Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point is injured, opening the door for Connor Bedard to go to the Olympics.
Hockey Canada did not name Connor Bedard to its initial roster for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. That decision has driven a lot of speculative conversation, but he is listed as someone who could be called in as an injury replacement.
Nobody wants anyone to get hurt. The hope is that the team listed goes to Milan healthy. With that said, it is the nature of the sport for there to be at least one or two injuries that force replacements.
Canada GM Doug Armstrong did say that the type of player who gets hurt would influence who the replacement is. For Bedard, a goal-scoring offensive player who can play center or wing would be where he comes in.
On Monday night, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point injured himself during their 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. He did not return to the game after leaving.
On Tuesday, ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Jon Cooper confirmed that Point avoided the worst-case scenario, which would be his season ending. Instead, he is week-to-week.
Being week-to-week at this stage of the colander puts the Olympics in jeopardy. Point is one of Canada’s most prolific offensive players. A player like him is hard to replace, but Connor Bedard is one of the better candidates for that type of role.
There is still time for Canada to make a decision, but Connor Bedard’s Olympic window is open. Health was a concern for Bedard when the roster was announced, as he was still recovering from his shoulder injury. However, he has since come back and played very well.
Brayden Point has a much longer history of being elite than Bedard, but there is no question as to who is having the better season up to this point. Through 37 games played this season, Point has 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points, which is well off his usual point-per-game pace. As for Bedard, he has 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points in 33 games played.
Experience in big pro-style games is the only thing Point has on Bedard. If he can't go to the games when the time comes, Bedard is the perfect replacement.
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