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2026 Olympics: Nick Suzuki in NHL.com’s projected lineup, but not Samuel Montembeault
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

More and more, we’re starting to prepare for the 2026 Olympics, when NHL players will be making their comeback. We’re wondering what the different teams will look like, and in Montreal, we’re trying to figure out who will join Juraj Slafkovský and take part in the competition.

Slaf was among the first six players chosen by Slovakia, but no other Habs player was among the first six chosen by his country.

The NHL’s official website has been making these projections for some time. For the United States, for example, Cole Caufield was selected, but not Lane Hutson.

On the Canadian side, however, it’s also interesting to look at all this. We know that the Habs are banking on Nick Suzuki, Noah Dobson and Samuel Montembeault, all of whom have a chance of going…

But according to the league’s website, Suzuki is the only one currently on the projected roster.

It’s interesting in that Montembeault represented the country at the 4 Nations Confrontation. He was the team’s third goalie at the time and didn’t see any action, but he was still the team’s pick a few months ago.

Logan Thompson, who had a big campaign in Washington, would take his place.

As for Dobson, the site notes that the defender has a real chance of making his mark if he makes a strong start to the season in Montreal. Pietrangelo’s absence means that there’s a position opening up on the right, and there could be competition between guys like Dobson, Evan Bouchard and Mackenzie Weegar, among others.

The site has Bouchard ahead of us at the moment, but we feel that this position is subject to competition.

As for Suzuki, we know that the fact that he excels over 200 feet makes him an interesting candidate. He can excel in both an offensive and defensive role, and his versatility could help him gain points in this race.

His strong finish to the season after being ignored by Team Canadiens at the 4 Nations Confrontation doesn’t hurt either.

We’ll have to wait and see, but if the NHL website’s projected line-ups are anything to go by, only the Habs’ first line will be taking part in the 2026 Olympics. Let’s see if other players can make their mark in the coming months.


Overtime

– He’s a popular player.

– Gavin McKenna will play at Penn State this season.

– It’s true.

– We wish him the best.

Dougie Hamilton: a name to watch.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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