Marchand, Marner, Binnington in mix for tournament in February
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With the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 less than a year away, NHL.com is predicting the Olympic rosters. Today, staff writer Mike Zeisberger makes his picks for Team Canada.
The 12 countries that will play at the 2026 Olympics announced the first six players to their respective rosters June 16.
The men’s tournament will start with preliminary games Feb. 11, with the gold-medal game scheduled for Feb. 22. The remainder of the rosters will be announced later this year.
This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics since Sochi in 2014.
In the Olympics, each team carries 25 players and traditionally has 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies.
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Here is the Team Canada projected roster (listed alphabetically by position, with an asterisk after the players who were named to the roster June 16):
Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins*
Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche*
Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers*
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning*
Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers*
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues
There are some no doubters here: Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid, Point, Reinhart, Bennett and Marner come to mind after helping Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. For the remaining candidates, general manager Doug Armstrong told NHL.com that “what we asked all the guys to do: When the lights are the brightest, whether it’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, World Championships, whatever it may be, we want to see how guys perform.” At 37 years old, Marchand did just that to help the Panthers win the Stanley Cup. 4 Nations assistant Bruce Cassidy added that Marchand brought energy to a relatively reserved Canadian dressing room. Armstrong said candidates will be gauged on their play right up to the January selection date. Two in particular who were snubbed for the 4 Nations made cases down the stretch: No player in the NHL had more points post-4 Nations than Thomas (40), and Suzuki (37) was fourth. Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes) and Carter Verhaeghe (Panthers) are also expected to be in the mix while big-bodied Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals) benefits from the tournament being played on smaller NHL-sized rinks. And don’t count out Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks), the 19-yrear-old who impressed Team Canada officials at the IIHF World Championship in May.
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Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche*
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers is the most interesting name among the candidates not listed here and will be given every opportunity to make the team; his offensive game is elite but there are concerns Florida exposed his defensive flaws in the Cup Final. Team Canada officials were impressed with how Harley stepped in last-minute as a replacement for both games against the United States at the 4 Nations. MacKenzie Weegar (Calgary Flames), Noah Dobson (New York Islanders), Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres) and Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers) each is expected to get a long look as well.
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Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
Binnington was a difference maker at the 4 Nations, especially in overtime of the championship game against the U.S. when his cache of great saves set the stage for McDavid’s winner in Canada’s 3-2 victory. Binnington came through when it mattered most and, as such, has earned the No. 1 job. After that, all bets are off. Hill (32 victories), Thompson (31), Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings (31) and Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens (31) all finished in the top 10 in NHL goalie wins this season, with Mackenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche (28) finished tied with Binnington. If ever there were an example of Armstrong’s mandate of waiting until January to select who is playing the best, this is it.
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