When Elliotte Friedman calls someone “a lock” for Canada's Olympic team, it's no throwaway line. It’s a telling reflection of where that player stands in the national conversation—and, in Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim’s case, it’s a sign of how dramatically his reputation has shifted over the past couple of seasons.
On the latest edition of 32 Thoughts, Friedman didn’t hesitate when listing the defensemen he believes are essentially guaranteed spots on Canada’s Olympic roster at the current moment. Along with names like Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, and Devon Toews—fixtures of modern Canadian blue-line excellence—he included Sanheim.
The Context: 4-Nations and a Growing Résumé
Sanheim’s case for Olympic consideration grew substantially during this year’s 4-Nations Face-Off, where he represented Canada alongside Flyers teammate (and close friend) Travis Konecny. While the tournament was a small sample, it gave Hockey Canada something they’d lacked before: a meaningful evaluation of Sanheim against the core of other nations’ top groups.
Siobhan's Opinion: Doubt Over Travis Sanheim And Travis Konecny’s Team Canada Call-Ups Show Severe Misunderstanding Of Flyers
These critiques reveal less about Sanheim and Konecny’s merit and more about the glaring lack of understanding non-Flyers fans have about the duo—and, frankly, about the Flyers as a whole.
And he looked entirely comfortable, even though he wasn't playing super heavy minutes in that tournament. He proved himself to be calm under pressure, efficient with his touches, and reliable defensively without retreating into passivity. The version of Sanheim that’s emerged in recent years—more assertive, more confident, more controlled—translated seamlessly to the international stage.
Friedman captured that sentiment directly, saying, “If you look at the defense from 4-Nations, I think Team Canada is happy with a lot of those guys… These are gonna be high-pressure games. Can you command your emotions and control yourself in big games? You look at the D, and a lot of those guys have played a lot of big games. I think Harley’s a lock; I think Makar’s a lock; I think Morrissey’s a lock; I think Parayko’s a lock; I think Sanheim’s a lock; I think Toews is a lock on defense… You’ve got to give a reason to beat those guys out.”
Why Sanheim Fits This Roster
Canada's roster is obviously not an easy one to break into, especially for an event like the Olympics. The modern edition of the national team a demands a broad skill set from its defensemen: mobility, transitional play, calm decision-making, and the ability to handle elite pace without sacrificing structure.
Sanheim checks all of those boxes. He moves the puck efficiently without needing to force high-risk plays; he skates well enough to handle the tempo of top-tier matchups.; he can play both sides of special teams, though his penalty-killing polish may be the biggest selling point; and, of course, he’s durable, logging big minutes in Philadelphia night after night (his average ice time so far this season is 25:36).
If you’re assembling a defense group meant to withstand short-tournament chaos, you want players who don’t swing wildly between brilliance and catastrophe. You place your creativity in the hands of Makar and Morrissey. You fill the rest with stabilizers, and Sanheim has become one of the most dependable stabilizers in the league.
The Evolution Of Travis Sanheim: A Flyers Leader Emerges Amid The Grind
There’s a certain calm that comes with knowing you’ve left everything out there.
Reputations Don’t Shift Overnight—His Did
The most striking piece of this story is how dramatically Sanheim’s standing has changed. It wasn’t long ago that he was seen as a trade bait piece on an already-flawed team—talented, with clear potential, but inconsistent, relied upon but not necessarily trusted.
Two things changed:
- Opportunity with structure: The current Flyers system asks its defensemen to defend early, move the puck quickly, and avoid unnecessary retreating. Sanheim has flourished under those principles.
- Confidence without chaos: His offensive reads are sharper, his gaps are tighter, and his ability to control tempo has become a legitimate strength rather than a hopeful projection.
What This Means for the Flyers
Sanheim making Team Canada—arguably the hardest lineup in the world to crack—would be a continued major validation of both the player and the development arc the Flyers have designed around him.
It also reflects the broader truth that outsiders have gradually admitted in recent years: Sanheim has become the kind of defenseman you can trust in any situation.
The Bottom Line
When Friedman lists Sanheim alongside names that he believes to be "on lock" for Canada's Olympic roster, he isn’t merely projecting potential. He’s acknowledging current reality. If the Olympics were held tomorrow, Travis Sanheim would be wearing Canada’s jersey and playing meaningful minutes.
In a league full of elite Canadian defensemen, that’s as strong a compliment as a player can receive.
And for Philadelphia, it’s another sign of an increasingly excellent career finally getting national recognition.