A Canadian team with Connor Bedard, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Matthew Schaefer, Noah Dobson and more sounds like it could compete for gold at the Olympics, but they're all snubs.
The most difficult thing about putting together a Team Canada roster for any international event might be the blowback you receive for players you left off the roster.
And that's certainly the case for Canada's entry in the 2026 Olympic Games, which was announced Wednesday. Did Canada pick the right players? If it comes back with gold, the unequivocal answer is yes. If not, well, let the second guessing begin.
What we do know is that even with the players Canada left off, it could put together a wagon.
Who is on Canada's all-snub Olympic team? Find out by watching today's video column.
Web editor Jonathan Tovell has more analysis below.
These forwards prove how many options the Canadians had to build what they believe is the perfect Olympic roster.
Wyatt Johnston and Mark Scheifele are among the top 15 scorers in the NHL, with 45 piece points each heading into New Year's Day action.
Morgan Geekie is tied for second in goal-scoring. And Connor Bedard, who's missed eight games due to injury, has 44 points and ranks fifth in points per game, at 1.42.
Sam Bennett, Seth Jarvis and Travis Konecny were on the 4 Nations Face-Off team, with Bennett being one of the most notable snubs off Team Canada. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy last post-season, and despite having a slow start to the season, he had 17 points in 15 games in December.
Just listen to Ken talk about this group of defensemen. The excitement of assembling eight players who may be more dynamic overall than the actual Canadian defense corps is palpable.
Evan Bouchard, Jakob Chychrun and Darren Raddysh are among the NHL's top 10 scorers by a defenseman. Chychrun leads all defensemen in goal-scoring, and Raddysh is tied for fifth with Matthew Schaefer.
Noah Dobson, meanwhile, is tied for third among NHL defensemen in blocked shots, with 95.
Sure, the Colorado Avalanche lead the league and could break the record for most points in a season, but their goalies do deserve a ton of credit. The Avalanche lead the NHL in save percentage, at .919, according to naturalstattrick.com.
Jet Greaves has had an impressive season so far as well, with 15.5 goals saved above expected on the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to moneypuck.com.
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