Team Canada scratches a forward for the quarterfinal, and the replacement is confirmed
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Team Canada is going to have a much different look during their quarterfinal game as they are putting Brad Marchand back in the lineup after two healthy scratches.
The preliminary rounds are completed and the rest of the Olympics are set to conclude in the next week, and Team Canada had a pretty easy go of things, coming away undefeated in their group to advance to quarterfinals.
The lineup is stacked and they’re getting a lot of contributions from the usual faces like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon however it’s also been the Macklin Celebrini show as he’s been outstanding despite his youth — showing bright things for the future.
Marchand back in, but who comes out remains a mystery
But going into the quarterfinals, they are going to need as much firepower as possible both on the ice and in the mental game, which is why head coach Jon Cooper has made the decision to bring Brad Marchand back into the fold.
Cooper announced that he would be slotting Marchand back in and while there is no word yet on who is going to be replaced, it’s a sign that Cooper prefers the style of Marchand compared to some others:
Marchand was originally scratched for games two and three while Seth Jarvis found himself as part of the lineup as Cooper wanted to give him a chance to get involved.
Multiple players could be on the bench as Marchand slips back in
It would be hard to really take anyone out of the lineup considering how dominant the team had been, but replacing Jarvis with Marchand may be the best move considering he hasn’t been as effective as he could be.
Marchand at least has a goal already, and if the Canadians are going to be heading up against tough teams like the USA then they need to have someone who is equally as good at playing the mental game as the Tkachuk Brothers.
There could be someone else like Nick Suzuki or Sam Bennett as the former has slowed down a bit meanwhile the latter has been used as the 13th forward before but really, it’s anyone’s guess as to what Cooper has planned.
Canada plays their first quarterfinal game on Wednesday, so it might be another day or so before we hear exactly who the replacement is, and while it might not make a huge difference at the end of the day — Marchand is a proven winner and leader which you can never have too much of either.
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Team Canada scratches a forward for the quarterfinal, and the replacement is confirmed
Will Brad Marchand be the key to helping Team Canada win gold?