As the Jan. 1 roster submission date draws closer, it’s clear there will be few holdovers from Canada’s 2014 Sochi squad to crack the roster 12 years later.

Among the first six players named to Team Canada, Sidney Crosby was the only one to win gold in 2014. Nathan MacKinnon was in his first NHL season, Sam Reinhart and Brayden Point had just been drafted months earlier, while Connor McDavid was still a phenom prospect and Cale Makar was appearing in his first games with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits.

Seven players remain active in the NHL from Team Canada’s Sochi 2014 team, with Crosby and Los Angeles Kings veteran Drew Doughty being the only two to crack Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team.

Gold medallists in 2014, Dallas Stars forwards Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene, Toronto Maple Leafs centre John Tavares, Winnipeg Jets veteran Jonathan Toews and Kings winger Corey Perry all appear to be on the outside looking in when it comes going back to the Olympics. Defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, who was part of the 2014 team and initially included on the 4 Nations roster, has been ruled out for this season by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Doughty, who has two goals and five points in 14 games this season while averaging 23:41 of ice time, hopes to be part of what may be a repeat blueline from the 4 Nations.

“Why would you try and fix something that isn’t broken?“ TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger explained Thursday when speaking on Canada’s Olympic roster. ”The 4 Nations win was a measuring stick for Team Canada, but I think that they overall like the blend. They like the mix of these players. So, I don’t think we’ll see a lot of changes.

“Defensively, the defensive core could be very similar to what we saw at the 4 Nations with a tweak here or there, and injury always plays a role in the decisions that the Canadian brass is going to have to make.

“Up front is also curious, you know? You think of the veteran voices like Brad Marchand. I can envision a place for Marchand on Team Canada’s Olympic roster.

“And then you look at some of the guys who have played their way into the mix to this point.

“I think of Tom Wilson with the Washington Capitals. What about Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets? Nick Suzuki is having a tremendous year, and Macklin Celebrini, just simply will not go away.

“So these are good decisions and conversations that Canada, undoubtedly, is going to continue on Sunday and Monday in Toronto.“

Ryan Getzlaf, who won Olympic gold with Crosby, Toews and Perry in both 2010 and 2014, is serving as Team Canada’s player relations advisor and is helping general manager Doug Armstrong construct the 2026 team.

Getzlaf said he remains in touch with the 40-year-old Perry, while taking a shot at his 2014 linemate and longtime Anaheim Ducks teammate.

“I tell him, ‘I keep throwing your name in there, buddy,’” Getzlaf joked to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in an interview for The Athletic. “I actually had dinner with him the other night. He was here in Nashville. He’s amazing. He’s still doing it. He still can’t skate, but he finds a way to do it, and he’s still producing. It’s great to watch him.”

Perry is off to a strong start in his first season with the Kings, posting five goals and eight points in eight games.

Tavares, 35, is off to a blistering start as he looks to draw the attention of Armstrong and the Team Canada scouts. He has seven goals and 18 points in 14 games this season after posting 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games last season.

Back in the NHL for the first time since 2022-23, Toews has two goals and seven points in 13 games with the Jets.

Duchene, who had 30 goals and 82 points in 82 games last season, has a goal and an assist in four games while missing time with an upper-body injury.

Benn, 36, is yet to play this season after undergoing off-season surgery to repair a collapsed lung.

Crosby, 38, has nine goals and 17 points in 14 games. He’s expected to wear the “C” once again for Team Canada this February as he eyes a third Olympic gold.

“Sid brings a different kind of clout,” Getzlaf told LeBrun. “Obviously, he’s been dealing with [being a] front-page star since he was 12 years old. And I think he’s learned and adapted over the years on how to be part of a group, even when everyone in the group looks at you, if that makes sense. I’ve grown up with Sid in this game since the World Juniors, and we’ve done a lot of national team events together. Every time I go to him, Sid’s main thing when he’s part of these things is being part of the group. He wants to be treated like the other guys in the group, and he also wants to look out for the guys.

“Players notice that. He could easily come in and be the star that he is [and] what comes with that, but he doesn’t. He goes out of his way to not do those things, and the other guys rally around that and appreciate it. Like a Scott Niedermayer in Vancouver, Sid has that pedigree. So, when you walk into a locker room and he’s in, your mentality shifts that way. You have an understanding that, whatever the situation, you have a chance — whether he’s going to do it or somebody else is. He has that clout.”