It is nearly time for the first men’s hockey games of the 2026 Winter Olympics to get underway, and with NHL players being allowed back at the games for the first time since the 2014 games in Sochi, hockey fans from around the world will be watching with anticipation to see who comes out on top.
One group of fans in particular that will be keeping an eye on the games will be the Toronto Maple Leafs fans, as three Leafs will be taking part in this year’s games. Right-winger William Nylander and defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will represent Sweden, while Leafs star captain Auston Matthews will suit up for the USA, where he has also been named as team captain.
Even though we have seen Team Sweden and Team USA in recent memory at the 4 Nations Face-Off, it will be very interesting to see how these Leafs players mesh with their Olympic teammates. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the lines and pairings that each of the three Leafs will likely be a part of ahead of the first games on Wednesday.
Auston Matthews
Beginning with the Leafs’ captain, he had a goalless showing at the 4 Nations but managed to pick up three assists. American fans are hoping that he can flip the script and be a key player this time around, hopefully helping them take home gold in the process.
According to Daily Faceoff, Matthews is currently expected to centre Team USA’s top line, with Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel and Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy on the wings. Guentzel is having a solid second season with the Lightning, with 26 goals and 60 points in 55 games, and Boldy is having a great season as well, with 32 goals and 62 points in 54 games. Throw a renowned scorer like Matthews in the mix, and that should be a very exciting line for the Americans.
Matthews is also slated to play with Guentzel on Team USA’s top power-play unit, along with Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, Vegas Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel and Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski. As far as top power-play units go, that has to be one of the most solid on paper, and in general, Matthews has no shortage of talent alongside him for the 2026 Olympics.
William Nylander
Nylander is in a bit of a weird spot right now, as he is listed as questionable for Sweden’s tournament opener against Italy on Wednesday due to a groin injury, according to TSN’s Mark Masters. Also, according to the TSN article, though, when Nylander is available—hopefully at least by Friday’s matchup with Finland—he is projected to be a winger on Sweden’s top line alongside Wild centre Joel Eriksson Ek and Los Angeles Kings winger Adrian Kempe.
Both Eriksson Ek and Kempe are currently having fairly good NHL seasons, with Eriksson Ek putting up 15 goals and 40 points in 52 games, and Kempe having 20 goals and 46 points through 56 games. With these stats in mind, Nylander will certainly have some solid help on the top line, but with his current 52 points in just 40 games, Nylander will undoubtedly be who the Swedes look to for point production on this top line.
While there is no official word on Nylander’s place in either of Sweden’s power-play units, it is safe to say he will likely be in the top group. As of right now, Sweden’s first unit is listed as containing Eriksson Ek, Boston Bruins forward Elias Lindholm, Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond, New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. Truly a fine unit as is, but swap Nylander in for one of the forwards listed, and this could be a power-play group that can score in bunches.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
While Matthews and Nylander are certainly the bigger names from the Leafs competing in the Olympics, D-man Ekman-Larsson is the only of the three to have competed in the games before, playing for Sweden at the Sochi games in 2014, and taking home a silver medal in the process. But now, 12 years later, the now 34-year-old Ekman-Larsson will go from being the new kid on the defensive block to being one of the team’s more seasoned veterans.
While Daily Faceoff doesn’t currently have Ekman-Larsson listed on any of Sweden’s defensive pairings according to their most recent updates, they did previously predict that the Leafs rearguard would play alongside the Vegas Golden Knights’ Rasmus Andersson. The 29-year-old Andersson has had a fairly decent offensive season—11 goals and 34 points in 56 games—considering he was traded to Vegas in January and was shrouded in a plethora of trade rumours prior to the deal going down. And if Ekman-Larsson is, in fact, paired with Andersson, the Leafs defenceman can rest assured knowing he has a rather elite, and younger, D-man to bail him out when things get rough.
