4 Nations stock report: Which way are bubble players trending?

For some NHLers, there's more at stake in the first few months of the season than simply helping their teams win games - they're auditioning for a chance to represent their country at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.

The competition will be the first league-run international event since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Each competing country - the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland - will announce its roster between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2.

Which players are trending up and which are trending down in the early stages of 2024-25? Players are listed positionally and then alphabetically below.

Trending up 📈

F Cole Caufield 🇺🇸

Caufield wasn't a Team USA favorite heading into the season because he hadn't truly broken through as an elite sniper. But he's exploded for six goals in seven games. If the Canadiens winger can maintain a 40-goal pace, he has a chance to earn a roster spot. Of note, teenaged Caufield and Jack Hughes shared a line for two years at the US National Team Development Program.

F Erik Haula 🇫🇮

Finland won't have as many notable cuts as other nations, but Haula is still trying to ensure he's on the team. With six points in nine games, the 33-year-old is on pace for his best offensive season. Haula's defensive reliability would make him a useful piece for Suomi's bottom-six forward group.

F Clayton Keller 🇺🇸

Keller, Utah's first captain, is driving offense from every angle this season. He transports the puck - racking up 9.9 controlled exits per game (ninth among all NHLers) and possessing it in the offensive zone for 1:03 per game (also ninth). He sets up teammates - four assists off 4.3 slot passes per game (third). And he scores - four goals off 1.43 inner-slot shots per game (tied for 15th). Any international side could use a dual-threat winger like Keller.

F Sam Reinhart 🇨🇦

Reinhart is trying to prove his 57-goal outburst from a season ago was no fluke. He's tied for third in the league with 12 points through eight games - and most of those came with Aleksander Barkov injured. At this rate, Reinhart is playing his way into a spot on Canada's top line with Connor McDavid.

F Mark Scheifele 🇨🇦

Scheifele's one of those guys who tends to get glossed over on Canada's long list of high-end forwards. He produces every year and has accumulated five goals and three assists in six games this season, yet he's far from a shoo-in because he doesn't have strong defensive impacts. If Scheifele can't make it onto Canada's power play, does he do enough otherwise to justify a spot?

F Mark Stone 🇨🇦

Multiple long-term injuries over the last few years made it difficult to project Stone onto Team Canada, but so far so good in 2024-25. He's played in all seven of Vegas' games and racked up 12 points. The former Selke Trophy finalist is a true "gamer" and could be a great fit in a depth role.

F Tom Wilson 🇨🇦

Wilson would bring a different element to Canada's forward group - an imposing power forward who can strike fear into the opposition with his physicality. Having an X-factor player like Wilson could also be crucial against a USA squad that'll have the Tkachuk brothers wreaking havoc. He's off to a great start offensively with five goals in five games.

D Rasmus Andersson 🇸🇪

Andersson's helping drive Calgary's early-season heater. The all-situations defender has put up eight points in six games while leading the Flames in ice time (23:48 a night). One problem - Sweden has a ton of options on the back end. Gustav Forsling, Victor Hedman, and Erik Karlsson have already been named to the roster, and Rasmus Dahlin is pretty much a lock. Andersson's in a battle with Mattias Ekholm, Jonas Brodin, Hampus Lindholm, and Adam Larsson for the final three spots.

D Noah Dobson 🇨🇦

The 6-foot-4 Dobson is approaching lock status on Canada's blue line. After finishing eighth in Norris Trophy voting a year ago, he's recorded four assists in five games with strong underlying numbers. Further helping his case is that other Canadian right-shot defenders are trending in the opposite direction, including the injured Drew Doughty.

D Brock Faber 🇺🇸

Faber set himself up for Team USA contention with a Calder Trophy-worthy debut, and he's done nothing this season to stray from that path. The smooth-skating, two-way workhorse is attempting to earn a spot on the right side behind Adam Fox and Charlie McAvoy (Quinn Hughes and Jaccob Slavin fill out the presumed top four). Faber's competition includes righty John Carlson and lefties Noah Hanifin, Jake Sanderson, Zach Werenski, and Mikey Anderson.

D Josh Morrissey 🇨🇦

Canada must find balance on its blue line. Management can't take all offensive defensemen. But Morrissey will be difficult to leave off at this point, as he's arguably been the Jets' most valuable skater through their 6-0-0 start. Morrissey and Dobson could wind up being the team's second pairing.

G Sam Montembeault 🇨🇦

The most intriguing position battle in the entire tournament is Canada's goaltending. Montreal starter Montembeault - a relative unknown to the casual NHL fan - is making a strong case despite getting shelled Tuesday. He leads all Canadian netminders with 2.25 goals saved above expected this season after finishing second behind front-runner Jordan Binnington a year ago.

G Jake Oettinger 🇺🇸

The Americans have four goalies vying for three spots. Connor Hellebuyck, who's followed up a Vezina Trophy win with a .948 save percentage through five starts, will be on the squad. That leaves Jeremy Swayman, Thatcher Demko, and Oettinger. Swayman's a tier above the others, while Demko's season-opening injury has given Oettinger the inside track to that third spot. The Stars stud has not disappointed, making 143 saves on 152 shots so far.

Trending down 📉

F Viktor Arvidsson 🇸🇪

Arvidsson could bring a lot of energy to Sweden's bottom-six forward group, but his lack of production thus far likely has him on the outside looking in. He's failed to record a point through seven games with the Oilers despite riding shotgun with either Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the latter of whom is also playing his way off of Canada's radar.

F Alex DeBrincat 🇺🇸

DeBrincat's the perfect example of a player whose 4 Nations candidacy rests solely on recent performance. If he's filling the net at an insane rate, he's all of a sudden on Team USA's radar. If he's not, he's a complete afterthought. With two goals and two assists in six games for the Red Wings, DeBrincat is closer to the latter. He hasn't done enough to grab management's attention.

F Zach Hyman 🇨🇦

Virtually every roster projection during the offseason included Hyman on the top line with McDavid, and rightly so. A relentless forechecker and puck hound, Hyman potted 53 goals during the 2023-24 regular season and added a league-high 16 in the playoffs alongside McDavid in Edmonton. However, he's pointless in seven games so far, creating a fraction of doubt about his spot on the roster.

F Patrick Kane 🇺🇸

Kane, who we recently ranked as the fifth-best player in the post-Wayne Gretzky era, is arguably the greatest American to lace up a pair of hockey skates. Heck, half of Team USA's projected roster grew up on his YouTube highlights. But that veteran status - Kane turns 36 in November - is a double-edged sword in this context. No longer a star, let alone superstar, he'd be an odd fit in the bottom six. Could he be a power-play specialist at 4 Nations?

F Gabriel Landeskog 🇸🇪

Sweden's management group likely needs to see Landeskog play an NHL game - and look at least somewhat like his old self - to guarantee him a spot on the roster. Landeskog missed the last two seasons while undergoing three knee surgeries, and though he said he hopes to play early this season, his return doesn't appear imminent.

F Steven Stamkos 🇨🇦

Stamkos doesn't possess the all-around game of other forwards competing for a spot on Team Canada, so he needs to be tearing it up offensively to have a chance. That hasn't been the case so far in his first season with the Predators, as he's produced just one goal and zero assists in six games.

F Carter Verhaeghe 🇨🇦

Verhaeghe's lethal shot, big-game heroics, and overall versatility make him an appealing bottom-of-the-lineup option for Canada. There's no margin for error, however, and the winger has yet to score on 55 shot attempts. His five-on-five numbers aren't pretty, either - the Panthers have been outscored 7-3 and own a 50.6% expected goals rate in Verhaeghe's 127 five-on-five minutes.

D Evan Bouchard 🇨🇦

With Cale Makar all but locked in as the PP1 quarterback, Canada might prefer "safer" defensemen over Bouchard, who can dazzle offensively but also makes poor decisions defensively. With little offensive production so far - one goal, one assist in seven games - Bouchard is making management's decision easier.

D Jani Hakanpaa 🇫🇮

The best ability's availability, and Hakanpaa's currently unavailable. The behemoth defenseman is working his way back from a major knee injury, and the Maple Leafs haven't offered a timeline for his return. Finland's blue line is thin. Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell were early picks. The other spots will be filled by some combination of Hakanpaa, Niko Mikkola, Rasmus Ristolainen, Henri Jokiharju, Juuso Valimaki, Olli Maatta, and Urho Vaakanainen.

D Noah Hanifin 🇺🇸

Hanifin led all Golden Knights skaters in ice time during last year's playoffs, but his game has taken a slight step back to begin 2024-25. His minutes are down and he's getting hemmed into his own end (40.1% expected goals share). USA's depth makes Hanifin a long shot at this point.

G Adin Hill 🇨🇦

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy went out of his way to start Hill in early-season games against the Lightning (Jon Cooper is Canada's coach) and Blues (Doug Armstrong is part of Canada's management group). The showcase hasn't paid off for Hill. The 2023 Stanley Cup winner owns a .851 save percentage and negative goals saved above expected rate in four games.

G Stuart Skinner 🇨🇦

Skinner put himself in contention to start for Canada with some strong performances on the big stage in the Western Conference Final and Cup Final, but he's struggled out of the gate for the second straight year, stopping minus-2 goals above expected. His volatility may make him too risky for management's liking.

(Analytics and tracking data sources: Evolving-Hockey and Sportlogiq)