The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, continue to rapidly approach, and a significant roster drop has hit the NHL. It's the first Olympics with NHL involvement since the 2014 edition. As was the case in 2014, the Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] will have players on multiple teams throughout the tournament. It'd already been revealed that David Pastrnak [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins/latest-news/bruins-news-david-pastrnak-pavel-zacha-get-big-opportunity] would lead the Czech team, as one of the first six players named to the team last June. Czechia also announced in June that Pavel Zacha [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins/latest-news/bruins-news-david-pastrnak-pavel-zacha-get-big-opportunity] will be on the Olympic team. Matej Blümel also has a chance to make the team, but the injury that cost him a month of this season will not help his cause. Czechia has not yet announced its full roster, but an announcement is expected within the coming days. Meanwhile, Canada, the USA, Sweden, and Finland have all released their rosters within the last 48 hours. The Bruins will have strong representation throughout, with Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman once again making the US team. Henri Jokiharju will play for Finland, while Elias Lindholm made Team Canada. All four of those players played in last season's 4 Nations Face-Off for their respective countries, and will do so again in the Olympics. The most notable snub is Hampus Lindholm, who shockingly did not make Team Sweden, a baffling decision. Sweden opted to take Phillip Broberg over Lindholm. Just over a year ago, Lindholm was considered a total lock for the 4 Nations' Face-Off, but then he suffered a season-ending injury and could not play. He's returned at the same high level, yet somehow gets passed over for the less-proven Broberg and the defensively weak Oliver Ekman-Larsson. It's a shocking decision, one that Sweden could very easily regret come tournament time. The other major snub would be Morgan Geekie, who scored the second-most goals in all of 2025, receiving little to no consideration from the Canadian team, who opted for players like Tom Wilson and Anthony Cirelli to round out their depth. In goal, Joonas Korpisalo could argue to make the Finland team, but it's not overly shocking to see Kevin Lankinen win the third goalie job. The countdown to the Olympics is on. The Bruins will have at least six players there, a number that can only grow.
