With the 2026 Winter Olympics approaching, coaches and managers must finalize their decisions by the end of December 2025. Last weekend, Team Canada’s Olympic coaches and managers held meetings in Florida to continue building their potential roster. They are expected to lock in about 70% of their team by Tuesday, December 9. Not coincidentally, both Florida-based clubs, the Panthers and Lightning, had games over the weekend.
The Tampa Bay Lightning fell 2-0 to the New York Islanders on Saturday, while the Florida Panthers edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-6 in overtime that same night before defeating the Islanders 4-1 on Sunday. The strong weekend showing allowed the back-to-back champions to halt their four-game losing streak, though it wasn’t enough to lift them out of 14th place in the Eastern Conference.
Olympic Hopefuls
Someone who is on track to be on the Olympic team is Sam Reinhart (27 points in 28 games), who was named to the preliminary Olympic roster in June. He registered one goal and one assist against the Islanders on Sunday and one assist against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. But one of the strongest contenders for the national team is Brad Marchand. It’s impossible to ignore his leadership and motivation. Marchand leads the Panthers with 16 goals and 31 points in 27 games. He had a great Saturday night by scoring four points against the Blue Jackets. At 37, Marchand is in the Top 20 among NHL skaters.
Sam Bennett is fifth on the Panthers with seven goals and 17 points. The MVP of last year’s playoffs is having a bit of a slow season, but his determination and skills are undeniable. He is a player who can contribute and follow a coach’s instructions effectively.
On the other side of Florida, Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point, who was named to Team Canada in June, has missed seven consecutive matchups. He was injured in a game against the Washington Capitals on November 22. Point has only three goals and 11 points in 21 games this season. Canada head coach Jon Cooper, surely, knows more about the well-being of his Lightning players than anyone else. While Brandon Hagel is another strong Olympic candidate (29 points in 27 games), Cooper will have a chance to evaluate other Olympic hopefuls from the Panthers on December 15 in Tampa, when the Lightning host their in-state rivals.
Cooper has other decisions to make as his NHL roster is constantly changing due to injuries. Victor Hedman is finally back, while Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are listed day-to-day.