The Philadelphia Flyers sent three players, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Dan Vladar, as well as head coach Rick Tocchet, to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. If it werent for a lower-body injury, Rodrigo Abols would have been there as well.
The Olympics are a time for international best-of-the-best competition. It is an opportunity for players to showcase themselves, and for some, play and learn amongst some of the greats in the league.
With that international stage comes pressure. Some of these players have plenty to gain. At the same time, there is just as much to lose for some.
So, let’s look at the Flyers Olympians and who has the most to gain and lose in Milan.
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Flyers player with the most to gain at the Olympics: Rasmus Ristolainen
Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen most definitely has the most to gain. The Flyers’ defenseman has been dealing with the injury bug non-stop, ending his past two seasons. Ristolainen returned to play this season following surgery to repair his right tricep last March.
It’s no secret that the Flyers have looked into trading the veteran right-shot defenseman in the past. He is a big, physical blueliner whose play style could benefit a playoff team. The Flyers have not been, and likely won’t be again.
So maybe what I am getting at is, maybe it’s not so much that Ristolainen has the most to gain at the Olympics. Rather, it’s the Flyers organization, as Ristolainen can increase his value.
Nonetheless, if teams valued Ristolainen as high as the Flyers do, he likely would have been traded by now.
So, the Olympics are a chance for Ristoalinen to prove he can play in these high-intensity games. An opportunity to show that he can hang with the best of the best, and showcase the player that the Flyers see, that maybe the other teams across the league do not.
Who knows, maybe a good showing in the Olympics can get Ristolainen to a contender in March, and the defenseman could make his postseason debut this year.
Most to lose: Travis Sanheim
On the flip side of things, Travis Sanheim has the most to lose at the Winter Olympics. Unlike Ristolainen, this has nothing to do with the Flyers or his value across the league. Instead, this has everything to do with his standing in Hockey Canada and his position for future IIHF events.
After the way Sanheim stepped up for Canada at 4 Nations last season, it would have been a shock to see him off the roster for the Olympics. He is a versatile workhorse that can play either side and can eat minutes.
Injury forced Sanheim into an everyday role at 4 Nations, and he did not look back. However, it clearly did not move him much further up the ranks, as Sanheim was scratched as the 8th defenseman for the opener vs. Czechia.
Sanheim is still very clearly a bubble player for Canada. He will get into the lineup. Canada did not bring Sanheim to Milan just for him to sit out each game. It’s almost certain that Sanheim will become a lineup staple moving forward after Josh Morrissey left Thursday’s game with an injury.
So, Sanheim can once again not look back. The depth of Canadian defensemen is, well, deep. If he cannot replicate his 4 Nations performance, it could push Sanheim further down their chart, making his standing for future best-on-best in question.
Travis Sanheim has as much to lose as he does to gain at the Winter Olympics.
Dan Vladar does not have much to gain or lose at the Winter Olympics
On the other hand, Dan Vladar seems to be in pretty good standing at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He is in great standing with the Philadelphia Flyers, as with Czechia.
Vladar represented his home nation at the 2025 World Championships, which likely solidified his Olympic dreams. Further, he is likely the best Czech netminder in the NHL right now, and has the chance on Friday to leap Lukas Dostal as the true No. 1.
Vladar was the backup in Thursday’s opener vs. Canada, but will make his Olympic debut on Friday vs. France. That likely meant Vladar entered the tournament ranked No. 2 on the Czech goalie depth chart.
The trio of Czech goalies feels pretty solid for future best-on-best competition. So, it’s likely more of an internal competition to see who can emerge as the top goalie. Vladar has a real chance to do so.
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