The only differences from the seven defensemen who played for the U.S. at 4 Nations are Hughes, who was injured last season, and LaCombe, who is an injury replacement for Seth Jones of the Florida Panthers. Adam Fox of the New York Rangers played in the tournament but did not make the Olympic team. Fox won the Norris for the 2020-21 season.
“The depth that the U.S. has right now -- and we're confident group back there -- I feel like the whole team's a confident group,” Werenski said this week. “And, yeah, I mean, it's hard to go back to some of the older teams and say this is the best group ever, but I do think it's probably the deepest pool to pick from that the U.S. has probably ever have or ever had.”
Though Werenski wouldn’t go as far to say this is the deepest group of all-time, considering past U.S. teams featured players like Hall of Famers Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch, he did say even being in the conversation says a lot.
“I definitely think it's a testament to how far USA hockey's come that people feel that way,” Werenski said. “And I think if you do look at the defensemen that have made it, and the [defensemen] that probably just missed out, it's pretty incredible.”
What makes this group so special is the versatility each player brings. Though Hughes and Werenski produce gaudy offensive numbers as defensemen, they are also elite in their own end.
And then there is Slavin, who can shut down the best of the best, freeing up his defense partner to go on the attack.
“When you look at our group, we're all long, rangy guys that skate really well,” Sanderson said. “Obviously there's a lot of offense, but every single guy uses their feet and has great sticks to defend as well.”
It’s that variety that makes the U.S. group so dangerous.
“You just can’t have six hammers in a toolbox,” Slavin said Thursday. “You have to be able to have different tools. All of the defensemen there are great players all around, but some excel really well at certain things, so you need them to excel in those areas in a short tournament like this.”
Faber agreed.
“Yeah, 1 through 8, any guy can play any position at any time,” Faber said. “Whatever the pairs are, whoever is in the lineup, it’s a really deep, really skilled, really good skating [defense] corps, and that helps.
“In tournaments like this, best-on-best, you need guys that can defend, make plays and skate with the best of them. I think we have that, and it’s exciting.”
Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck saw firsthand at 4 Nations just how strong this group is, backstopping the United States to the championship game against Canada. He is likely to be the No. 1 goalie for Team USA at the Olympics as well.
“It’s full reign of it off,” Hellebuyck said. “You’ve got your defensive defensemen, offensive defensemen, you’ve got puck-movers, you’ve got skaters and you’ve got guys that are doing it all.
“So, it’s fun to be behind them, and honestly it makes my job a lot easier to play behind this player pool.”
What also helps the U.S. group is familiarity. U.S. general manager Bill Guerin, who also runs the Minnesota Wild, may have pulled off the trade of the season on Dec. 13 when he acquired Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. Not only did it give the Wild a boost in the hunt for their first Stanley Cup championship, it also put Hughes and Faber on the ice together two months ahead of the Olympics.
“For sure, familiarity is important in an event like this," Faber told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger last month. "I mean, when you're playing with elite defensemen like the ones on (Team USA), it's a pretty seamless transition no matter who you play with. But obviously, for me with Quinn, it's pretty extra seamless.
"We see a lot of minutes. We see a lot of time together, and it's been great."
LaCombe is in just his third full NHL season, but he’s had experience with some of his fellow defensemen, playing with Werenski at the World Championship last season.
“I think it’s huge,” LaCombe said. “We got an international taste there and we had a great group there and did a good job. It just gives us more experience and it’s going to help the three of us that were there.”
And then there’s 4 Nations, where all but Hughes and LaCombe competed. With just four days between arriving for the Olympics here on Sunday and playing their first game on Feb. 12 against Latvia (3 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, SN, CBC), any prior experience is key.
“You had a couple [different] guys, but I think just guys understanding the roles, how we have to play, kind of understanding what guys are like away from the rink, in the room, a lot of that goes into it,” Werenski said. “When we got to the 4 Nations, there's kind of a feeling-out process the first few days of understanding -- if it's the power play, where guys like the puck, if it's in the room -- different things guys do. It's just a lot of different personalities that you haven't been around before. And I feel like we got really close as that tournament went along.
“And I feel like it's going to be the same way in a few days here, once we get to Milan and get back on the ice, get in the room, get in the village. I mean, we're an extremely close group, and I feel like that's an advantage.”
