Earlier this month, we kicked off our early 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic roster projections at Daily Faceoff. Our roster structures will mimic those of the Olympic squads: 22 skaters, three goaltenders. The national teams will submit their finalized editions by Dec. 31, 2025.<\/p>\n
We began by breaking down Canada<\/a>. Next up, we reviewed the top challenger, Team USA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Today, we project Team Sweden, a group that absolutely has the talent and depth to challenge for gold, one that fell short at the 4 Nations Face-Off despite not losing a game in regulation. Helping me as the guest picker: my Swedish colleague Uffe Bodin.<\/p>\n FORWARDS (14) \u2013\u00a0Matt Larkin\u2019s picks<\/p>\n Jesper BrattElias PetterssonWilliam NylanderAdrian KempeMika ZibanejadFilip ForsbergGabriel LandeskogJoel Eriksson EkLucas RaymondRickard RakellLeo CarlssonElias LindholmWilliam EklundWilliam Karlsson\u00a0<\/p>\n Canada won and the U.S. was a goal away, so there was less motivation to fix what wasn\u2019t broke in projecting their rosters, but for a Sweden team looking to make up ground, it\u2019s time to inject this lineup with some youth and upside. That means replacing veteran stalwarts like Gustav Nyquist and Viktor Arvidsson. It feels like Sweden doesn\u2019t have a truly dominant No. 1 center, not unless Pettersson rediscovers himself, but this team is absolutely loaded on the wings. It feels good penciling Landeskog into this lineup now that he\u2019s healthy after a knee injury kept him out of the sport for three years. Here\u2019s hoping his body holds up long enough that he can go to Milan.<\/p>\n Biggest flex: Replacing the greybeards with the kids, no doubt. Eklund joins the fray. Carlsson made the 4 Nations team in a smaller role but, if he carries over his late-season breakout, he could be the team\u2019s top center by February.<\/p>\n Toughest cut: Simon Holmstrom intrigues me as a late-blooming 2019 first-round pick who discovered his touch and bagged 20 goals last season. He can also kill penalties. I just didn\u2019t have a player I wanted to cut over him. Maybe he makes my team when we do this again in the fall.<\/p>\n Also considered: Simon Holmstrom, Gustav Nyquist, Viktor Arvidsson, Mikael Backlund, Fabian Zetterlund, Alex Wennberg, Emil Heineman<\/p>\n FORWARDS \u00a0(14) \u2013\u00a0Uffe\u00a0Bodin\u2019s picks<\/p>\n Jesper BrattElias PetterssonWilliam NylanderAdrian KempeLeo CarlssonLucas RaymondGabriel LandeskogJoel Eriksson EkFilip ForsbergSimon Holmstr\u00f6mWilliam KarlssonElias LindholmWilliam EklundMika Zibanejad\u00a0<\/p>\n Having seen many of these players perform at both the 4 Nations and the World Championships, there are certain patterns that are concerning \u2014 the center position in particular. Zibanejad didn\u2019t just have a poor season with the New York Rangers<\/a>, he didn\u2019t perform well in the yellow and blue jersey either. I actually came close to leaving him out of the mix.<\/p>\n In this lineup, I\u2019m relying a lot on the hope that Elias Pettersson can have a big comeback season and that Carlsson breaks through for real with the Anaheim Ducks<\/a>. If Zibanejad does find his way back to form, that would obviously help as well. But the general sense here is that the Swedes will have to rely heavily on their wingers to produce offense \u2014 especially Bratt, Nylander and Kempe, as Forsberg has had a tough time putting up points on the national team this past year. Landeskog is the big wild card, as it\u2019s hard to predict what kind of player he\u2019ll be in February next year.<\/p>\n Biggest flex: Carlsson and Raymond have looked really comfortable together when they\u2019ve played for Team Sweden. They play a huge role in the future of Swedish hockey on the international stage, and it\u2019s quite important that that future arrives soon \u2014 in terms of being able to produce in a best-on-best tournament.<\/p>\n Toughest cut:\u00a0Veterans like Rickard Rakell and Mikael Backlund deserve to be mentioned, but I honestly thought much harder about Fabian Zetterlund and Emil Heineman \u2014 two guys who play hard and are a handful to face. I\u2019m counting on both to have great seasons.<\/p>\n Also considered: Emil Heineman, Fabian Zetterlund, Rickard Rakell, Mikael Backlund, Marcus Johansson<\/p>\n DEFENSEMEN (8) \u2013\u00a0Matt Larkin\u2019s picks<\/p>\n Victor HedmanJonas BrodinRasmus DahlinRasmus AnderssonGustav ForslingErik KarlssonMattias EkholmHampus Lindholm<\/p>\n The Swedes still have, at worst, the second-best blueline in the Olympic tourney, even if the group is getting long in the tooth. I mostly consider the top two pairs interchangeable; Dahlin could also play with Brodin and Hedman with Andersson. With Forsling and Karlsson forming a formidable third pair, this D-corps has a bit of everything \u2013\u00a0size, mobility, skill, experience and leadership.<\/p>\n Biggest flex: Ekholm may have alienated himself from roster contention \u2013\u00a0Uffe will elaborate on that below. But if cooler heads prevail, Ekholm is still worthy of a spot on this team. Getting Hampus Lindholm back is a big boost after he played his final game of the 2024-25 season in November due to injury.<\/p>\n Toughest cut: Ekholm did show signs of aging during the Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u2019 playoff run last spring. I was tempted to give Simon Edvinsson his shot. He can do a lot of the same things Ekholm does well, but with fresher legs and greater all-around upside. I may flip-flop them depending on how each performs in the first couple months of the NHL season.<\/p>\n Also considered: Simon Edvinsson, Adam Larsson, Marcus Pettersson, Philip Broberg, Rasmus Sandin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson<\/p>\n DEFENSEMEN (8) \u2013\u00a0Uffe Bodin\u2019s picks<\/p>\n Rasmus DahlinJonas BrodinVictor HedmanRasmus AnderssonGustav ForslingErik KarlssonHampus LindholmAdam Larsson<\/p>\n It\u2019s an aging blueline but still a pretty efficient group. Most of the guys here are 30 or well over 30. But the key cog will actually be the youngest one. I hereby declare that it\u2019s time to hand the reins to Rasmus Dahlin. In past international tournaments, he has had to stand back in favor of Hedman and Karlsson. That hasn\u2019t necessarily been the wrong decision, but if\u00a0Sweden\u00a0is to take another step forward, they need to give their top defenseman more responsibility. His growth as a player has largely been overshadowed by the Buffalo Sabres\u2019<\/a> inability to deliver respectable results. If they find a way to be good enough to actually fight for a playoff spot, people will realize just how good Dahlin really is.<\/p>\n In Brodin, he could have a perfect, defensively sound partner who allows him to show more of his creative side. Hedman and Forsling would anchor the second and third pairings, while Lindholm and Larsson serve as two steady veterans who could be called upon if needed.<\/p>\n Biggest flex:\u00a0If Brodin can give Dahlin free rein, imagine what Forsling could do for Karlsson. That pairing has a lot of potential in theory and would be very intriguing to see in reality. Karlsson\u2019s tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> hasn\u2019t been what anyone hoped for, but he has shown glimpses of brilliance with the national team over the past two seasons.<\/p>\n Toughest cut:\u00a0It\u2019s obviously Mattias Ekholm. And just to be clear, I\u2019m not leaving him off the team due to poor play \u2014 it\u2019s just that I don\u2019t envision him getting the chance to play in the Olympics after his salty comments about the way he was handled during the 4 Nations. He was clearly unhappy about being a scratch for the final game (only to still get dressed with limited ice-time after a few players got sick), and I think that might be his undoing, unfortunately.<\/p>\n Also considered: Mattias Ekholm, Simon Edvinsson, Philip Broberg<\/p>\n GOALTENDERS (3) \u2013\u00a0Matt Larkin\u2019s picks<\/p>\n Jacob MarkstromLinus UllmarkFilip Gustavsson<\/p>\n Choosing this trio wasn\u2019t difficult at all. They\u2019re the Tre Kronor\u2019s clear top options. But it\u2019s very difficult to separate them from each other and pick a starter.<\/p>\n Biggest flex: Markstrom was injured and didn\u2019t suit up for Sweden at the 4 Nations. He\u2019s also the oldest of the group. But he has the most international experience of the three, so I\u2019m giving him first crack at the No. 1 job.<\/p>\n Toughest cut: None. Samuel Ersson played at the 4 Nations as Markstrom\u2019s replacement and helped Sweden to its lone win, but he had a terrible season overall with the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a>. One good game doesn\u2019t bump any of Sweden\u2019s top three out. A couple years ago, I would\u2019ve expected Minnesota Wild<\/a> prospect Jesper Wallstedt to have played his way onto the roster bubble by now, but he\u2019s not there yet.<\/p>\n Also considered: Samuel Ersson, Anton Forsberg<\/p>\n GOALTENDERS (3) \u2013\u00a0Uffe Bodin\u2019s picks<\/p>\n Jacob Markstr\u00f6mFilip GustavssonLinus Ullmark<\/p>\n 1A, 1B and 1C? At this point, it\u2019s pretty hard to say who\u2019s who. All three goalies will have a chance to prove they should be number one. The 4 Nations didn\u2019t give us much of an answer, as it was a goalie carousel due to injuries and illness \u2014 though Sam Ersson actually delivered the best performance against the Americans.<\/p>\n Markstr\u00f6m was OK at the World Championship but didn\u2019t bring his best in the semifinal, where\u00a0Sweden\u00a0was ousted by the U.S. The seasoned veteran might still be seen as the safest pick, but at this point in their careers, Gustavsson and Ullmark might have higher ceilings when it comes to stealing games at the NHL level. The competition between these three will be very interesting to follow during the first few months of the season.<\/p>\n Biggest flex:\u00a0Having three established and widely respected NHL goalies is a luxury\u00a0Sweden\u00a0hasn\u2019t enjoyed until the last few years. Even though it didn\u2019t help them much at the 4 Nations, it should pay dividends at some point.<\/p>\n Toughest cut:\u00a0Sam Ersson has posted better numbers on the international stage than any of the other guys. With a strong fall, he could very well make things more interesting here. But he needs to stay healthy and find more consistency in his game to truly challenge any of the three.<\/p>\n Also considered: Sam Ersson, Arvid S\u00f6derblom, Anton Forsberg<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n POST SPONSORED BY bet365<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n Recently by Matt Larkin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Earlier this month, we kicked off our early 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic roster projections at Daily Faceoff. 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