{"id":447326,"date":"2026-02-05T16:57:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/447326\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:57:18","slug":"canada-to-make-call-on-injured-tampa-bay-lightning-forward-brayden-points-olympic-status-by-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/447326\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada to make call on injured Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point’s Olympic status by weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brayden Point<\/a>\u2019s status for the Olympics remains up in the air, but a determination will be made by the weekend.<\/p>\n

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports Canada does not intend to bring a standby player to Milano Cortina, so the injured Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> forward\u2019s situation must be clarified.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to have a decision before people have to get on planes, which is Saturday,\u2019\u2019 Canada general manager Doug Armstrong told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic<\/a>. \u201cNow, we can buy extra time. I\u2019m not sure there\u2019s going to be a lot of extra information between Saturday and Tuesday. That\u2019s our initial plan, but it\u2019s fluid.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Team Canada has no plans to bring an extra player to Milan as an injury standby, so Brayden Point’s Olympic status will need to be determined by this weekend.<\/p>\n

Point has spent a lot of time on the ice since suffering a knee injury and is expected to skate again in Tampa today.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Point, 29, incurred a knee injury during a Jan. 12 game against the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> when Cam York<\/a> fell on his right leg. He was helped off of the ice and has yet to return to action. He was eventually placed on injured reserve on Jan. 16 following a week-to-week assessment before being moved to long-term injured reserve early this week.<\/p>\n

Johnston notes that Point has returned to the ice and is expected to skate once again later on Thursday.<\/p>\n

A native of Calgary, Point is in his 10th NHL season out of the Western Hockey League\u2019s Moose Jaw Warriors.<\/p>\n

He appeared in 37 games ahead of the injury, scoring 11 goals and adding 19 assists.<\/p>\n

Point, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Bolts, has previously represented Canada on a number of occasions and was a member of the squad that won last February\u2019s 4 Nations Face-Off.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Brad Marchand<\/a> is a go.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old Florida Panthers<\/a> forward missed two games earlier this week with an undisclosed injury, but returned to play in Wednesday night\u2019s shootout loss to the Boston Bruins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to him and he said he\u2019s ready to go for us,\u2019\u2019 Armstrong told LeBrun of Marchand. \u201cWe rely on the players\u2019 honesty. I have no question in my mind that they\u2019ll do what\u2019s best for the team. That\u2019s what makes these guys so special.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Marchand, who played just under 11 minutes against the Bruins, will be making his first trip to the Olympics after having previously represented Canada at virtually every level. The Halifax native has won gold with Canada at a World Junior Hockey Championships, IIHF World Championship, a World Cup of Hockey and the 4 Nations Face-Off.<\/p>\n

Canada replaced Point\u2019s injured Lightning teammate Anthony Cirelli<\/a> with Panthers centre Sam Bennett<\/a> earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Canada opens its Olympic tournament next Thursday against Czechia.<\/p>\n