Despite being the most high profile member of the Flyers to get the call to the Milano-Cortina games, Travis Sanheim will have to wait at least one more game to make his Olympic debut.

On the day that Sanheim’s Canadian team was due to take on Dan Vladar’s Czechia, he skated with the other scratches, indicating that he wouldn’t take part in Canada’s opening Round Robin contest. 

Canada/Czechia is two hours away

Darcy Kuemper, Travis Sanheim & Seth Jarvis skated this morning…indicating they will not dress this afternoon.

We are expecting Jordan Binnington in goal, but will see for sure

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 12, 2026

Sanehim will draw the scratch in game one, as Canada has decided to choose other puck-moving defenders such as Thomas Harley and Shea Theodore over him, at least for the time being. 

While that doesn’t mean that Sanehim will be shelved for the entire tournament, it doesn’t necessarily bode well for his chances to play later on as the games start to matter more. Sanheim missed the first game of the tournament for the Four Nations iteration of Team Canada last year too, but was ultimately still able to draw the remaining three contests on his way to playing 18:32 in the deciding game against the USA. 

This year presents a similar challenge, as Sanheim will have to start on the outside looking in once again. No player is given their spot on Team Canada, and if you meet the criteria to make the team, the chances are you will play. But the larger problem arises when you consider that teams are permitted to dress seven defensemen, leaving one player as the extra, a role that Shea Theodore will fill for game one. 

Canada’s opening lines vs. Czechia:

Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson
Hagel – MacKinnon – Suzuki
Marner – Crosby – Stone
Marchand – Horvat – Reinhart
Bennett

Toews – Makar
Morrissey – Parayko
Harley – Doughty
Theodore

— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) February 12, 2026

So even if Sanheim is able to draw in for the second game of the tournament, there is no guarantee he’ll be placed on an actual pairing, and not just be used sporadically as a sort of utility player/injury replacement. 

While the Flyers always want the best for their player as an organization, this may be a blessing in disguise. 

The overworked Sanheim rolled into the break having played over 24 minutes a night for a Flyers team that does a lot of defending, and having him take a breather for the second half could really help a team that still lacks minute munchers on the back end. It’s not like the Olympics are equivalent to an entire playoff run, but any kind of rest is a welcome sight for a player who had slowed down a bit heading into the hiatus.

Sanehim will more than likely get his chance to make his Olympic debut, even if it comes against lesser opposition like France later on down the line, but it’s clear that it may be his one shot to stay in the lineup.