Do the United States have an answer to Tom Wilson?

The United States and Canada delivered two instant classics this past February at the 4 Nations Face-Off, as the USA earned a thrilling win in the round robin stage before Canada got it done when it mattered most with a thrilling overtime win in the championship showdown.

The US was buoyed energetically by Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, who engaged Sam Bennett and Brandon Hagel in fights at the opening puck drop of the round robin game. The Americans were generally the more physical team in the two games, but it didn’t matter in the end when Connor McDavid lasered the tournament winner past Connor Hellebuyck.

This time around, Canada is bringing Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson to the Olympics in Milano-Cortina. While the IIHF rulebook may hold Wilson back from making the physical impact he does in the NHL, it’s a clear statement by Canada that they’re prepared to one-up the US physically.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL video coach Steve Peters were joined by Jonny Lazarus to discuss whether or not Team USA has an answer to the physicality that Wilson will provide to Team Canada.

Steve Peters: You look at Team Canada who’s bringing in a player like Tom Wilson who was not in the 4 Nations. Does Team USA have a player who can play that style of game? Because it could come down to that. If it’s US-Canada, can somebody play that gritty style of game and still be an asset offensively? Do you see anybody on Team USA that can fill that role?

Jonny Lazarus: I don’t think there’s anyone that plays the game like Tom Wilson does. The guy that I was hoping that Team USA would take to kind of mimic the Tom Wilson addition to Team Canada would have been Alex Tuch. I had my fourth line being Kyle Connor, Tage Thompson in the middle and Alex Tuch on the right wing… Having Tage I think is a big addition. Tage, I think is one of the best players in the NHL and doesn’t get the shine because he’s been playing in Buffalo for so many years… To answer the question Petey, no, there’s not anyone on Team USA’s roster who plays like Tom Wilson.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…