TSN Experts Project 3 Oilers Will Play for Canada at 2026 Olympics

So while it might be the middle of the summer, the debate about Olympic lineups is already heating up. TSN even took time from its coverage of the opening of free agency this week to have its entire panel of experts weigh in on the Team Canada roster, and their projections certainly caught the attention of Oil Country.

Edmonton fans already knew that forward Connor McDavid would be going to Italy: the Oilers captain was among the first six players that Hockey Canada announced last month for its men’s Olympic roster, joining defenceman Cale Makar and fellow forwards Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.

But McDavid might not be the only member of his NHL team that will represent Canada on the sport’s greatest stage next February. Far from it, in fact.

Bouchard and Hyman Make the Cut

After some spirited debate among the TSN panel, Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard and winger Zach Hyman both made the cut for Team Canada’s Olympic roster, although the former was not a unanimous selection.

The inclusion of Bouchard and Hyman might come as a bit of a surprise, considering both were left off the Canadian roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. And after Canada’s dramatic victory in that tournament in February, the assumption was that the Canadian 4 Nations Face-Off roster would be largely returning for the 2026 Winter Games.

But the 4 Nations Face-Off was played with NHL rules, whereas the Olympic hockey tournament will be contested under international rules, and there are compelling cases to be made for Bouchard and Hyman.

Chemistry Is Key

The TSN panel has Hyman slotted on the left wing of Team Canada’s top line, with McDavid in the middle and Point playing right wing.   

Since coming to Edmonton in 2021, Hyman has played frequently with McDavid, and the results speak for themselves: the Toronto native has 144 goals in 308 regular season games and 35 tallies in 68 playoff contests as a member of the Oilers.

“You look at Hyman and the chemistry that he has with McDavid and just his ability to go get him the puck,” said TSN’s Jeff O’Neill in citing his reasons for selecting the Oilers left wing.

Point plays centre for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he’s a right shot who can easily shift to the wing and seemed to click with McDavid during the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“It’s a short tournament, you don’t have a lot of practice, and I think we saw in the 4 Nations, Connor McDavid’s such a great player, it wasn’t the easiest to find players who could play with him,” TSN analyst Mike Jonhson said.

“You thought, ‘(Mitch) Marner and Reinhart, that makes a lot of sense’, (but it) didn’t really work out that way in the end, so bringing in Hyman, a guy you know can do the work with McDavid so successfully together, and the fact that Brayden Point, who would usually be down the middle because he’s so great there, it’s almost more important he plays with McDavid,” Johnson continued.  

“They had some chemistry, he can get up and down the ice and finish plays, so trying to build your roster, knowing in the little bit that they played together at the 4 Nations, who works with who, that factors in how you set this up.”

Debate About Bouchard

With Team Canada likely to carry eight defencemen, is there a spot for Bouchard? Opinions were split on the Oakville product, who is one of the greatest offensive rearguards on the planet, but, as Oilers fans know too well, is notorious for defensive breakdowns.

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button pointed to some of the greatest teams in Canadian hockey history, the Canada Cup squads of 1987 and 1991, noting that they consisted largely of offence-oriented defenceman: “Bouchard’s on my team. I want guys that can produce offence, I want pressure on the opponent.”

Over the last two playoffs, as the Oilers have made back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, Bouchard has totalled 55 points, the second most ever by a defenceman over two consecutive postseasons.

“I know everybody has their own ideas and everything, but Evan Bouchard, when you consider what he does when it matters the most, he is that good,” Button said.

TSN panelists Frankie Corrado and Cheryl Pounder expressed concern that Bouchard could be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“What is your trust factor, in a tournament like that, where one turnover can be the difference? He’s just too prone to have those types of moments, where it’s a lapse, it’s a loss of focus, and I think the eight guys there are a little more trustworthy,” said Corrado, adding that the likes of Makar, Josh Morrissey and Shea Theodore were more reliable rearguards that could also run the power play.

O’Neil disagreed with Corrado: “If you’re talking about the games being critical, what do you think two marches to the Stanley Cup Final are? Not critical? Where everything’s overtime and this guy’s on the ice contributing?”

It likely won’t be until some time in December when Hockey Canada names its Olympic roster, and much can change between now and then. When the 2025-26 NHL season opens this October, Bouchard and Hyman won’t just be looking to help the Oilers get off to a strong start, they’ll be auditioning for Team Canada.