{"id":327559,"date":"2025-12-05T18:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T18:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/327559\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T18:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T18:41:10","slug":"canada-olympic-roster-debate-connor-bedards-role-depth-on-defense-and-who-starts-in-goal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/327559\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Olympic roster debate: Connor Bedard\u2019s role, depth on defense and who starts in goal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday\u2019s episode of \u201cThe Athletic Hockey Show,\u201d a panel featuring Max Bultman, Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman and FloHockey\u2019s Chris Peters constructed a Team Canada depth chart for the 2026 Olympics featuring 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders.<\/p>\n

The construction of the bottom of the lineup and the blue line required navigating philosophical divides on size, \u201cheaviness,\u201d the balance between veterans versus young talent and what roles players would ultimately fill.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a breakdown of the key topics, debates and the agonizing final cuts from the panel\u2019s session.<\/p>\n

ForwardsCelebrini\u2019s rise<\/p>\n

A few months ago, Macklin Celebrini was considered a strong candidate for this team, but was perhaps on the bubble. According to the panel, that hesitation has vanished.<\/p>\n

The group was unanimous in placing Celebrini prominently within Canada\u2019s lineup. The rationale is that Celebrini has quickly established himself as one of the NHL\u2019s offensive leaders while possessing a mature, well-rounded game that includes top-end skating and competitiveness. Unlike other young players who may be brought to the Olympics mostly for their offense, Celebrini can offer other elements to a team and be able to drive play versus elite players.<\/p>\n

Figuring out role players<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Mitch Marner, Sam Reinhart, Celebrini and Brayden Point were consensus picks for the top nine. The panel spent significant time debating the identity of the bottom six. The panel ultimately agreed that Mark Scheifele and Nick Suzuki deserved inclusion somewhere on the roster, given their very high level of play recently. After those nine players, though, there wasn\u2019t as much agreement.<\/p>\n

A recurring theme in the discussion was Canada\u2019s lack of natural size among the forward group, especially with reports that the rink in Milan will be smaller than NHL size. This gave strong arguments to players such as Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Mark Stone, Tom Wilson and Brad Marchand, given their high compete levels and ability to play physical hockey.<\/p>\n

Wilson was a focus of the conversation. Peters was the strongest proponent for Wilson, arguing that the tournament would be played at a high pace, with \u201cheavy hockey\u201d being a deciding factor. Peters noted that Wilson is playing the best hockey of his career, scoring at a nearly 50-goal pace, and brings an intimidation factor that helps a team control the interior of the ice. Conversely, Pronman expressed concern regarding Wilson\u2019s discipline in an IIHF setting, where strict officiating, such as standards on head contact, could lead to penalty trouble. The group ultimately favored Marchand and Seth Jarvis for the high-energy\/bottom-of-the-lineup role that will likely be a focus of conversation when the roster is announced.<\/p>\n

The Bedard question: Top-six or 13th forward?<\/p>\n

Connor Bedard was another unanimous selection, but his usage sparked disagreement, especially given his tremendous start to this NHL season. Wheeler placed Bedard in his top six, arguing that his offensive production and dynamic traits warrant a prominent role.<\/p>\n

However, the rest of the panel viewed Bedard as a depth option or a power-play specialist. Pronman argued that while Bedard is a top offensive talent, he questioned whether Bedard could displace established two-way stars such as Reinhart or Marner in the top nine right now, suggesting that Bedard would likely start as the 13th forward.<\/p>\n

Defensemen<\/p>\n

The defense corps featured several locks: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Josh Morrissey, Thomas Harley and most of the panel supported bringing Drew Doughty. However, they clashed over the final pairings, specifically debating the value of defensive specialists versus puck-movers.<\/p>\n

Parayko vs. skill<\/p>\n

The most heated exchange occurred over Colton Parayko. Most of the panel agreed that Parayko\u2019s size and penalty-killing ability were essential, particularly to counter physical American forwards such as the Tkachuk brothers.<\/p>\n

Wheeler strongly opposed Parayko\u2019s inclusion, though, arguing that elite players such as Makar and Morrissey are capable of killing penalties and that Parayko\u2019s struggles with puck management would be a liability. Wheeler emphasized that he would trust Makar \u201cwith the chips on the table\u201d in defensive situations more than Parayko.<\/p>\n

Parayko ultimately made the cut, and Shea Theodore, who was injured at the 4 Nations Face-Off, was included as the seventh defenseman.<\/p>\n

The final spot: Youth vs. experience<\/p>\n

For the eighth defensive spot, the panel considered four vastly different profiles:<\/p>\n

Jakob Chychrun: Favored by Pronman for his skating, offense, size and shot.<\/p>\n

Evan Bouchard: Favored by Wheeler as a power-play specialist and insurance policy for Makar.<\/p>\n

Matthew Schaefer: Bultman\u2019s choice as the most talented player of the group<\/p>\n

Travis Sanheim: A steady, versatile option preferred by Peters.<\/p>\n

With the vote split four ways, the group looked for a compromise. Bultman flipped his vote to Sanheim, securing the final spot on the blue line.<\/p>\n

GoaliesMerit vs. tenure<\/p>\n

The goaltending trio was quickly settled as Logan Thompson, Jordan Binnington and Darcy Kuemper. The debate shifted to who should start.<\/p>\n

Pronman and Wheeler argued for Thompson, asserting that he has been the best goaltender of the group on merit this season. However, Peters noted that it would be difficult for Canada to move away from Binnington, the incumbent who delivered a gold medal a year prior, despite Binnington\u2019s significant struggles this season for the Blues. Peters predicted Binnington would likely start Game 1, regardless of his early-season form.<\/p>\n

The Athletic Hockey Show\u2019s Team Canada Depth Chart<\/p>\n

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