Three weeks after Tampa Bay's Brayden Point suffered a lower-body injury, Lightning teammate Anthony Cirelli left Sunday's outdoor game against the Boston Bruins after taking a hit from Mark Kastelic.
Bust out the bubble wrap.
There are only 10 days to go before Canada plays its first game at the Olympics. But considering how many players are going down with injuries lately, the tournament cannot start soon enough.
Three weeks after Tampa Bay's Brayden Point suffered a lower-body injury, Lightning teammate Anthony Cirelli left Sunday's outdoor game against the Boston Bruins after taking a hit from Mark Kastelic.
Cirelli appeared to be favoring his shoulder and was visibly pain on the bench before exiting in the first period. Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who described the injury as "kind of a stinger," did not have an update following the game.
"Cirelli's a tough kid. For him not to come back, clearly there's something wrong with him," Cooper told reporters. "So hopefully he'll be OK. There's some big games coming up ahead for him."
It's unknown whether Point, who skated with the Lightning this week, and Cirelli will be ready for the Olympics. But according to Dr. Harjas Grewal, a family doctor in B.C., who also attempts to diagnose sports injuries while watching TV, Cirelli looked like he may have suffered a separated shoulder.
"Time off depends on type but these are often week-to-week injuries," tweeted Dr. Grewal on X. "Doubt much of an update tonight, most likely something tomorrow after more detailed imaging."
If so, Cirelli's timeline could be problematic for an Olympic tournament that begins on Feb. 11, with Canada playing Czechia on the following day.
Cirelli, who has 15 goals and 35 points in 49 games this season, was selected for Team Canada more for his two-way game and penalty-killing ability than his offense. He was the fourth-line center at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where his face-off prowess was on full display.
If the Canadian team is looking for another center matching Cirelli's specific role, you would have to think that Florida's Sam Bennett is a top choice.
Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in 2025, was a member of the Canadian team that won at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he scored a goal in three games. With Florida's Aleksander Barkov out for the season, Bennett has filled in as the Panthers' No. 1 center, scoring 19 goals and 42 points in 54 games.
"I know there's so many talented players that were not announced to Team Canada," former NHL goalie and current NHL analyst Martin Biron told TSN. "But if you want to fill that role, you want a center that can play bottom-six, and a penalty killer … Sam Bennett is your guy."
Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele, who has 27 goals and 65 points in 54 games — 10th most of any player in the NHL — is another option. Scheifele has also posted a 46.1 winning face-off percentage, however, he does not kill penalties, something that Bennett does.
The decision becomes a bit tougher when you also consider Point's ongoing health concerns.
“We avoided the worst case scenario," Cooper said back in January. "His season is not over."
Though Point began skating with the Lightning recently, he still hasn't played in over a month. Even if he were to go to Milan, there's a chance he might not be 100% himself after also missing time in November and struggling offensively this season.
If that's the case, and Point heads to Milan more of as a extra skater, maybe Team Canada looks at someone like Connor Bedard, Wyatt Johnston or even winger Zach Hyman. After all, Point was originally slated to play on Connor McDavid's wing, something that Hyman has more than enough experience with.
You could then have Bo Horvat, who was considered an extra skater, slide into Cirelli's spot as the third- or fourth-line center.
Either way, Canada better hope that no one else gets injured between now and the start of the Olympics.
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