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With each passing week, the decisions made by Team Canada’s brass before the 2026 Olympic Games get a little more interesting.
About a month from now, Doug Armstrong and Co. will round out the roster that will travel to Italy to represent Canada in February’s best-of-the-best men’s tournament.
A rough sketch of what the group will look like was put back on paper in February against the 4 Nations. But the start of the NHL’s 2025-26 campaign has offered Armstrong and his management team plenty of food for thought, with more than a few marquee names off to a strong start to the first quarter of the season.
We know the majority of the group that will be there. Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Braden Point and Kelly Meeker have been added to the team. The rest of the roster has a decent number of players as well filled with veterans who made their presence known at the 4 Nations as well. But some changes around the roster seem very likely.
Last week, we looked at the biggest questions facing Team Canada’s decision-makers as they assemble their Olympic roster. This week, listed by position, we bring together the new faces with a look at Canadian standouts who didn’t get a call to the 4 Nations, but may be playing their way onto the Olympic roster.
The Montreal Canadiens captain seems the most likely to join the non-4 Nations qualifiers in the middle of the group to Italy in February. His pedigree as an elite playmaker is well established, but it’s the 26-year-old’s 200-foot game that makes him a potential game-changer for Canada. He can contribute in all situations, take on the toughest matchups of the night and, with 21 points through 23 games this season, there’s little doubt he has the ability to pull off a moment when it’s needed most.
The Washington Capitals’ wrecking ball was missed during the 4 Nations tournament that seemed to ramp up in intensity game by game. There are few in the sport who can bring what Wilson brings – intimidating size, speed-swinging physicality and enough offensive skill to make a meaningful impact on the scoreboard. The 2018 Stanley Cup winner has started 2025-26 on pace for a point per game, establishing himself alongside Suzuki as a must for the national team.
Scheifele was the most notable mistake of the 4 Nations. Over the past half-decade, the Winnipeg Jets veteran has been one of Canada’s top scorers in the NHL, amassing the fifth-most power-play points and goals among his countrymen. He was the second-highest Canadian goal scorer in the league last season, with 39. And going into 2025-26 early, Scheiffel once again ranks as a top-five even-strength scorer among Canadiens. The only question here will be how many pure offensive threats Canada wants to add to its forward group.
San Jose’s young talisman has become the most intriguing question mark for Team Canada’s management group. Through 23 games, Celebrini is third in the league in goals (14) and second in points (34) – Canadian or otherwise. He is blossoming into an all-world scorer, and seems to be one of Canada’s top offensive talents at the moment. There’s a bigger picture question to consider, how much Armstrong and company want to rely on proven veteran talent vs. young talent, but Celebrini is doing everything to make himself undeniable.
Bedard is somewhat in the same boat. The third-year Chicago leader is fourth in league scoring with 31 points, and has looked just as electric to start the year. The 2023 first-overall pick is emerging as the dynamic game-changer he was expected to be, and he has experience dominating with the Maple Leaf on his chest, earning an MVP nod for his World Juniors performance a few years ago. The key question about Celebrini and Bedard is whether the Team Canada brass feel they have enough experience in real big-game moments, or whether they need more time in the fire.
The Toronto Maple Leafs veteran was open about his frustration at not getting a call-up to the 4 Nations, and the 35-year-old hasn’t been on the national team’s radar for some time. But the level Tavares has shown of late should put him back in the conversation. After finishing last season with 38 goals, the former captain has emerged as a key leader in a Leafs squad plagued by injuries. Through 22 games, Tavares is third in the league in even-strength points (23) and fifth in even-strength goals (10). He also remains a beast in the dot, his 60.9 faceoff win percentage ranking second league-wide among all centers who regularly draw.
Count Horvat as another well-rounded fighter who has put himself back in the conversation. Although the former Vancouver Canucks and current New York Islander doesn’t have a long international record, his start to the 2025-26 campaign is reminding the wider hockey world of what he was at his best. Through 23 games, Isles is third in the league in goals scored (14), and is tied with Tavares for fifth at even strength. As well as being a Maple Leafs veteran, Horvat likewise remains among the league’s best players in the dot, his 59.1 percent making him fifth among punts on the regular.
Matthew Shaffer, def
Like Celebrini and Bedard, the 18-year-old Shafer has arrived on the big league stage much sooner than most expected. The 2025 No. 1 pick has been in dominant form for the Islanders this season, skating 23 minutes a night and with 15 points through 23 games, sitting just one hand behind the 2025 scoring lead. That said, the smooth-skating Regard seems more of a longshot for the Olympics than the two young, high-flying forwards mentioned above for a number of reasons — he has very little experience on the NHL stage, he could be considered a backup role for the Isles, and Canada’s blue line seems more set in stone than the forward corps.
That said, there’s another young blueliner with a history of dominating the Islanders’ colors who might crack the Canadian blue line — 25-year-old Dobson. The 2018 12th-overall pick made a name for himself on Long Island with a few all-around campaigns, most notably the 2023-24 season that saw him collect 70 points, skate 24 minutes a night and earn Norris votes to end the year. He’s once again proving to be a useful, versatile talent in Montreal, thriving in the purely defensive aspects of the game while amassing the sixth-most points among Canadian defensemen.
Logan Thompson, goaltender
Fans were praying for Thompson to get a call-up to the national team before the 4 Nations, as the Washington Capitals netminder looked to be the best Canadian goalie in the NHL heading into the tournament. He missed out, and Jordan Bennington performed well as the No. 1 in red and white. Still, Thompson finished fourth in the Vezina voting, and is the Canadiens’ top performer in the cage again in the first quarter of 2025-26, so the two-year goals should add up to a 28-year-old goal. Binnington in Italy.
Darcy Quimper, goaltender
Also on the fringes of the 4 Nations forward conversation was Kuemper, who finished as a Vezina finalist after one of the best seasons of his career. The 2022 Cup winner himself is a championship contender, and is in good form right now, with a .927 save percentage since the start of November. With Binnington a lock for a return, Thompson a potential addition to the goaltending corps, and 4 Nations participant Aiden Hill navigating injury problems that have kept him out since late October, Kuemper could be the next man up for the national team.
