The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation announced that Jani Hakanpaa will not participate in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament due to an ongoing lower-body injury, leaving Finland in need of replacements for two defensemen. Miro Heiskanen, who would have been a key player, is also sidelined with a lower-body injury after a hit by Mark Stone in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Team captain Aleksander Barkov expressed his disappointment, highlighting Heiskanen's significant role in the team. General manager Jere Lehtinen is tasked with finding suitable replacements from a limited pool of Finnish defensemen who have played in the NHL this season. Potential candidates include Henri Jokiharju of Buffalo, Nikolas Matinpalo from Ottawa, Ville Heinola from Winnipeg, and Urho Vaakanainen of the New York Rangers.

Finland's schedule for the tournament includes matches against the United States, Sweden, and Canada. The tournament is particularly important for Finland, as it aims to find its footing in international play amidst injury woes. In addition, other teams, including Sweden, have injury concerns, with William Karlsson and Jonas Brodin currently out, while Boston's Hampus Lindholm is nearing a return. Canada still needs to fill the gap left by Alex Pietrangelo, who has withdrawn for personal reasons.