Nashville Predators and Sweden fans are starting to question what the future holds for Filip Forsberg on the Olympic stage. Forsberg, 31, only had one shift before he was benched for the rest of the game. The team was able to win 5-2 against Italy without him Wednesday, but the message was still delivered.
There’s two ways to look at this. The first way is that Forsberg’s a reliable guy and that Sweden just wants to give the younger guys a chance in the preliminaries before being pushed off in competition. Sweden is a lock in almost every occasion so the coaches could be testing out the rosters before they go all in.
The second way we can approach this isn’t so appealing. Forsberg might be facing problems with the head coach of Sweden. Whether it be Forsberg to coach or coach to Forsberg, something isn’t adding up. Benching the guy with 24 goals so far this season isn’t the most plausible thing to do.
Forsberg looked shaky during his shift, but it’s a small sample to dwell on
In his one and only shift, Forsberg made a threatening play. He attempted to make a cross-ice pass but was intercepted by an Italian forward who quickly set up a play in the neutral zone for a prime scoring opportunity. Even though they didn’t manage to score, it was still a dangerous play.
I went looking for Filip Forsberg’s *one* shift yesterday against Italy. Here’s how it went… 😬 pic.twitter.com/wIE2mKI9AX
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) February 12, 2026
I’m a very big Forsberg believer so I might be biased when I say this, but I believe that this was too harsh of a call from management. If this was the reason why we only got the Scoresberg experience once, then that’s pretty cruel.
For starters, Forsberg is sixth all time in goals scored by Swedish players in NHL history and 12th all time in points in the same category. Punishing him with less ice time than the Zamboni driver is outright disrespectful. Sweden’s HC Sam Hallam addressed the situation following the game and it seems like this claim isn’t too crazy.
“You have to be really good to make it into 25, and we can’t play 25.That’s the honest truth about it. You’re here to play for our country and it’s a tournament. We’re going to need each and every one of them. That’s the way it is, but everybody can’t play.””
Sam Hallam, per Sports Illustrated
As mentioned before, Forsberg was left out of the lineup for the remainder of the game, following his single shift. This could’ve been avoided if he was listed outside the 13th forward position. In all seriousness, I believe Forsberg could’ve been Sweden’s top left winger. However, I’d listen to a good argument on Adrian Kempe. Jesper Bratt is solid but again, I’d pick Forsberg.
Outside the top six, which is where he belongs, are two players who I’m surprised got the gig before he did. First up is Rickard Rakell. Rakell only has 10 goals this season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is arguably not as good as our guy. On the fourth line is Pontus Holmberg. Who is Holmberg you may ask? He’s a depth forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning who only has nine goals on the season.
I’m not belittling Holmberg but when compared to Forsberg, it’s clear who the winner for the better overall. Forsberg should’ve found his way into the bottom six at least; listing him as a 13th forward is pretty bitter.
Should fans begin sounding the alarms? Short answer: not yet
It’s only game one of the Olympics, preliminary at that. Even though Italy did put up against a good fight, it’s unrealistic to expect an upset. On paper, Italy doesn’t have enough firepower to put up against Sweden in large margins. I do see Hallam playing Forsberg more for today’s game against Finland since they’re definitely a tough cookie to crack.
There’s still plenty of games left to see what this roster will look like. Viktor Hedman was listed as the team’s third line left defenseman while Philip Broberg was put a line ahead of him. It’s still clearly in the works and chemistry will only add to this cycle. If everything goes to plan, a competitive lineup should be created after today’s game.