New Jersey Devils' President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald will be watching the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game eagerly. He's a former USA hockey representative at both the World Juniors and the World Championships, so we know he's rooting for the home team.
The matchup will take place on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST between Team USA and Canada in Boston, MA. Unfortunately for the Devils and Fitzgerald, only one New Jersey player will be participating in the final — superstar Jack Hughes for the Red, White, and Blue.
While Hughes is certainly no slouch, given he's already the best offensive player in the history of the Devils' franchise in single-season points, Fitzgerald could certainly benefit from having more players participating in the Championship. For instance, the New York Rangers have a whopping four players on the Team USA roster.
While none of these are especially realistic, let's take a look at three players who Fitzgerald should pay special attention to in the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics rematch.
1. Dylan Larkin, Team USA
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was named the Second Star of the United States’ 3-1 win over Canada at Bell Centre. Larkin scored what proved to be the game-winning goal at 13:33 of the second period and recorded an assist in 16:17 of ice time to help his nation clinch a berth in Thursday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game in Boston.
“It was a big goal for our team and honestly, kind of cool to say for our country and USA Hockey," Larkin said postgame at the time. "It felt great to contribute to the win like that on a stage like that. A big game with all the big players, so it was really special. It’s something I’m proud of and will be for a long time.”
Now unfortunately Larkin is signed to a eight-year, $69,600,000 contract with a cap hit of $8,700,000 per season, currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings. His contract was signed on March 1, 2023, and expires at the end of the 2030-31 season, when Larkin will be 34 years old. But, he'd certainly be a fun get for Fitzgerald.