Canada no doubt, and they are sure to find success in the 4 Nations Tournament, however if they end up letting too many shots get through and in the net, then maybe they'll regret not adding Tanev.