You know the offseason is in full swing when the major networks start talking about hypothetical scenarios, such as trying to predict a country’s Olympic roster. This morning, they released their projected roster for Team Canada, and two Montreal Canadiens players made the cut.
Returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, goaltender Samuel Montembeault finds himself in the backup’s spot behind Jordan Binnington, with Logan Thomson completing the trio. While the Canadiens’ goaltender made the 4 Nations’ roster, he didn’t get the opportunity to play; however, just practicing with Team Canada was a great experience in itself.
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The second Canadiens to make TSN’s projected Team Canada roster is captain Nick Suzuki. He was ignored for the 4 Nations’ tournament, but after the break, he was red hot and opened a lot of eyes around the league. He once again played all 82 games and, for the first time, became a point-per-game player, reaching 89 points, including 30 goals and 59 assists. He does a lot more than just putting up points, however.
He has proven this past season that he is a real leader, capable of putting his team on his back when needed and carrying it. Furthermore, he has experience on both special teams and can be productive on the man-advantage, as well as shut down the opposition when down a man.
TSN has him penciled in on the third line between Brandon Hagel and Mitch Marner. The top line consists of Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid, and Brayden Point, while the second features Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Travis Konecny. As for the fourth line, it includes Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Washington Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson. They’ve added Brad Marchand and Mark Scheifele as their extras.
On the blueline, the first pairing is formed by Devon Toews and Cale Makar, the second by Josh Morrissey and Colton Parayko, the third by Shea Theodore and Drew Doughty. Finally, they’ve added Thomas Harley and MacKenzie Weegar as their extras.
There’s no denying that this would be a solid side, but could another Canadiens have been included? Perhaps Noah Dobson could throw his hat into the ring. In eight games at the World Championships last Spring, he was able to gather four points in eight games while keeping a plus-eight rating.
It will be interesting to see how many Canadiens manage to make their respective countries’ team for the Olympics. The countries have until December 31, 2025, to announce their complete roster.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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