Alex Pietrangelo has pulled out of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, opening the door for several candidates on Team Canada.

Pietrangelo is still playing regularly for the Vegas Golden Knights, and there is room to debit the merits of why he’s sitting out, but we’re putting that aside for now. Toronto Maple Leafs defensive stalwart Chris Tanev could be in contention for a roster spot — and frankly, he may be the best overall option among a deep pool ahead of February’s event.

Here’s what Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin wrote about Tanev, ranking him as the second-best candidate to replace Pietrangelo:

Tanev provides a different skill set than the rest of players reasonably in contention: he’s not nearly as dynamic offensively as MacKenzie Weegar or Evan Bouchard, but he’s a far superior defender to Bouchard, while operating as the NHL’s best shot blocker. He’s an excellent skater, routinely making simple zone exits and alongside Jake McCabe, Tanev has transformed Toronto’s defensive identity as a hallmark of Craig Berube’s system. He’s an elite penalty killer, and would provide Canada with some real utility going forward.

Toronto sports a plus-11 goal differential when Tanev is on the ice at 5-on-5, along with a 53.1 percent share of the expected goals via Natural Stat Trick. He’s the best defensive option of all the candidates available, and while Bouchard, Brandon Montour and Dougie Hamilton are superior options offensively, Montour and Hamilton don’t kill penalties and aren’t trusted for their defensive impact — at least, not against best-on-best competition, where their freelancing tendencies could lead to some avoidable risks. Hamilton generates a ton of rush offence, but that’s not necessarily needed when you have Cale Makar and Josh Morrissey on the roster already.

Tanev sports a better goal differential and expected goals share than Weegar, Montour and Hamilton, he’s better at chance prevention than Bouchard, although Bouchard has a superior goal differential and expected goals share. He can slot in Canada’s third pair and it won’t adversely affect the makeup of the team. It’s also worth remembering that Tanev was tasked with facing a gauntlet of opponents during last year’s playoffs and was dominant for the Dallas Stars, while squaring off against Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid in successive rounds.

“He’s outstanding,” Stars forward Matt Duchene said of Tanev on January 14. “He’s a guy you don’t realize how good he is until you play with him. Obviously, doesn’t put up big numbers, but that’s unfortunately what a lot of people are evaluated on. His first pass out of the D-zone is as good as anybody’s. His shot-blocking, his positioning. The way he played against top guys in the playoffs last year was incredible to watch. He’s definitely a guy you don’t like going up against, for sure.”

Drew Doughty is the wild-card to consider as he works his way back from a fractured leg, with the institutional support of Team Canada’s management group, given that he’s won two Olympic gold medals. Would the Kings want Doughty in the tournament, especially as he’s paramount to their Cup contention chances? It seems like an unnecessary risk, but ultimately, Canada’s decision could come down to both right-shot 35-year-olds. Tanev is instrumental to the Maple Leafs’ chances, but he’s been healthy all season, he provides superior defensive impact, a quality that will be needed against three offensive superpowers.

Tanev is the superior defensive option remaining among all candidates, and therefore, given the team’s roster construction, he’s the best option to replace Pietrangelo next month. We’ll see how it plays out, as the 35-year-old’s superior defensive impact ought to count, against an array of flashier players.