The 2026 Winter Olympics are quickly approaching, and multiple Florida Panthers players are expected to play critical roles for their teams.
Aleksander Barkov is all but confirmed to miss the Olympics, and Matthew Tkachuk’s health remains in question, but Team Canada could be bringing along several Panthers players.
According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Canada’s management staff is keeping a close eye on the Panthers.
To begin, he mentioned that Brad Marchand is virtually a lock to make the roster, as long as he is healthy. Marchand leads the Panthers in goals and points with 10 goals and 16 points in 14 games. LeBrun mentioned that Marchand’s play is worthy of making the team, but what Canada most appreciates is the 37-year-old’s vocal leadership.
“Beyond that, there’s another critical reason that Marchand and Doughty have added value: their vocal leadership within the group at 4 Nations was felt to be vital to the success of that team,” said Lebrun. “Obviously, Sidney Crosby is one of the greatest captains in the sport’s history, but overall, there were a lot of quiet, lead-by-example types in that dressing room. Marchand and Doughty were notable exceptions. They were front and center, keeping things light and helping run the room when something needed to be said, while also soaking up an outsized share of the media responsibilities. It left a lasting impression.”
Unlike Marchand, Sam Reinhart is already locked into the lineup, as he was selected as one of the first six players.
Sam Bennett, who featured on Team Canada’s 4 Nations roster, isn’t exactly a lock to make the team, but he almost is. Team Canada appreciates his Stanley Cup pedigree and would likely bring him a long.
“Sam Bennett has struggled out of the gates for the Florida Panthers this season, but Team Canada management is aware of his back-to-back Stanley Cup performances, and he’s pretty much a lock, too.”
The final player on Team Canada’s radar is defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The 29-year-old defenseman hasn’t lit up the scoreboard this season with just one goal and four points, but he’s stout defensively and a physical monster on the blueline, traits Canada loves to have on their teams.
“Ekblad’s recent championship rings with Florida put him in the conversation, as well. We don’t think Rielly and Weegar have done enough this season to significantly improve their chances.”
LeBrun also mentioned that there may not be much, if any, turnover regarding Canada’s backend, as they thought very highly of their defense corp at the 4 Nations. But alongside Ekblad, Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, Brandon Montour, Morgan Rielly, MacKenzie Weegar, and Matthew Schaefer comprise the list of defenders competing for a spot.
It’ll be interesting to see how the predictions change from now until the final selections are made, but this week, Canada’s management staff will meet and discuss amongst themselves.
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