Team Canada executive Doug Armstrong says there aren't many spots left up for grabs on the roster for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.
"Probably not as many as people think," Armstrong told NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.
Each country's 23-man roster is due Dec. 2 and will be unveiled Dec. 4. The tournament is scheduled to run Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
Canada previously named Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Brad Marchand, and Cale Makar as the core of its roster. All four participating countries submitted a list of six locks for their respective teams over the summer.
Armstrong and the rest of Canada's braintrust have been scouting in person lately, and early season trends for prospective players have created some questions.
"There's some players that started on the inside that have worked their way out," Armstrong said. "They're not out, but (they) have brought other players into the equation, and players that weren't in the equation are now in the equation. That's why you want to go and see as many games as possible."
Canada's biggest question mark is who to pick in goal. The United States, Sweden, and Finland all have clear-cut No. 1 netminders, but Armstrong said Canada can find success by committee.
"We're going to find three good goalies that can help us win," he said.
