Team Canada’s roster was announced Wednesday, and while the inclusion of Connor McDavid was always a given, the fate of three other Edmonton Oilers wasn’t as clear. Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard were all bubble players who inserted themselves into the conversation, but their chances were better.
Hyman probably had the best chance to make the roster at forward given his production since returning from injury. And given his chemistry with McDavid, one could have argued that this would have been a good strategy.
Nugent-Hopkins also fit into a McDavid line, while also offering Team Canada the opportunity to use him on special teams. McDavid is a big fan of Nuge and wants him on the top line in Edmonton, when he could just as easily be served on the third line in the middle.
Neither made it.
Evan Bouchard should have been a serious candidate for the blue line. His production this season is off the charts, second only to Cale Makar. With 37 points in 40 games, he is a power play expert and a big player. His struggles with inconsistency are legitimate, but when it’s all on the line, few are better than Bouchard.
Once again he was not selected.
Was it a mistake to leave every other oilman off Team Canada?
It would have been difficult to argue that anyone who was on the list should have been excluded. When you leave Connor Bedard and Sam Bennett alone, you know tough decisions have been made. That said, it is also important to get the most out of the players selected, namely McDavid.
David Staples of The Edmonton Journal wrote:
“Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard weren’t picked for Team Canada, which is honestly a bad joke. Team Canada spent the Four Nations tournament looking for the right linemate for McDavid and never found that player. Why not go with the winger who has had more success than anyone with McDavid and was also the best forward winger in the 2025 playoffs until he got injured?”
The only major difference this year is Macklin Celebrini. He could easily be placed on par with McDavid in the 2026 Olympics, and the two could blow up for fouls. Celebrini is already arguably a better player than Hyman or Nugent-Hopkins. He is unknown at this tournament.
The bigger argument might be on defense, where Team Canada went out of 4 Nations with the same group. All eight defensemen return, and perhaps that wasn’t the strongest group Team Canada could have assembled.
Did Team Canada make a mistake? Or did they do well and while all three omitted Oilers are good players, it was probably the right decision not to be selected. McDavid said of his teammates not being selected: “Obviously disappointed for the Oilers guys… Different year, different situation, obviously they could be on the team.” He added: “I think this team could have been built in a number of different ways, and this is clearly the way they decided to go about it.”
Next: Oil companies present themselves with Draisaitl to attract trade interest?
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