With the end of the NHL season clearly on the horizon, teams not making the playoffs are already starting their off-season plans. Some players of these teams might play some more hockey this summer and the Canadiens are no exception.
While nothing is official, there are a few players on the Canadiens roster that might get the call to represent their country. Cole Caufield is the obvious candidate to represent USA and will likely do so. He last represented his country at the 2021 World Juniors.
Carey Price, despite being healthy and slowly getting his groove back, has stated that he will not participate in the tournament. Price played once in the World Cup tournament in 2017 winning the tournament. He also won gold at the 2014 Olympics (where he only allowed 3 goals in 5 games and registered 2 shutouts), won gold at the 2007 U20 World Juniors and Silver at the 2005 U18 World Juniors.
Nick Suzuki has stated that he will consider representing Canada if he were to receive an invitation. Suzuki has been missing nearly every morning skate due to medical treatment and hasn’t missed a game all season. The magnitude of his injuries will likely dictate whether or not he plays extra hockey. Suzuki’s international experience comes as part of the 2019 squad in the U20 World Juniors.
The name of Josh Anderson has also reportedly been floating around as a possible candidate according to Darren Dreger. The power forward has recently scored his 100th career NHL goal, tallying 18 for the year in 65 games. Anderson represented Canada once during the 2014 U20 World Juniors.
Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois has openly expressed interest in representing Canada. Ottawa Senators Thomas Chabot, Drake Batherson and Connor Brown have also been vocal about representing the red maple leaf.
Canada plays their first game on May13th against Germany at 1pm ET. The tournament runs between May 13th and May 29th in Tempere and Helsinki, Finland.
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