8 players on Canada's reserve list for the Olympics have been revealed
The Olympics haven’t even started yet, and injuries are beginning to mount for Canada.
Bo Horvat is out, and so is Tom Wilson. Thankfully, both players are expected to return before the Olympics kick off next month.
It doesn’t appear as though Brayden Point was as lucky.
The Tampa Bay Lightning forward was one of six players named to the preliminary squad back in June. Unfortunately, he suffered a right leg injury on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said on Tuesday that Point did avoid a season-ending injury, but that his status is week-to-week, putting his Olympics in doubt.
So, who could end up replacing Point if he’s unable to go to Italy?
Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston of The Athletic revealed six players who are on Canada’s reserve list, according to their sources. Those players include.
- Sam Bennett
- Connor Bedard
- Seth Jarvis
- Travis Konecny
- Wyatt Johnston
- Mark Scheifele
Vancouver-native Connor Bedard was arguably the biggest snub from Canada’s Olympic roster. The 20-year-old is currently on pace for 40 goals and 96 points, despite missing 13 games due to injury.
Both Point and Bedard are right-shot centres who would likely flip over to the wing for the Olympics, with over half the roster being able to play centre.
Sam Bennett, Seth Jarvis, and Travis Konecny all represented Canada at the 4 Nations tournament last February, while Mark Scheifele and Wyatt Johnston rank fifth and sixth, respectively, among Canadian NHLers in points this season.
Prior to LeBrun and Johnston’s report, two other players confirmed that they heard from Canada general manager Doug Armstrong about being on the team’s reserve list.
Rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer confirmed earlier this month that he’s on Canada’s list in case of an injury.
His inclusion makes sense considering the impact he’s had so far this season. Only Cale Makar and Jacob Chychrun have scored more goals than the 18-year-old among Canadian defencemen this season.
Calgary Flames rearguard MacKenzie Weegar confirmed as well that he’s on standby, and that he would happily cancel his Mexico vacation plans if he gets a call.
That means eight of the 15 players on Canada’s reserve list are now reportedly known, with one forward likely to get the nod if Point is unable to go.
Thursday, Feb. 5, is the last day of scheduled NHL games before the Olympic break, with players expected to fly to Milan on Feb. 7. The final day for teams to make an injury replacement before the Olympics is Feb. 11, which is the first day that men’s ice hockey will take place.