With the recent announcement that NHL players will participate in the next two Winter Olympic Games, which current Habs players could compete?
It's been 10 years since NHL players suited up for their respective countries to compete in the highest level of international hockey: the Winter Olympics.
In 2014, Team Canada captured gold with the help of guys like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Shea Weber, P.K. Subban, Patrick Sharp, John Tavares, and Carey Price. Even Martin St. Louis, the current Habs head coach, made the team, replacing an injured Steve Stamkos on the roster.
So with NHL-caliber talent returning to the Olympics in 2026, when the Games go to Milan, Italy, many are already speculating as to which players will fill out rosters for Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland, and more.
The Connors, McDavid and Bedard, and Nathan MacKinnon all seem like obvious choices for Team Canada. J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and any or all of the Hughes brothers could easily slot in for Team USA. Elias Pettersson, Victor Hedman, Mikko Rantanen, and Alexander Barkov are likely candidates for the Swedish and Finnish national teams. Czechia will probably get to root for David Pastrnak, and the Germans will hope to see Leon Draisaitl representing their country.
But let's take this exercise to a different level, and ponder which, if any, current Montreal Canadiens players could be tapped to appear for their nation in Milan. The competition to crack the Team Canada lineup could be tough, but other countries might have some obvious picks sitting on the Canadiens' roster right now.
On this week's episode of Habs Hockey Report, I reveal three current Habs players I think could compete in the 2026 Olympics, and I toss a "wild card" selection in as well. Click the video to watch the full episode: Road to Milan: Predicting Montreal Canadiens 2026 Winter Olympics Selections
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48HYVcYbXBw[/embed]
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