There are now just seven months to go until the 2026 Winter Olympics, which are scheduled to take place in Italy from Feb. 6 to 22.
Milano Cortina 2026 will feature the long-awaited return of best-on-best competition in menâs hockey at the Olympics. On Wednesday (July 3), the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) finalized a deal allowing NHL players to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014.
The Great Canadian Debate đ¨đŚ – The #TSNHockey gang projects Canada's 2026 Olympic roster: https://t.co/dUnKZZICpR pic.twitter.com/VuNixmLAGr
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) July 1, 2025
So while it might be the middle of the summer, the debate about Olympic lineups is already heating up. TSN even took time from its coverage of the opening of free agency this week to have its entire panel of experts weigh in on the Team Canada roster, and their projections certainly caught the attention of Oil Country.
Edmonton fans already knew that forward Connor McDavid would be going to Italy: the Oilers captain was among the first six players that Hockey Canada announced last month for its menâs Olympic roster, joining defenceman Cale Makar and fellow forwards Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.
But McDavid might not be the only member of his NHL team that will represent Canada on the sportâs greatest stage next February. Far from it, in fact.
Bouchard and Hyman Make the Cut
After some spirited debate among the TSN panel, Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard and winger Zach Hyman both made the cut for Team Canadaâs Olympic roster, although the former was not a unanimous selection.
The inclusion of Bouchard and Hyman might come as a bit of a surprise, considering both were left off the Canadian roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. And after Canadaâs dramatic victory in that tournament in February, the assumption was that the Canadian 4 Nations Face-Off roster would be largely returning for the 2026 Winter Games.
But the 4 Nations Face-Off was played with NHL rules, whereas the Olympic hockey tournament will be contested under international rules, and there are compelling cases to be made for Bouchard and Hyman.
Chemistry Is Key
The TSN panel has Hyman slotted on the left wing of Team Canadaâs top line, with McDavid in the middle and Point playing right wing.
Since coming to Edmonton in 2021, Hyman has played frequently with McDavid, and the results speak for themselves: the Toronto native has 144 goals in 308 regular season games and 35 tallies in 68 playoff contests as a member of the Oilers.
âYou look at Hyman and the chemistry that he has with McDavid and just his ability to go get him the puck,â said TSNâs Jeff OâNeill in citing his reasons for selecting the Oilers left wing.
Point plays centre for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but heâs a right shot who can easily shift to the wing and seemed to click with McDavid during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
âItâs a short tournament, you donât have a lot of practice, and I think we saw in the 4 Nations, Connor McDavidâs such a great player, it wasnât the easiest to find players who could play with him,â TSN analyst Mike Jonhson said.
âYou thought, â(Mitch) Marner and Reinhart, that makes a lot of senseâ, (but it) didnât really work out that way in the end, so bringing in Hyman, a guy you know can do the work with McDavid so successfully together, and the fact that Brayden Point, who would usually be down the middle because heâs so great there, itâs almost more important he plays with McDavid,â Johnson continued.
âThey had some chemistry, he can get up and down the ice and finish plays, so trying to build your roster, knowing in the little bit that they played together at the 4 Nations, who works with who, that factors in how you set this up.â
Debate About Bouchard
With Team Canada likely to carry eight defencemen, is there a spot for Bouchard? Opinions were split on the Oakville product, who is one of the greatest offensive rearguards on the planet, but, as Oilers fans know too well, is notorious for defensive breakdowns.
TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button pointed to some of the greatest teams in Canadian hockey history, the Canada Cup squads of 1987 and 1991, noting that they consisted largely of offence-oriented defenceman: âBouchardâs on my team. I want guys that can produce offence, I want pressure on the opponent.â
Over the last two playoffs, as the Oilers have made back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, Bouchard has totalled 55 points, the second most ever by a defenceman over two consecutive postseasons.
âI know everybody has their own ideas and everything, but Evan Bouchard, when you consider what he does when it matters the most, he is that good,â Button said.
TSN panelists Frankie Corrado and Cheryl Pounder expressed concern that Bouchard could be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
âWhat is your trust factor, in a tournament like that, where one turnover can be the difference? Heâs just too prone to have those types of moments, where itâs a lapse, itâs a loss of focus, and I think the eight guys there are a little more trustworthy,â said Corrado, adding that the likes of Makar, Josh Morrissey and Shea Theodore were more reliable rearguards that could also run the power play.
OâNeil disagreed with Corrado: âIf youâre talking about the games being critical, what do you think two marches to the Stanley Cup Final are? Not critical? Where everythingâs overtime and this guyâs on the ice contributing?â
It likely wonât be until some time in December when Hockey Canada names its Olympic roster, and much can change between now and then. When the 2025-26 NHL season opens this October, Bouchard and Hyman wonât just be looking to help the Oilers get off to a strong start, theyâll be auditioning for Team Canada.
