One positive emerges for Canadiens after Four Nations Faceoff

It stung for Montreal Canadiens fans that they couldn't see some of their favorite players at the Four Nations Faceoff. The tournament was a mega-success, and Patrik Laine and Joel Armia enjoyed their times with Team Finland. Sam Montembeault was a champion with Canada, even though he didn't suit up for any of the games. Being in the dressing room with some of the league's best will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on him. We all believed Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield should be there, but after seeing the effects of the tournament, it may have been a positive that they weren't.

The injury bug started when Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, and Charlie McAvoy sat out the team's final round-robin game. Tkachuk injured his leg late in the first Canada-USA matchup. At the same time, it's believed that McAvoy's shoulder injury and infection, which landed him in a local Boston hospital for a few nights, happened in the first game against Finland. Matthews later revealed that his upper-body ailment wasn't related to what caused him to miss games earlier in the year and instead was something new.

The Americans played with a shortened bench in the final round-robin game against Sweden, which only opened up the possibility for more injuries. Brady Tkachuk went flying into the post early, which put him out for the rest of the game and put his status for the championship game into question. After missing the initial practices, the Tkachuks and Matthews returned for the big game.

Brady looked like he was laboring as he walked into the stadium in the social media posts of them getting off the bus. We knew Matthew also wasn't at 100%, which he confirmed when he sat in the middle of the bench for the second half of the game and looked in severe pain, walking out of the arena after it was over. We also saw McAvoy read the starting lineup for his team with his arm in a sling and a visible sadness over his situation.

So, let's take a look at the contending teams in the Atlantic Division. The Toronto Maple Leafs' captain Matthews could have a new lingering injury to deal with. The heart and soul of the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk, will likely miss some time with his lower-body issue. Brady Tkachuk might not miss any time for the Ottawa Senators, but he isn't going to be at 100% for awhile. Lastly, the Boston Bruins could have McAvoy gone long-term with his AC joint injury.

The Canadiens return to action with all their players staying healthy and their top players getting some much-needed rest. Will the Four Nations Faceoff have a lasting effect on the playoff picture if some of these teams are without their star players for an extended period of time? The tournament was great for all it's positives, but if these injuries take a toll, you may see NHL organizations start to fight back about the timing of the event.