The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Games officially kick off today, with the men's hockey starting on February 11th. The Montreal Canadiens will be sending four players to the Winter Games: Nick Suzuki (Canada), Juraj Salfkovsky (Slovakia), Alexandre Texier (France), and Oliver Kapanen (Finland). While some fans might be disappointed that they will not see Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson heading over to Italy as well, the Canadiens know firsthand how crucial the extra rest can be for a playoff push, with the team coming alive last season post the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Slafkovsky and Texier will have to be catalysts for their nations if they hope to have any success, while Suzuki and Kapanen are playing for countries that have expectations of bringing home a medal, with anything less being a disappointment. Which begs the question: Which Canadiens player is more important to their nation for them to bring home a medal?
Nick Suzuki
Suzuki is going to play a different role than he is accustomed to playing with the Canadiens. With Montreal, he is the number one centre who plays in all crucial moments of the game. With Team Canada, his role could not be any different. Canada is boasting one of the more stacked rosters at the Olympics, and because of that, Suzuki will likely be playing in more of a bottom-six role.
Suzuki has a well-rounded game, which will be an asset for Canada. Team Canada can move Suzuki up and down the lineup, whether it is to fill in on the wing or at centre, but will likely start the tournament on the third or fourth line, and will be a crucial member of the team's penalty kill. Suzuki will have a role to play on Team Canada, and while that might not be one based on scoring, he will still be a crucial member of the roster if they want to bring home the gold medal.
Juraj Slafkovsky
Slafkovsky is the only one with prior Olympic experience, having played in the 2022 Olympic Games as a 17-year-old, winning the tournament MVP and helping Slovakia win the Bronze Medal. His performance at the last Olympics was one of the deciding factors why the Canadiens chose to select him as the first overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft instead of Shane Wright, who was the preseason favourite to be the top pick. However, this time it will be slightly different, with NHL players participating in the Olympics for the first time since the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.
Slafkovsky is having the best season of his career to date, setting a new career high in goals (21), with a quarter of the season still left to play. With just seven NHLers on Team Slovakia's roster, Slafkovsky will have to be the focal point of the team's offence if they want to recreate the success they had at the 2022 Olympic Games. Slafkovsky is having a breakout season with the Canadiens and will be looking to continue the momentum in Italy.
Alexandre Texier
Texier was announced to Team France's roster before he became a member of the Canadiens, but since signing with Montreal, he has been playing very well in the variety of roles the team has deployed him in. He can play anywhere in the top nine, but with France, he will have to carry the load offensively. Texier is the only member of Team France who currently plays in the NHL, and while that does not mean he is the no doubt best player on the team, what it means is they will need him to produce if they want any hope of being the Cinderella story and defy the odds by taking home a medal.
No one is giving Team France any chance of medalling at this year's tournament, but if they miraculously do, Texier will have to be the reason why they do so. He will have to be the engine that makes the team move. We have seen his ability to create offence this season while playing with Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but with France, he will not have the luxury of playing with linemates as talented as those two. France will be the underdog, and if they want to stun some of the top nations, Texier will have to be the difference maker.
Oliver Kapanen
Before the season, Kapanen likely was not on Team Finland's radar to make the roster; however, thanks to injuries and a superb rookie season, he will be heading to Italy for the Olympics. After a short stint with the Canadiens last season, where he struggled to produce, the team opted to let him play the season out in the SHL with Timra IK, where he put together an outstanding season, scoring 15 goals and 35 points in 36 games. Kapanen returned to the Canadiens this season and has had an excellent rookie campaign, sitting in a tie for rookie goal leader (18) and fourth in points (31).
With Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine battling through injuries all season, it opened a spot for Kapanen, who has earned his place on the roster. What will be interesting to see is how Team Finland will deploy Kapanen in the lineup. With Kapanen being a rookie, it is entirely possible that he could be a healthy scratch to start the tournament. When Kapanen is in the lineup, he will most probably be playing in a bottom-six role and could feature on their penalty kill. While Kapanen will not be as crucial to his nation's success as Suzuki, Slafkovsky, and Texier will have to be, he will have to play his way into getting more minutes, something not too different from how he started his season in Montreal.