With NHL players allowed at the Olympics again, a handful of Red Wings could play in the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. Here's a look at who could make Team USA.

For the first time since 2014, NHL players will play in the 2026 Olympics.

With the blessings of the NHL and IIHF, the Milano Cortina games will be a true best-on-best tournament, and there could be a few Red Wings among those world class talents. German defenseman Moritz Seider is almost a lock for his country’s roster, while Swedish forward Lucas Raymond and Canadian defenseman Jake Walman will likely be in the mix for theirs. When it comes to the United States team, there are a few options from Detroit in the mix.

Following Team USA’s introductory press conference Thursday, here’s a look at which Red Wings might make the American roster and what they might bring to it.

Dylan Larkin

Out of all the Red Wings, Larkin feels like a lock for the 2026 Olympics. He plays a quick and versatile game, makes the right offensive reads with consistency, and knows how to lead a locker room. While he hasn’t played in a Men’s World Championship since 2019, he’s not going to miss his first opportunity at the Olympics. It’s more a question of where he plays in the lineup than whether he makes the roster.

I think Larkin will be used primarily for his defensive abilities, considering more potent scoring centers will probably make the roster such as Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and Jack Hughes. Larkin might slot in somewhere in the bottom six as a center, or perhaps he could shift back to the wing like he started his NHL career. His speed will make him valuable anywhere in the lineup, especially on the penalty kill should he be used in that role.

In terms of leadership, Larkin could be a candidate for some sort of captaincy role. 2026 team general manager Bill Guerin noted at his introductory press conference that he wants to find an experienced leader who can connect players, coaches and staff.

“I think it's gonna be very important for all the players to have a high level of buy-in, because what happens in these tournaments is everybody’s a star,” Guerin said. “Everybody’s a star on their team. Everybody scores, everybody plays on the powerplay, but that’s not going to be the case. So we need guys that are going to be thinking team-first, winning-first and personal accolades and points and stuff like that second.”

Larkin was an alternate captain for the 2017 World Championship team on which Guerin served as an assistant general manager. Larkin was also an alternate in 2018 and 2019. If he can serve as that uniting force for the American team, Larkin could be in the running for a letter.

Patrick Kane

Kane is in a proverbial race against the clock. He’s arguably the greatest American scorer of all-time, and he's been a fixture of American international teams for nearly two decades. Yet, injuries and age might keep him from participating in his third-ever Olympics come 2026.

As far as this season goes, Kane has been productive with 16 points in 19 games, but he isn’t the same player he was when he represented the USA in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. It’s difficult to predict whether he’ll be able to play in Milano Cortina 2026, two seasons from now.

Regardless of whether he actually skates for Team USA, it’s really hard to imagine he won’t be a part of the process in some capacity. At the very least, I expect that Kane would chip in as an advisor for the Americans considering just how much he has meant for USA Hockey.

It’s much more likely that Kane might play in the 2025 Four Nations tournament, which occurs next season in lieu of the NHL All-Star Game. Even if other players might surpass him in terms of overall production and abilities, Kane’s proven track record as a winner makes him an addition that could really help guide the Americans.

Alex DeBrincat

In the 2019 IIHF Men’s World Championship, DeBrincat scored seven goals and nine points in just eight games. Only Cutter Gauthier and Rocco Grimaldi have scored that many goals for Team USA since, though it took them 10 games in the 2023 men’s championship to do so. Look at it this way, DeBrincat is a goal scorer who the Americans could benefit from.

There are other options to provide that scoring touch, though, such as Montreal winger Cole Caufield, Buffalo center Tage Thompson or Dallas winger Jason Robertson. In other words, DeBrincat’s ability as a goalscorer doesn’t make him a lock for this roster alone.

“Our player pool is so deep,” Guerin said. “And the thing is that we’ve developed such high-end talent. ... We have skilled centers. We have shutdown D. We have abrasive wingers. We have 100-point guys. We have good role players. There’s just so much to choose from.”

Should they choose DeBrincat, he could also bring some juice to the power play, as he has for the Red Wings during a few hot streaks this season. His shot commands respect, and he’s a skilled enough passer to find open teammates when he’s under pressure.

Even if it won’t guarantee his selection, DeBrincat’s scoring touch is sure to give him a chance to make the Olympic team. What he can show in terms of versatility could help him separate from the pack.

J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp

In J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp, Guerin and his staff might have a couple of veteran players who can provide a different look in the bottom six. Both played for that 2017 Men’s Worlds team Guerin helped create in much the same capacity.

It might be easy to assemble a team full of the best American players by talent, but more talent coming out of the country means that Team USA can make decisions based on chemistry, too. Guerin said he plans to use other tournaments including the Four Nations and Men’s World Championship to evaluate how his team might fit together, especially since NHLers haven’t played in the Olympics for 10 years.

“I don’t know how much more outside of the box we can really get, but I think it’s important that we find a good mix,” Guerin said. “Players that can fill each and every role because it’s not an All-Star game. We’re trying to put together the best team, the best chemistry that we can, (and) that we can find quickly.”

In Compher and Copp, the Americans find options for versatile two-way contributors. Both can also kill penalties, an asset when special teams matter so much in international competition. While these two seem like long shots to make the roster, they’re likely to get a shot.

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