The 4 Nations was the first time we got to see best on best hockey since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. Now, the 2026 Winter Olympics have even more anticipation than usual this year, especially from hockey fans. NHL players will be participating in the Olympics for the first time since 2014, leaving fans and experts speculating on who will be representing their respective countries.
One of the most interesting teams to me is obviously Canada. Not only because I’m Canadian, but Hockey Canada has a reputation for thinking they’re smarter than everybody, and for thinking other countries will bow down to them because they’re Canada. The fear factor they used to have over other countries is now gone.
But after winning gold at the 4 Nations, we got a glimpse of what the Canadian roster may look like. You could definitely make the argument that Canada should be making the fewest changes, considering they won the 4 Nations. However, that philosophy could get you in trouble and has gotten Canada in trouble the last couple of years at the World Juniors.
Let’s take an in-depth look at what Canada’s lineup may look like for the 2026 Olympics. We’ll go position by position.
Point—McDavid—Reinhart
All three of these guys were among Canada’s first six players selected to be on this team. Also, they played together at times during the 4 Nations and showed signs of great chemistry.
Connor McDavid is going to do Connor McDavid things regardless of who he’s playing with. With the bigger ice surface, he could be even more dominant. Putting a guy like Point on the wing with him would be huge. Even though Point usually plays centre, at the 4 Nations, he showed he was very comfortable playing on the wing. Jon Cooper being the head coach helps because he, of all people, knows what the point is capable of doing.
Sam Reinhart was a nominee for the Frank J. Selke Trophy last season, awarded to the NHL’s best defensive forward. On top of that, Reinhart had 81 points in 79 games, including 39 goals. Reinhart has cemented himself as one of the best players in the league and is effective on both sides of the ice.
Even though Reinhart and Point didn’t light up the scoresheet for Canada last year, they’re both more than capable of playing first-line minutes and matching up with other countries’ best lines on both sides of the ice.
Crosby—MacKinnon—Celebrini
Just when you think you’ve survived the McDavid line, and you can take a breath, comes this second line of MacKinnon, Crosby and Celebrini. This line would do some serious damage with two guys who are right up there for the best players in the world.
Crosby, even though he’s getting up there in age, still has it, scoring 91 points last season at 37 years old. If you pair him with probably the second-best player in the world, Nathan MacKinnon, they’ll do some damage together. Some people think that this year will be a “passing of the torch” type of year for Crosby, but it’s hard to believe that considering how dominant he is for his age.
MacKinnon’s explosiveness will give him the freedom to essentially do whatever he wants out there. Especially considering that other teams’ best defensive lines will likely play against the McDavid line. Similar to McDavid, teams get scared when Mackinnon gets the puck with speed, and the one-two punch at the centre of McDavid and Mackinnon will be hard for teams to stop.
The only player who’s difficult to evaluate here is Celebrini, because he’s only 19 years old and hasn’t played a lot in his career just yet. However, he had 63 points in 70 games last season and was at a Calder Trophy-type pace prior to sustaining an injury. On top of that, he played alongside MacKinnon and Crosby at the World Championship and had six points in eight games. If Celebrini has a good start to his season, I could see him earning a roster spot and reuniting with MacKinnon and Crosby on that second line.
Marner—Suzuki—Johnston
This third line would be a nightmare to play against. You got one of the most offensively gifted players in the entire league, paired with two two-way players who also would be a matchup nightmare.
A couple of players had incredible seasons to the point where it’s absurd that they were left off the 4 Nations roster. Nick Suzuki is one of those players. Suzuki is the most underrated player in the NHL, in my opinion. He was left off the 4 Nations roster despite having 30 goals and 89 points for the Montreal Canadiens last season. He was seventh in scoring among Canadian-born players last season, and I think he will continue that this season and be a lock to make the Canadian roster.
Marner the third-liner
Mitch Marner is an absolute lock to be on this team, and to be honest, I think most people would argue he belongs in the top-six. He had 102 points last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and will likely have similar stats with Vegas next season. During the 4 Nations, Marner spent time on the second line and even set up McDavid for the OT winner in the championship game. Pretty self-explanatory why Marner is on the list, some of you may be surprised he isn’t higher up in the lineup.
Wyatt Johnston is one of the most talented young players in the NHL, and I think he’s going to make tremendous strides next season and earn a roster spot. Last season, Johnston had 71 points and 33 goals. I think Johnston will have another huge season this year, which he is no stranger to. In the OHL, he scored 30 points as a 17-year-old in 2019–20. COVID-19 hit, and there were no games in the OHL, but he came back in 2021–22 and put up 124 points. We are seeing the beginning of an absolute stud. I think he’ll almost for sure be on the team come next February.
Hagel—Bennett—Wilson
Speaking of nightmares to play against, this line would be frightening. They would be like the Hanson brothers in Slap Shot. Last year at the 4 Nations, Team USA was throwing their bodies around. This line is an attempt to give some of that physicality back!
Sam Bennett was the playoff MVP from this past season. Do I need to say more? On top of that, he had 51 points last season. Nothing amazing, but the Olympics will bring a playoff-like atmosphere and feel, so why not have one of the most irritating players in the whole league on your team?
Brandon Hagel is an obvious one. This guy casually had 90 points last year; he’s a guy similar to Bennett who will annoy the heck out of you but also put up points. You need that from your fourth line; if your team can produce up and down the lineup, you will be very tough to play against. Hagel was on the team last year, so he’s already proven he is deserving of a spot.
Wilson snub?
Tom Wilson had 33 goals last year, and fans considered him to be one of the key snubs off the 4 Nations roster. Wilson can put up points, but on this team, he shouldn’t have to. Their entire job is to wear down the opponent. Wilson is arguably the most physical of the three on this fourth line.
Some extra forwards to look out for are Seth Jarvis, Mark Scheifele, and Robert Thomas. Jarvis made the team for the 4 Nations and had 67 points for the Carolina Hurricanes last season. Scheifele was one of the biggest snubs off the 4 Nations roster last year. He had 39 goals last season, which was second among all Canadian-born players. Robert Thomas is due for a breakout season. He led the whole league in points following the 4 Nations with 45.
Makar—Toews
On the first pair, we have Cale Makar and Devon Toews. They play together for the Colorado Avalanche and are one of the best defensive pairings in the entire league. They were also the top pairing for Canada last year at the 4 Nations, and I’d say that worked out pretty well.
Cale Makar is the best offensive defenceman we’ve seen in the NHL since Bobby Orr. He seems to be a favourite to win the Norris Trophy for best defenceman every year, and that’s because he is far and away the best defenceman in the NHL. Plus, he’ll play a minimum of 20 minutes per game and will be even more effective on the bigger ice surface.
Some of you may think the main reason Devon Toews will play for Canada is because he plays with Makar in Colorado, and you may be right. However, he had 10 goals and 34 points last season. Plus, he’s got chemistry with Makar, and they bring out the best in one another.
Theodore—Harley
Our second defensive pairing is Thomas Harley and Shea Theodore. They won’t have the offensive ability of Makar, but no one does. Harley and Theodore will be a very solid second pairing on both sides of the ice. Harley was a replacement for Makar’s illness during the tournament, and if it wasn’t for Shea Theodore also sustaining an injury, we might not have seen him quickly become one of Canada’s best defencemen.
Shea Theodore has won a Stanley Cup with Vegas and had 57 points in 67 games last season. He would’ve been a big part of Canada’s defence core had he not been injured in game one against Sweden. Plus minus is a big stat for defencemen, and Theodore had the second-highest plus minus of his career last season at 18 despite being injured for part of the year.
Thomas Harley really impressed everyone during the 4 Nations last year after being a last-minute addition. Harley turns 24 later this month, and he had 50 points last season in his third season as a full-time NHLer. He also had 14 points in the Dallas Stars’ 18 playoff games. This pairing will shut you down but also spark some offence in the process.
Morrissey—Parayko
The third pairing is Josh Morrissey and Colton Parayko, and this pairing is the shutdown pair. I was very tempted to put Drew Doughty in here for a veteran presence, but I think Canada will have seven defencemen better than Doughty.
Morrissey had 62 points in 80 games last season, good enough for second among anyone in this lineup, only behind Cale Makar. Morrissey is the definition of a two-way defenceman; he can generate offence with the best offensive defencemen in the league, but is also smart defensively. He could likely slide into second-pairing minutes and be just fine.
Colton Parayko is also a Stanley Cup champion. He is 6’6 and 228 pounds of pure Alberta beef. Based on his fight against the Americans alone, I’d have him pencilled in on my Olympic roster. Parayko is big, physical, and could get points if you need him to. He had 16 goals and 36 points in 64 games for the St. Louis Blues last season. He likely could’ve had more had he not missed time due to a knee injury.
Some extra defencemen to keep an eye on Drew Doughty, as I mentioned. Just because he was on the team last year, I think he and Parayko would work well together if it came down to that. The other one is Mackenzie Weegar because of his two-way ability, and the fact that many thought he should’ve been Theodore’s replacement at the 4 Nations.
Goalies
The goalie position is fairly simple. Jordan Binnington will be the starter because of his performance during the 4 Nations, especially in the championship game against Team USA. Binnington made three or four point-blank saves to keep the game going and undoubtedly was the hero for Canada, even though McDavid scored the game-winner.
The backup should be Logan Thompson, but he wasn’t invited to the camp, so it will probably be Adin Hill with Sam Montembeault as the third goalie, only because those three were the only ones invited to the camp. In my mind, it’s Binnington’s net to lose because even though the goaltending was considered to be the weakness for the Canadians at the 4 Nations. Binnington silenced the doubters really quickly.
It will be interesting to see who’s in and who’s out for Canada in the coming months. Their biggest strength is depth, so Jon Cooper and the staff have some difficult decisions to make.
