It\u2019s almost time. In 15 days, the puck will drop on the first preliminary game in men\u2019s hockey at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics, arena completion permitting. When Slovakia and Finland lock horns at 10:40 a.m. ET Feb. 11, we\u2019ll witness the first Olympic best-on-best action featuring NHL talent since 2014.<\/p>\n
We spent months speculating on which players would make their respective teams. Now it\u2019s time to forecast the lineups drawing from the actual pools of selected players. We\u2019ll do so for the Big Four nations, Canada, Finland, Sweden and USA, who (a) are the only teams that have lineups composed entirely of NHLers, Finland\u2019s Mikko Lehtonen excluded; and (b) gave us a hint of their deployment strategies last year at the 4 Nations Face-Off.<\/p>\n
A crucial caveat: the IIHF roster rules differ slightly from those at the 4 Nations. Not only were teams permitted to name 25 skaters for the 2026 Olympics rather than 23 (14 forwards, eight defensemen, three goalies), but they are also allowed to dress 20 skaters for games rather than the NHL\u2019s customary 18. That means teams can dress an extra forward and defenseman, or two forwards, or two defensemen, giving them the ability to deploy specialists for specific duties.<\/p>\n
CANADA \u2013 By Matt Larkin<\/p>\n
Forward Lines<\/p>\n
Mark Stone \u2013\u00a0Connor McDavid \u2013\u00a0Brayden Point
Sidney Crosby \u2013 Nathan MacKinnon \u2013\u00a0Sam Reinhart
Brandon Hagel \u2013\u00a0Macklin Celebrini \u2013 Mitch Marner
Brad Marchand \u2013\u00a0Nick Suzuki \u2013\u00a0Tom Wilson
Anthony Cirelli
(Scratch: Bo Horvat)<\/p>\n
Defense Pairs<\/p>\n
Devon Toews \u2013 Cale Makar
Josh Morrissey \u2013\u00a0Drew Doughty
Shea Theodore \u2013 Travis Sanheim
Colton Parayko
(Scratch: Thomas Harley)<\/p>\n
Goaltenders<\/p>\n
Jordan Binnington
Logan Thompson
(Scratch: Darcy Kuemper)<\/p>\n
PP1<\/p>\n
Nathan MacKinnon \u2013 Sidney Crosby \u2013 Connor McDavid
Sam Reinhart \u2013\u00a0Cale Makar<\/p>\n
PK1<\/p>\n
Brandon Hagel \u2013\u00a0Anthony Cirelli
Travis Sanheim \u2013 Colton Parayko<\/p>\n
I know there\u2019s plenty of momentum for playing Crosby and Celebrini together given their chemistry at the 2025 Worlds but, uh, Crosby also has chemistry with his longtime great friend MacKinnon. I\u2019m keeping the top six that ended (and won) the 4 Nations intact. Note that it means Stone plays on the first line; I\u2019m confused whenever I see projections with him scratched altogether. He\u2019s an elite two-way player having a monster year with the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>, and he and Brayden Point proved to be McDavid\u2019s optimal linemates at the 4 Nations. Everything changes, of course, if Point\u2019s lower-body injury forces him to miss the tournament. No decision has been made on his status yet.<\/p>\n The bottom six feels pretty interchangeable, but I like the combination of play driving and two-way effectiveness we could get from a Hagel-Celebrini-Marner line, while Marchand and Wilson can cause chaos from the fourth line.<\/p>\n Note that I\u2019ve dressed Cirelli as the 13th forward over Horvat; Canada head coach Jon Cooper reportedly fought for his guy, one of his Tampa Bay Lightning <\/a>stalwarts, and if you\u2019re bringing Cirelli at all, it\u2019s to use him on your top penalty-kill unit.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve grumbled enough about the choices Canada made for its blueline, three of which I believe were incorrect ones<\/a>. Working with what we have here: Colorado Avalanche<\/a> mates Toews and Makar clearly remain a duo, while Morrissey and Theodore bring mobility to the second and third pairs, respectively. Parayko we can use for exclusively for PK1 work as the seventh D-man.<\/p>\n Binnington has been terrible this season, but Canada\u2019s brass, including his own St. Louis Blues<\/a> GM Doug Armstrong, clearly don\u2019t care given they named Binnington to the team at all. That makes me believe they\u2019ll let him start the tournament on the merit he earned as the championship tender at the 4 Nations. But Thompson or Kuemper could easily steal the crease if Binnington wobbles \u2013 like Marty Brodeur did to Curtis Joseph in 2002 or Roberto Luongo to Brodeur in 2010.<\/p>\n FINLAND \u2013 By Steven Ellis<\/p>\n Forward lines<\/p>\n Artturi Lehkonen \u2013 Sebastian Aho \u2013 Mikko Rantanen Defense pairs<\/p>\n Miro Heiskanen \u2013 Rasmus Ristolainen Goaltenders<\/p>\n Juuse Saros\u2028 PP1<\/p>\n Sebastian Aho \u2013 Roope Hintz \u2013 Mikko Rantanen PK1<\/p>\n Anton Lundell \u2013 Eetu Luostarinen The Finns were the weakest team at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and losing Aleksander Barkov before the regular season even began was a huge blow for this team. But the Finns typically get better as tournaments wear on, and they might have a favorable schedule in Italy. <\/p>\n They\u2019ll play the hosts, a Slovak team that lacks the depth we saw in 2010. Their biggest challenge will be against Sweden on Feb. 13, but we know they\u2019ll be ready for it.\u00a0Defense will be Finland\u2019s weakest link, but it rarely isn\u2019t internationally \u2013 and it doesn\u2019t often bite them in the butt. <\/p>\n The Finns will never outskill anyone. Instead, they\u2019ll roll four lines that\u2019ll suffocate you until the very end, and they\u2019re damn good at it. Rantanen is the obvious star up front \u2013 with Patrik Laine missing out, Rantanen is the undisputed one-shot shooter on this team. Rantanen has played alongside Lehkonen at many, many levels so they\u2019ll likely meet up again here. Aho is an easy choice as the No. 1 center, but the Finns will definitely miss Barkov\u2019s two-way dominance.<\/p>\n Fortunately, the depth down the middle isn\u2019t too shabby. Hintz is a solid No. 2 center, while Lundell is having a huge season with the Florida Panthers<\/a>. Oliver Kapanen has also been a consistent Calder Trophy candidate throughout the season, and while he\u2019ll likely start on Finland\u2019s fourth line, he\u2019s capable of playing on the power play and can move up to a bigger role if needed.\u00a0The right wing depth behind Rantanen leaves a bit to be desired, but both Kakko and Tolvanen have performed well internationally.<\/p>\n Defensively, this is where things fall apart a bit. Heiskanen will make his return after making a good first impression at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Since then, he has become easily one of the best young blueliners in the league, and he\u2019ll be leaned on to play north of 22 minutes a night. Beyond that, though, it\u2019s bleak. They\u2019ve got a mix of size and hockey sense, but nobody who can really push the envelope if Heiskanen gets injured or struggles in any way. Ristolainen and Mikkola will bring the size, while Lehtonen \u2013 the lone player without an NHL affiliation \u2013 could step up in more of an offensive role if needed.<\/p>\n If the Finns can steal a game or two in net, they\u2019ll be in excellent shape to at least contend for a semifinal spot. Saros is the pre-tournament favorite to be the No. 1, but, honestly, none of the three goalies on this team has been good. Finland might not be a goalie factory anymore, but all they need is one guy to just get hot at the right time and they\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n SWEDEN \u2013 By Uffe Bodin<\/p>\n Forward lines<\/p>\n Jesper Bratt \u2013 Mika Zibanejad \u2013 Lucas Raymond Defense pairs<\/p>\n Victor Hedman \u2013 Rasmus Dahlin Goaltenders<\/p>\n Filip Gustavsson PP1<\/p>\n Adrian Kempe \u2013 Mika Zibanejad \u2013 William Nylander PK1<\/p>\n Mika Zibanejad \u2013 Joel Eriksson Ek Injuries \u2014 those damn injuries. As we speak, Sweden has several big names on the injury list, and we\u2019ve already been forced to rule out Jonas Brodin and (almost certainly) Leo Carlsson. On top of that, it\u2019s 50-50 whether Gabriel Landeskog will be able to play in Milan. No replacements have been named yet, so we\u2019ve had to work with what\u2019s currently available.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to look at Carlsson as the biggest loss, but when all is said and done, Brodin\u2019s absence is even more troubling. Here\u2019s a defenseman who ranks among the very best defensively in the entire NHL and whose skating is on par with the elite. On top of that, he has the ability to play both the left and right side \u2014 something that would have been a major asset on a blueline featuring only two right-shot defensemen.<\/p>\n If we focus on players who actually will be available (knock on wood), it\u2019s at least encouraging to see Mika Zibanejad starting to resemble the player he once was. After a difficult season last year, he has been a bright spot in what has otherwise been a fairly dense darkness for the New York Rangers<\/a>. That puts him in line for a key role here. Elias Pettersson has taken plenty of criticism for his recent years in Vancouver<\/a>, and yes, the production isn\u2019t what it used to be \u2014 not even close. That said, he\u2019s working extremely hard and trying to impact the game in ways we haven\u2019t really seen from him earlier in his career. That could make him useful as a matchup center. No, it\u2019s probably not ideal given how productive and offensively dangerous he has been, but sometimes you have to adapt to the circumstances.<\/p>\n On the back end, there are question marks surrounding Victor Hedman\u2019s form following a long injury layoff, which he\u2019s expected to return from shortly. Because of that, we\u2019re handing the reins to Rasmus Dahlin as Sweden\u2019s top defenseman. His time has come to shoulder the heavy responsibility and log the biggest minutes. Defensively, Gustav Forsling will also be asked to carry a major load \u2014 especially in the wake of Brodin\u2019s injury.<\/p>\n In goal, Filip Gustavsson feels like the primary option right now. Jacob Markstr\u00f6m is having a tough season in New Jersey<\/a>, and while he brings a wealth of routine and experience that Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt don\u2019t yet have, it\u2019s only natural, based on current form, to place Markstr\u00f6m on the sidelines.<\/p>\n USA \u2013 By Anthony Trudeau<\/p>\n Forward lines<\/p>\n Brady Tkachuk \u2013 Jack Eichel \u2013 Matthew Tkachuk Defense pairs<\/p>\n Quinn Hughes \u2013 Brock Faber Goaltenders<\/p>\n Connor Hellebuyck PP1<\/p>\n Matthew Tkachuk \u2013 Auston Matthews \u2013 Tage Thompson PK1<\/p>\n Dylan Larkin \u2013 J.T. Miller The Team USA forward group already feels more cohesive than it initially looked on paper. That\u2019s because 6\u20196\u2033 sniper Tage Thompson is excelling at center for the surging Buffalo Sabres<\/a> in between scrappy puckhounds and big, two-way wingers. 4 Nations standouts Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy, respectively, fit those descriptions to a tee. Thompson isn\u2019t the only American sniper running hot; Auston Matthews has looked rejuvenated over the past few weeks, and streaking Utah Mammoth<\/a> captain Clayton Keller is a natural choice to play the Mitch Marner role on his wing. Sullivan\u2019s favorite line, the power-speed combo of Tkachuk-Eichel-Tkachuk, rounds out the top nine. <\/p>\n On the blueline, the shutdown chemistry Jaccob Slavin and Brock Faber showed off last February is unlikely to carry over now that Faber partners Quinn Hughes, arguably America\u2019s biggest difference maker, at the NHL level with the Minnesota Wild<\/a>. With Seth Jones\u2019s ill-timed injury limiting Team USA to just two righties, Slavin, who has struggled through injuries of his own all season, will likely patrol his off right side as he has at times with the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a>; dynamic Columbus Blue Jackets <\/a>rover Zach Werenski was also comfortable in that role at the 4 Nations. Some combination of Slavin, the Ottawa Senators\u2019<\/a> Jake Sanderson, quietly enjoying the best season of any American blueliner, and Boston Bruins<\/a> banger Charlie McAvoy will likely draw the toughest D-zone starts.<\/p>\n Special teams shouldn\u2019t be too difficult for Sullivan to sort out. His simplest solution to the power play could be to rely on the elite playmaking skills of Quinn Hughes, Matt Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel to tee up Matthews\u2019s low-slot wrister or Thompson\u2019s howitzer from the left circle.<\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n POST SPONSORED BY bet365<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s almost time. 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Mikael Granlund \u2013 Roope Hintz \u2013 Kaapo Kakko
Eetu Luostarinen \u2013 Anton Lundell \u2013 Eeli Tolvanen
Teuvo Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen \u2013 Oliver Kapanen \u2013 Joel Armia
Joel Kiviranta
(Scratch: Erik Haula)<\/p>\n
Esa Lindell \u2013 Niko Mikkola
Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4 \u2013 Nikolas Matinpalo
Mikko Lehtonen
(Scratch: Henri Jokiharju)<\/p>\n
Kevin Lankinen\u2028
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/p>\n
Miro Heiskanen \u2013 Eeli Tolvanen<\/p>\n
Olli M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4 \u2013 Niko Mikkola<\/p>\n
Filip Forsberg \u2013 Elias Pettersson \u2013 William Nylander
Adrian Kempe \u2013 Joel Eriksson Ek \u2013 Gabriel Landeskog
Rickard Rakell \u2013 Alexander Wennberg \u2013 Elias Lindholm
Pontus Holmberg
(14th forward TBD)<\/p>\n
Gustav Forsling \u2013 Erik Karlsson
Oliver Ekman-Larsson \u2013 Rasmus Andersson
Philip Broberg
(8th defenseman TBD)<\/p>\n
Jesper Wallstedt
(Scratch: Jacob Markstr\u00f6m)<\/p>\n
Rasmus Dahlin \u2013 Lucas Raymond\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gustav Forsling \u2013 Rasmus Andersson<\/p>\n
Kyle Connor \u2013 Auston Matthews \u2013 Clayton Keller
Jake Guentzel \u2013 Tage Thompson \u2013 Matthew Boldy
J.T. Miller \u2013 Dylan Larkin \u2013 Brock Nelson
Jack Hughes
(Scratch: Vincent Trocheck)<\/p>\n
Zach Werenski \u2013 Charlie McAvoy
Jake Sanderson \u2013 Jaccob Slavin
Noah Hanifin
(Scratch: Jackson LaCombe)<\/p>\n
Jeremy Swayman
(Scratch: Jake Oettinger)<\/p>\n
Quinn Hughes \u2013 Jack Eichel<\/p>\n
Jake Sanderson \u2013 Jaccob Slavin<\/p>\n