Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Pontus Holmberg earned a shot to be with Team Sweden during the 2026 Olympics and his steady place in the lineup is making Maple Leafs fans double-take.
It’s time for the Winter Olympics and for hockey fans it’s always an exciting time as they get to watch their favourite players vie for international supremacy, with historic rivalries and underdog stories bound to dominate the headlines.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are well represented with three players being included. Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are all skating for their respective countries, and are all looking to make their mark and end up standing tall on the podium when all is said and done.
Pontus Holmberg getting the chance to do something special
But for Nylander and Ekman-Larsson, they are going to have a familiar face alongside them as former Maple Leaf forward Pontus Holmberg will be slotted into the team’s fourth line, and it looks like he’s going to be a regular:
Skating in between Gabriel Landeskog and Alex Wennberg (and also Marcus Johansson), Holmberg is going to be looked at to offer a lot of defensive help, draw a ton of penalties and perhaps even find a way to help Landeskog score.
But it shows a bigger picture regarding Holmberg, as this is a player who really never got his footing in Toronto and could have played a big role this year but was neglected and subsequently signed with Tampa Bay.
Toronto failed Holmberg and fans are getting frustrated
He’s also using all of his defensive acumen to help Tampa Bay and is rocking a plus-nine and only 14 PIM. Jon Cooper has gushed about him several times, and at only 26 years old he has room to grow.
It’s making some Maple Leafs fans wonder how Toronto could have got it wrong and are surprised at the vast improvement on Holmberg’s end:
It seems like Holmberg has made his mark down in Florida, and will look to find some chemistry with his Tre Kronor teammates but if anything, will be counted on to play solid defense and shut things down.
That’s exactly what the Swedes need, and it’s something the Maple Leafs certainly could have benefited from this season, but their mismanagement cost them potentially a future two-way staple.
Toronto never gave Pontus Holmberg a real shot, and with Craig Berube and a new identity, it meant he was shown the door.
But when one door closes, another opens and it’s led him to potentially get the chance to win a gold medal.
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Former Leaf is a Team Sweden regular, and it’s turning heads in Toronto
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