Canucks Elias Pettersson Could See Expanded Role For Team Sweden At The 2026 Winter Olympics

As the 2026 Winter Olympics draw closer, injuries are piling up for players already selected to represent their countries in Italy. Seth Jones has already been ruled out, while players like Devon Toews and Brayden Point could miss the tournament. No team, however, has been hit harder than Sweden, which could be missing some of its top players due to injury. 

As of writing, there are a few Swedish players who could be forced to miss the tournament due to injury. The most notable is Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, who was injured on January 16. Based on Sweden's roster, Carlsson was projected to play on the first line and play a massive role for the team this year. 

If Carlsson is ruled out, that could open the door for Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson to have a larger role throughout the tournament. After a slow start, the 27-year-old has found his groove of late and is used to playing top-line minutes in the NHL. Pettersson should also be motivated heading into the Olympics after he had a tough 4 Nations Face-Off last year. 

Before the Carlsson injury, Pettersson was projected to be Sweden's second-line center. Now with the 21-year-old out, the Canucks center feels like the logical player to fill the top-line role. While Sweden does have depth down the middle in Joel Eriksson Ek, Elias Lindholm, Mika Zibanejad and Alexander Wennberg, Pettersson's ability to create plays in the offensive zone, combined with his work defensively, makes him the most likely option to move up the lineup. 

At this point, the big question surrounding Team Sweden is whether they can overcome these injuries. Jonas Brodin has already been ruled out, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Gabriel Landeskog could both miss the tournament due to injuries. Ultimately, Sweden will need some big performances from Pettersson if they want to replicate 2006 and skate away with the Gold. 

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