Insider Cites 2 Players Who Should Have Been On Team Canada "If They Had A Mulligan"

After watching (and experiencing first-hand) the physicality of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, many observers are wondering if Team Canada should have constructed their roster a bit differently.

Insider Darren Dreger, speaking with Ray Ferraro on their Ray & Dregs podcast, specifically named two players who he feels should have been selected for the Canadian roster "if they had a mulligan":

My thinking, and obviously shared by coaches and managers around the league: on Saturday night when all that stuff, the shenanigans after the opening puck drop, 9 seconds, 3 fights erupted, the response was, 'Hmm. I wonder if that happens if Tom Wilson is lined up (for Canada) on the other side?' Or... You need your workhorses... Zach Hyman in the mix.
I'm not talking about fighting. I'm talking about players who are perhaps more capable of the heavy lifting that goes into the physicality of the game. Is it fair to look at Team Canada now and say, 'I wonder if they had a mulligan, a do over, if they'd rethink this roster in any way?'

Wilson, the 6'4, 220-pound Washington Capitals forward has such a reputation around the league that he's only on pace for three fights and 75 penalty minutes this season, down from past years. His tough-guy reputation precedes him, and opponents rarely provoke him in that way anymore.

Wilson still has 156 hits through 55 games, and 50 PIM, but he also has tied his career-high 24 goals and is on pace to record a personal best, by far, of 36 goals and 63 points, while also playing a career-high 18:51 per night.

His toughness would be more than welcome on the Team Canada roster.

The same could be said for Zach Hyman, who doesn't so much do it with his fists, but by mixing it up and getting dirty, and "getting into the areas that in that Canada/U.S. (round robin) game, maybe Canada wasn't as willing to go to," said Dreger.

While Sam Bennett fits the mold that Dreger is referring to, he might be the only one on Canada's roster that does. It should be interesting to see if they're able to match the USA's grittiness in the Final on Thursday.