Team Canada is holding its breath on a key forward.
With less than two weeks to go before boarding the plane to Italy for Milano Cortina 2026, Brayden Point‘s Olympic status remains in doubt.
The Tampa Bay Lightning superstar has been out most of January with a lower-body injury. At the time he was hurt, Lightning and Canada head coach Jon Cooper said Point’s season “was not over,” but added that his recovery timeline was week-to-week. He has missed eight games so far.
While Canada hasn’t officially ruled Point out yet, he’s running out of time to get ready for the Olympics. Canada will travel to Italy late next week and open the tournament on Feb. 12 against Czechia.
Point is hard to replace as a high-scoring, two-way centre, but Canada’s roster might be the deepest in the tournament. In fact, you could make a pretty competitive team just out of the players Canada will leave at home.
As we await word on Point’s status, here are seven other players who could jump in to take his place:
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Zach Hyman, LW, Edmonton Oilers
Hyman missed the first two months of the season after wrist surgery, but since returning on Nov. 15, he’s been one of the hottest scorers in the NHL with 21 tucks in 35 games — a 49-goal pace over 82 contests. Much of Hyman’s success comes from skating alongside Connor McDavid, and if he were to make Team Canada, the duo would presumably get a chance to continue that chemistry on the Olympic stage.
Mark Scheifele, C, Winnipeg Jets
The Jets are enduring a down season, but Scheifele remains a scoring threat any time he hits the ice. In fact, he sits fourth among all Canadian skaters with 61 points, trailing only McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini. Scheifele is a centre, like Point, but Team Canada’s coaches would need to decide whether they can trust him to defend as well as he scores.
Connor Bedard, C, Chicago Blackhawks
Bedard is in the midst of a breakout season at age 20, with 20 goals and 48 points in just 39 games. However, his offence was slowed by a shoulder injury in late December. Bedard returned on Jan. 9, but he owns just one goal and four points in eight appearances since. Even if Bedard doesn’t get the call this time, he’s likely to be playing a role on the national team sooner rather than later.
Sam Bennett, C, Florida Panthers
Bennett was a star for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year before going on to win the Conn Smythe as the Panthers defended their Stanley Cup title. Those performances helped him earn an eight-year, $64 million contract — but they weren’t enough to push him onto the Olympic team as Canada opted for Tom Wilson to fill his hard-nosed role instead. Unlike Wilson, though, Bennett plays centre and Canada might tap him to fill a spot in the middle of the fourth line if he winds up in Italy.
Steven Stamkos, RW, Nashville Predators
Stamkos is a future Hall of Famer, but the one thing missing from his resume is an Olympic medal. The 600-goal man missed out on playing for Canada in 2014 due to a broken leg and has had to wait 12 years to get another chance. He’ll be 36 by the time the Olympic tournament starts, but Stamkos has seemingly turned back the clock in recent weeks. Since Dec. 1, Stamkos’ 19 goals are tied for third-most in the NHL.
Wyatt Johnston, C, Dallas Stars
One of the brightest youngstars in the game, Johnston figures to be a Team Canada staple soon, even if he’s not on the roster this time around. The 22-year-old has 27 goals and 56 points in 52 games. With two 30-goal seasons already in his young career, Johnston continues to raise his offensive ceiling.
Seth Jarvis, RW, Carolina Hurricanes
Jarvis cracked Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off but missed the cut for the Olympics. While injuries have disrupted his season, he remains nearly a point-per-game player with 23 goals and 16 assists in 44 games. Jarvis plays both special teams for the Hurricanes and would be comfortable on any of Canada’s forward lines.
