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The latest Team Canada injury update was a crushing one given the loss of a crucial member ahead of the Olympics.
The latest Team Canada injury update was not a welcome one. On Thursday evening, the Canadian squad confirmed that center Brayden Point would not make the trip to Milano-Cortina.
Point had sustained a lower-body injury during the January 12 game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers.
Point tried to corral a loose puck, falling awkwardly. The initial suspicion was a knee ligament injury. The situation prompted the Lightning to place Point on injured reserve (IR) on a week-to-week basis. The hope was that Point could recover in time to play for Team Canada.Â
While Canada’s management team likely gave him as long as it could, Thursday’s news reported by NHL.com also noted that Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis would replace Point in the Canadian lineup.
The loss of Brayden Point is a major loss for Jon Cooper and Team Canada. Cooper, who is also the coach of the Lightning, has placed a great deal of trust in Point. That trust was evident in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Point served as Canada’s third-line center, giving Cooper a reliable option behind Connor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon.
It will now be interesting to see who Team Canada deploys in the third-line role. The recent addition of Sam Bennett could mean that the Florida Panthers’ center could slide into the third-line role behind McDavid and McKinnon.
Team Canada and Lightning Suffer Second Injury Loss
Unfortunately, the official loss of Point is not the first for Canada or the Lightning. Earlier this week, Team Canada announced that Anthony Cirelli would not be making the trip for the 2026 Olympics Cirelli sustained the injury during last Sunday’s Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins. Canada and the Lightning hoped the injury wasn’t serious, but the worst-case scenario came to fruition. Bennett got the nod in place of Cirelli on Tuesday.
The second injury loss for the Canadian side could mean a different look for its bottom six compared to the 4 Nations. Point and Cirelli were Cooper’s trusted bottom-six centers and penalty killers. Now, those roles will get shuffled, with the top six remaining pretty much the same as the 4 Nations.
Canada Gets a Bit of Good News
In a bit of good news, Team Canada got a positive injury update on another Florida Panthers forward. Veteran winger Brad Marchand confirmed he would be ready for Milano-Cortina. Marchand had been dealing with ailments leading up to the Olympic break. However, news broke that Marchand would be making the trip to Italy.
Canada will open the round robin portion of the Olympic tourney against Czechia on February 12. The game will be part of a five-game day that will kick off the beginning of the men’s tourney and the end of the preliminary portion of the women’s portion.
Team Canada will be looking to regain the gold medal after last winning it in 2014 at Sochi. The 2014 tournament was the last time NHLers took part in the Olympic hockey tournament. The defending champion is Finland, which captured its first hockey gold in Beijing in 2022.
Nestor Quixtan Seasoned NHL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan
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