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Diving into Men’s Olympic Hockey line combinations: Canucks Conversation
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Photo credit: © Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Clarke Corsan
Feb 10, 2026, 12:15 ESTUpdated: Feb 10, 2026, 12:14 EST
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On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal took a closer look at the men’s Olympic hockey lineups, with a particular focus on the Canucks players expected to contribute for their respective countries and how those teams stack up heading into the tournament.
The conversation started with Team Sweden and what the Swedes realistically need from Elias Pettersson. Harm tempered expectations around Pettersson being a true offensive driver.
“My expectations aren’t super high for him to be an offensive game-breaker because we haven’t seen him reach that next offensive level,” Harm said. “He’ll have better linemates at this tournament, so that’s a reason to be a little optimistic and think he can chip in offensively. But if we’re being honest, this Sweden team isn’t relying on Elias Pettersson to do a lot of offensive damage. If he can sprinkle in some points, that’s a bonus. You’re expecting him to be responsible at both ends of the ice and stout defensively.”
That’s largely because Sweden’s offensive identity runs through its wings.
“They’re going to rely on their dynamic wingers to do most of the heavy lifting offensively – Nylander, Forsberg, Bratt, Raymond, Kempe,” Harm said. “They’ve got a really talented pool there. It really sucks the Swedes don’t have Leo Carlsson available. That would’ve given them a legitimate 1C. When you take him out during this breakout season of his, they look thin down the middle. It’s similar to what we said ahead of 4 Nations – you love their wingers, but they’re thin at centre.”
From there, the discussion shifted to Team Czechia, where Filip Hronek figures to play an enormous role. Quads didn’t mince words when projecting Hronek’s workload.
“You can call Filip Hronek the Czech Cale Makar for this tournament,” Quads said. “He’s going to play an ungodly amount of time. First penalty kill, first – and maybe only – power play guy. You’re going to see him a lot.”
Quads sees a legitimate medal path for Czechia if things break right.
“This team has some real firepower up top, plus sneaky-good goaltending with Lukáš Dostál,” he said. “They could absolutely win a bronze medal.”
Harm agreed on the strength at the top of the lineup, starting with one of the NHL’s most consistent scorers.
“When you have David Pastrnak, who might be the most underappreciated superstar in the league – three straight seasons of 40 goals and 100 points – that top line is as good as you’ll find in this tournament,” Harm said. “The issue is what comes after that. The lack of depth is where they’re at a significant disadvantage compared to the other European teams we expect to be in medal contention.”
Team Finland brought the conversation back to the crease, with a Canucks-specific angle. Quads zeroed in on Kevin Lankinen’s potential role.
“The big question for Finland, from a Canucks perspective, is how many games Lankinen gets and whether he can outplay Juuse Saros,” Quads said. “He was arguably the better goalie at the 4 Nations tournament, so we’ll see.”
Harm highlighted a key difference between Finland and the 4 Nations tournament last February.
“They’re finally going to be able to ice Miro Heiskanen,” Harm said. “He’ll play close to 30 minutes a night, and alongside Lundell – who he has great chemistry with being teammates in Dallas – that helps everyone else slot into more reasonable roles.”
While the blue line still isn’t elite, it’s no longer a glaring weakness.
“It’s not as much of an Achilles heel as it was during 4 Nations,” Harm said. “But if you’re Finland, you’re really hoping you don’t have to turn to Lankinen too much. His recent play hasn’t inspired a ton of confidence. Of course, this team would be a lot better defensively than what the Canucks have put in front of him, but I’d still be riding Saros through the highs and lows.”
Up front, Finland lacks star power but makes up for it in habits.
“They don’t have a ton of game-breaking talent,” Harm said. “But every forward is committed defensively and can play a shutdown role.”
Finally, the guys wrapped up with Team Latvia, where Teddy Blueger figures to be leaned on heavily. Quads noted Blueger’s importance right away.
“Blueger is going to be in the top six, playing a lot of minutes, with Silovs in net,” Quads said. “We’ve talked about some solid teams here – I’m not sure how Latvia will fare. But, they’re always fun to watch. They’ll try to lock teams down, keep shots to the outside. We know Teddy Blueger has a ton of heart.”
Expectations are modest, but the door isn’t fully closed.
“I don’t think anyone expects them to medal, Harm chimed in. “But they could scare a few teams, maybe pull off an upset – it’d take the game of their lives, though.”
You can watch the full segment below:
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