Team Canada’s biggest 2026 Olympic snubs

It's hard to justify what a “snub” is when it comes to Team Canada's Olympic roster. The definition of a snub is when someone doesn't see a player as an option in favor of a lesser talent. There is no shortage of talent in Canada's player pool, and all 25 players on the team's roster deserve their recognition. The unlucky few who didn't make the roster lost out in a numbers game.

Team Canada's best-on-best hockey roster has been one of the most debated topics in sports since the Summit Series in 1972. Every time there is an international tournament, Canada seemingly has two rosters' worth of players to choose from. Look no further than a quote from Canada's general manager for the 2014 Olympic team, Steve Yzerman, who took some heat for initially leaving one of the best players on his NHL team, Martin St. Louis, at home.

“Every one of us in Canada has an opinion on who should be on this team, and nobody's wrong,” said Yzerman to reporters after naming the 2014 team. “Nobody's wrong because they're all really good players.”

Ironically, Yzerman's team in 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning, is also in the middle of some of the snubs at this year's tournament. With Lightning head coach Jon Cooper behind the bench for Canada, there were some questionable selections of Tampa Bay forwards Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel, which raised some eyebrows.

Hagel and Cirelli were on last year's 4 Nations Face-Off team, but there is an argument that they shouldn't have made the trip to Milan this time around. Let's look at three players who will be circled as notable snubs if Canada does not come home with a gold medal at this year's Olympics.

Sam Bennett's resume speaks for itself

Back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion. 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Gold Medalist. 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner for Playoff MVP. If Canada is going to win a gold medal in Milan, a player like Sam Bennett should be in the red and white. However, rival NHL coach Cooper felt that his own center, Cirelli, deserved the spot more.

Cirelli may also be a two-time Stanley Cup Champion and a gold medalist at last year's tournament, but Bennett's form in the previous 12 months has been nothing short of spectacular. He stepped up for the Florida Panthers in the absence of Aleksander Barkov this season, and did everything he could over the past two seasons to be worthy of a selection.

The argument for leaving Bennett at home because of his physical play in a less lenient IIHF setting went out the window when Canada selected fellow agitator Tom Wilson. If the staff were afraid of the officiating in Milan, Wilson wouldn't have been chosen to make the trip either.

If a confident swagger and intimidation factor are missing from Canada at the Olympics, Bennett's absence will be the reason.

Connor Bedard would've brought some much-needed scoring depth

Short international tournaments can be tricky in hockey. A team can bring as many talented players as they'd like, but if one player goes down injured or someone doesn't bring their A game, the whole balance of the lineup could change.

With Olympic rosters being 25 players, there will be some skaters sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch. Connor Bedard's perceived lack of defensive awareness was a reason the coaching staff was a bit hesitant to put him in the lineup, but he deserved a chance to go to Milan with his peers because of his scoring touch.

If the staff wasn't convinced about his defensive abilities, Bedard could've been a healthy scratch. The issue with taking so many two-way forwards outside of the top six is that if an elite scorer like Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon goes down, there won't be a game-breaker in the bottom six or in the press box ready to take their spot.

Bedard has the ability to score in bunches in a short tournament. If Canada's offense falters, it'd be easy to see him put on the wing on the top line and record two or three points in a big game. Some of the players chosen above him don't have the same ability.

Matthew Schaefer presented an interesting dilemma

Speaking of game-breakers, rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer is another player who earned a spot on Team Canada. There were just eight spots available for the defense, and it was challenging for the staff to leave home any of the blueliners who led Canada to a gold medal at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Cooper's team will have the same eight defensemen on their Olympic roster. Shortly after naming the roster, a door slightly opened for Schaefer when Devon Toews suffered an injury. While the timeline for his recovery isn't clear, Canada is hopeful that he will be ready for early February.

Schaefer will be ready if Toews can't make the trip. The same goes for Bennett and Bedard, who are likely next in line for a chance if any of the forwards suffer an unfortunate injury and can't make the trip.