Former NHL goaltender believes Logan Thompson was left off Team Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster due to frosty relationship with former Vegas coaches

Much has been made of Team Canada’s decision to leave Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson off their roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Thompson is by far the nation’s top goalie this season, arguably in a two-horse race with Connor Hellebuyck for the 2025 Vezina Trophy.

Steve Valiquette, a former NHL goaltender and current New York Rangers TV analyst, shed some light on the possible reasons for Thompson’s snub during an appearance on Sportsnet’s Real Kyper & Bourne show. The problem reportedly lies with two of Canada’s assistant coaches.

“I told you guys what happened there,” Valiquette said. “[Bruce] Cassidy and [Peter] DeBoer weren’t gonna have it.”

Valiquette continued, “They didn’t have a great experience with him in Vegas. There were times that they wanted him to play, and he wasn’t available. Yeah, I know a little bit about what happened there, and I can’t get into it, but that was never going to happen.”

Before arriving in Washington, Thompson’s played his entire career either with DeBoer or Cassidy behind the Golden Knights’ bench. The two veteran bench bosses were named assistants on Jon Cooper’s staff for the 4 Nations Face-Off last July — a month after Thompson was traded to the Capitals.

No details of any feud has previously been reported between either coach and the 27-year-old goaltender. However, Thompson revealed in early December that Canada’s management team never once contacted him, and, more recently, he stated that he still does not expect to receive a call from them, even as an injury replacement.

In September, Thompson also sarcastically remarked that he wondered if he was good enough to play in the league after leaving Vegas’s defensive system that supposedly makes goalies better than they are. He has responded with a 24-2-4 record with the Capitals this year with a 2.15 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and two shutouts.

According to MoneyPuck, only Hellebuyck (28.6) has saved more goals than expected this season than Thompson (27.8). No other goaltender in the league has crossed the 20-goal mark this year. The closest of the three Canadian goalies selected for the roster is Montreal’s Sam Montembeault, who has 9.7.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will replace this year’s NHL All-Star Game and start in a week on February 12. Thompson is not alone among Capitals players snubbed from the tournament. No player from the East-leading Caps was chosen to play.