There are fewer than 100 days until the 2026 Winter Olympics kick off in Milan, meaning there are even fewer days for each of the 12 nations competing to announce their rosters.

One of the most anticipated aspects of these roster announcements is how Team Canada decides on which goaltenders they select. 

When it comes to Canada’s goaltending, a few names come to mind. St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington and Vegas Golden Knights’ Adin Hill are likely candidates for these upcoming Olympics as they were the first and second choice, respectively, at the 4 Nations Foce-Off last year.

However, Los Angeles Kings’ netminder Darcy Kuemper deserves some love in that conversation.

However, while he’s in a position to make a case to take one of the three goalie spots on that roster, there is some competition that could stand in his way.

Kuemper has been solid for the Kings since returning from his minor lower-body injury. Since Oct. 21, the 35-year-old netminder has the second-most wins in the NHL with four, tied with Utah Mammoth’s Karel Vejmelka.

Kuemper recorded a .914 save percentage in that span, ninth-best in that category. In addition, he sits in fifth in goals-against average, registering a 2.24 GAA. 

He also recorded an impressive shutout against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday in the Kings’ 3-0 win.

Numbers like that should be good enough to be one of the three goalies named to Team Canada. Unfortunately for last season’s Vezina Trophy finalist, Logan Thompson has been arguably the best goaltender in the NHL.

Washington Capitals’ Thompson leads the NHL in several goaltending categories, including GAA (1.45) and SP (.938) among goaltenders who have played at least four games this season.

Thompson, 28, is making it impossible for Canada’s GM Doug Armstrong to leave him off the roster.

Even NHL.com has Binnington, Hill and Thompson as the three goalies to go to the Olympics in their projected rosters.

When Is It Time To Be Concerned About Canada's Goaltending For The Olympics? While Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill remain locks to be in Milan, the No. 3 spot could see a change with Sam Montembeault struggling to start the season

Despite the projection of Binnington and Hill getting on the roster, Kuemper is currently outplaying both of them. Neither Binnington nor Hill is above the .900 SP level - Kuemper hits that number on the nose.

One circumstance that isn’t in Kuemper’s favor is that Armstrong, Canada’s GM, is also the GM of the Blues. So Binnington is likely to receive the benefit of the doubt to be called for the national team because of that, in addition to leading Canada in the pipes for their 4 Nations triumph.

That leaves Vegas’ Hill for Kuemper to beat out, in addition to other Canadian goaltenders, including Stuart Skinner, Cam Talbot, and some others who are fighting to get their name in the mix.

Ultimately, Kuemper likely finds himself as a fringe Olympic player at the moment, around the third to fifth most likely to be called for Milan in 2026.

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