As if it shouldn't happened months ago, Rickard Rakell will get the nod he very much deserved - the privilege to represent Team Sweden in the Four Nations Faceoff.
.@BjurmanPer reporting #LetsGoPens Rickard Rakell is replacing #VegasBorn William Karlsson on Team Sweden 🇸🇪 at #4Nations
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 3, 2025
The fact Rakell was originally omitted from the Swedish roster in the first place was utterly ridiculous. Not to say that his play on the ice for the Penguins in the subsequent months was indicative of that, but it seems like the omission was an extra sliver of motivation for him.
Raks is currently 19th in the NHL in goals (23), but for much of January he was hovering right around top-10 in the league. He's also got 22 assists and seems to be on his way to matching his career high in points that he achieved in his 2017-18 season with Anaheim (69 points).
While he hasn't scored since January 17th, his ability to create goals hasn't diminished in any way. His most recent act was against Nashville with this sweet backdoor, cross-ice feed to Crosby.
Sidney Crosby nets goal number 1️⃣7️⃣ on the season pic.twitter.com/1vOASUyr4Y
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) February 2, 2025
William Karlsson, whom Rakell will be replacing, has just a measly seven goals and 11 assists in 37 games this season. While he might be hurt right now, the fact that Karlsson made the roster over Rakell in the first place is ridiculous.
Even Swedes like Victor Arvidsson and Mika Zibanejad are puzzling roster spots when Rakell has been far better than both this season.
It's good to see Ricky get the call he deserved to represent Sweden in the Four Nations Faceoff. It definitely feels like justice has been served.
The Four Nations Faceoff will begin on February 12th.