Olympic Games 2026: Here are the possible habs representatives

Finally, 10 years after the last Olympic Games with NHL players, our favorite stars will be back to represent their country.

Everyone is very excited by the news, as the last time players from the Bettman circuit took part in the Olympics, Martin St-Louis represented Canada in 2014.

It was Canada that won the gold medal, with a well-endowed team as usual.

In short, in 2026, when Italy will be the host country, we’ll finally be able to see Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Cale Makar represent Canada in this Olympic context.

Here’s what the L’Antichambre panelists think Team Canada’s roster will look like in 2026.

As can be seen in the table above, Quebec goaltender Samuel Montembeault is ranked 3rd on the team, behind Stuart Skinner and Adin Hill.

Obviously, Carter Hart doesn’t make this list, with the ÉCJ saga surrounding him.

If this fictitious line-up is anything to go by, Monty would be the only Quebecer to represent Canada, since Patrice Bergeron is now retired.

Ron MacLean is also of the opinion that Montembeault should be the third goaltender.

Ron MacLean is a Sam Montembeault respecter pic.twitter.com/75ucOBISKY

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 3, 2024

If ever there were injuries in front of the net, Montreal’s Devon Levi could be a good candidate.

Otherwise, Kris Letang’s presence is highly unlikely, because in two years’ time, there’s a good chance he won’t be able to offer a high enough calibre of play to break into Canada’s line-up.

The Quebecers are no longer a major threat, but Jonathan Marchessault could still be considered if there are injuries.

A Canadian team without Quebecers at the 2026 Olympics? https://t.co/LxyqxNBZGB

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) February 3, 2024

In short, we don’t see Nick Suzuki’s name, and frankly, with the Canadian forwards in the NHL, I’d be surprised to see the captain selected, but anything can happen between now and 2026.

Let’s talk about the other players in the Habs organization who have a chance to represent their country.

Obviously, the first name that comes to mind is Cole Caufield, but like Nick Suzuki, the bank of quality American forwards is very high throughout the NHL.

It’s going to be tough for CC22.

If we look a little further than the Habs’ current roster, we can think long-term with the Tricolore’s fine bank of prospects.

If the meteoric rise of American Lane Hutson is anything to go by, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that he could make the Olympics in 2026.

And let’s not forget the Canadian’s potential high draft pick, who could be good enough to make it. Macklin Celebrini or Ivan Demidov come to mind, but giant defenseman Anton Silayev can’t be ruled out either.

Otherwise, Austrians David Reinbacher and Vinzenz Rohrer have a very good chance of taking part in two years’ time, given the lack of elite players.

In fact, I think Reinbacher would be Austria’s best player, alongside Marco Rossi and Marco Kasper.

For that to happen, Austria need to qualify for the Olympics, as they are one of nine teams in the final Olympic qualifying phase.

Alongside Austria are Slovakia, France, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and Slovenia.

By doing a little research, I’ve tried to determine the four teams in the final qualifying phase with the best chance of taking part in the Olympics.

Austria is one of these four, but we mustn’t forget Slovakia, which can be very dangerous. Obviously, Juraj Slafkovsky is the first name that springs to mind, but the possibility of Filip Mesar being there cannot be ruled out.

In addition to these two habs hopefuls, Erik Cernak, Martin Fehérvary and Tomas Tatar are also part of the Slovak core.

It’s worth remembering that when he was 17, Slafkovsky took part in the Olympic Games and made a real splash. In fact, it was his performance at the Olympic tournament that earned him so many points, he was eventually drafted first overall by the Habs.

In seven games, he scored no less than seven goals against men and veterans.

I still can’t believe it. He’s going to be very dominant if we’re patient with him in Montreal.

In addition to these two countries, I think you have to take into account Denmark (Nikolaj Ehlers, Frederik Andersen, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Lars Eller, among others) and Latvia (Zemgus Girgensons, Elvis Merzlikins and Arturs Silovs, among others), who always offer a challenge and can surprise some of the powers that be.

I’m going to give an honorable mention to France, as they have brothers Tim and Kevin Bozon. What’s more, there’s a good chance that their father, Philippe, will be their head coach. It would be great to see the Bozon family at the Olympic Games.

In short, all good reasons to look forward to the return of the NHL players to the Olympics.

Until then, we’ll have to make do with the Four Nations Tournament in 2025. This international tournament will be held in Montreal and Boston.

Highlights

– Listen now.

– A beautiful arrow launched by Pastrnak.

– Listen now.