Team Finland’s biggest 2026 Olympic snubs

Team Finland's Olympic roster reveal didn't have the same hype, considering their best player, Aleksander Barkov, will miss the tournament while recovering from a knee injury. The Finnish squads always show up at International tournaments, but depth is a concern. With their top center and likely captain missing, things get even more concerning for the group. Despite the lack of depth, there were still some glaring snubs on Team Finland's roster for the 2026 Olympics.

Barkov's absence will hurt, but the Finns will still have plenty of talent, especially with the Dallas Stars contingent. The Stars are one of the NHL's top teams, and they'll send Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, and Esa Lindell to the tournament. With Rantanen, Hintz, and Sebastian Aho leading the offense, Finland's top six shouldn't have too much trouble scoring.

The defense is where things could get interesting for the group. Heiskanen is a solid anchor for the backend, while Lindell and Niko Mikkola are valuable in their own right. However, as they enter the 5-8 range of their corps, it's challenging to see them match up with nations like Canada and the USA.

While Juuse Saros hasn't looked like his usual self over the past two seasons, he has the potential to keep Finland in some games in Milan. While he will begin as the starter, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been in much better form this season and could eventually steal the net now and in the future.

Patrik Laine's scoring touch could be a loss

Finland is going to have trouble scoring against high-powered offenses like Canada and the USA, and with their questionable defense, seeing Finland win games 1-0 and 2-1 seems unlikely. While Aho, Hintz, and Rantanen form a solid first line if that's the trio they choose to anchor it, the depth scoring down the lineup is questionable at best.

Patrik Laine has been out of the Montreal Canadiens' lineup for most of the season with an injury, but has recently begun skating again with the team's training staff. It looks like he'll be ready to return soon, and it isn't like skating was his bread and butter, anyway. It shouldn't take long for Laine to get back to game speed.

Laine had been playing bottom-six minutes at five-on-five for the Canadiens. While his skating and defensive play are questionable, the sniper has no trouble finding the back of the net when given the opportunity. For a team struggling for offense, Finland is going to miss his presence, especially on the powerplay.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi's fall from grace

It was hard to imagine a world where Jesperi Kotkaniemi wasn't on a Team Finland roster for the next 10-15 years when he began his NHL career. The 2018 third-overall pick had been a star for his country in the junior ranks, but playing on great teams for his entire NHL career has left him absent from any World Championships, with his last time wearing a Finland jersey coming in the 2018-19 season.

Not being available to play for his country isn't the reason why Kotkaniemi isn't on this roster. If he had been better with his club team, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Finnish staff would've had no excuse for leaving him home from Milan. However, with just six points in 25 games this season, Kotkaniemi didn't do much to sway their opinion, having also been left off last year's 4 Nations Face-Off roster.

It has been a disappointing couple of seasons for Kotkaniemi, especially in the playoffs, where he has just five assists in 25 games over the past two postseasons. His ability to show up in big games could be why he will be watching the Olympics from his couch, but it's still surprising not to see him taken as at least the 14th forward, given his past International success and the expanded rosters from last year's tournament.

Urho Vaakanainen: the lone NHL defenseman left home

Imagine being one of eight Finnish-born defensemen playing in the NHL and not making your country's Olympic team. That's the situation Urho Vaakanainen faces as he watched the staff pick Mikko Lehtonen over him as the eighth defenseman.

It can't be a good feeling to be the lone defenseman sitting home. While playing in the NHL isn't the only qualification for making one of these rosters, it is the best league in the world for a reason. Vaakanainen had to feel that it would be difficult to leave him at home, with so few players to choose from.

Lehtonen came to the NHL for one season in 2020-21, recorded six assists in 26 games, and was never heard from again. He bounced around in the European leagues for a few years and is now playing with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland.

It's easy to see the staff's line of thinking. Vaakanainen has three assists in 20 games this season for the New York Rangers, while Lehtonen does have some offensive upside. The team's offensive questions likely played a part in taking Lehtonen as some insurance.

The only question is why they used that strategy on defense but left players like Laine and Kotkaniemi at home.