Team Canada: Noah Dobson, Matthew Schaefer, and Connor Bedard among those left off the roster

Félix Forget
Team Canada: Noah Dobson, Matthew Schaefer, and Connor Bedard among those left off the roster
Credit: Getty Images

This lunchtime, we learned the identity of the 25 players who will be part of Canada's squad for the next Olympics. One of them, Nick Suzuki, has won his bet… and could be used for anything in Italy.

For the Habs captain, this is obviously great news.

If you still haven't seen it, here's the line-up announced this morning by Team Canada:

However, this time, instead of talking about those who are there, it's relevant to focus on those who aren't. Because yes, there are some who are not. Because, yes, there are some great forgotten ones.

Sam Bennett is one name whose absence is the talk of the town. Management decided to pack him in to make room for Suzuki and Bo Horvat (instead of just one of the two)… but he could have taken someone else's place.

The case of Anthony Cirelli is the talk of the town at the moment… and we note that even within the management group, this choice was not unanimous. It was Jon Cooper, Team Canada's coach, who put his fist on the table to get his Tampa Bay protégé into the club.

Guys like Mark Scheifele and Wyatt Johnston could also have been there, as could some of the youngsters. We'll come back to those.

The question of the defense is also a hot topic. The announced brigade is made up of the same eight defenders as at the 4 Nations Confrontation… which is peculiar when you consider that some of these guys are really kicking ass this season.

Would Colton Parayko, who has no goals and 11 points in 40 games this season, really have been chosen if Doug Armstrong wasn't his GM in St. Louis? And Drew Doughty, who was probably chosen for his experience, does he really still have the rhythm for such a tournament?

We have to wonder whether Noah Dobson, for example, would have been a better fit, given that he's having a good season in his first year in Montreal. Evan Bouchard could also have been an option if the club wanted an offensive player.

But the two names that really stand out are Matthew Schaefer and Connor Bedard. Both youngsters have been dominant since the start of the season, and in terms of sheer talent, they're superior to some of the guys who've been picked.

And according to Armstrong, Bedard wasn't overlooked because of his injury… even though he was the second-highest scorer in the NHL before his injury.

Sooner or later, it will be the turn of the two youngsters. But in reality, they're still guys who fully deserve to be there next February.

They could still be there in the event of injury, of course. But clearly, their best chance of participating in the Olympics won't come for another four years.


Overtime

– Speaking of Schaefer.

– Still.

– Devon Toews' wife is due to give birth in February, and the defenseman won't leave her side until the baby is born. Could this prevent him from taking part in the Olympics?

– Hehe.

– Touching.

– Wow.

– Great news for the Panthers.

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