Ex-Team Sweden Coach Rips Penguins Erik Karlsson Being Named To 4 Nations Face-Off Roster

We're still a few months out from the debut of the NHL's new best-on-best international tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off, and while we've never seen what kind of on-ice action the tournament can produce, it's already delivering the goods on the controversy front.

The tournament will consist of teams representing Canada, the US, Finland, and Sweden, and while the full rosters have not been revealed some players have already been announced.

Back in June, the first six players to make the Team Sweden roster were announced, one of whom was Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson.

However, it was the inclusion of Karlsson that ex-NHLer and former Team Sweden head coach Johan Garpenlöv didn't think should've been on the roster.

According to The Hockey News, Garpenlöv stepped down from national league coaching duties in 2022, so Sam Hallam will lead the team in the tournament and that would appear to be good news for Karlsson.

Tell us how you really feel, Johan…

However, he may have a point.

For years, Erik Karlsson was regarded as the gold standard in puck-moving defenseman, and that made him a perennial Norris Trophy candidate during his time with the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.

But no one is under any illusions that he's a shutdown defender, so Garpenlöv isn't exactly wrong.

Plus, Karlsson's time with the Penguins has been… less than good.

He put up 56 points last season in 82 games, and while that's not terrible, it's well off the pace from the 101 points he tallied in his last season with the San Jose Sharks, and that was a Sharks team that was a long way from being world beaters.

This year, Karlsson is off to a rough start by his standard with the floundering Penguins having scored 10 points (2G, 8A) in 17 games this season.

Karlsson is a big name in the NHL, but Garpenlöv has a point when he floats the question as to whether or not his play has been good enough to make Team Sweden.

I think the big winner in all of this is the NHL. If there's any question as to whether or not the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off will be a success, look no further than roster decisions kicking up controversy like this.

It's just the thing the league has got to be happy to see.