Which 2026 Olympic snubs will play major roles in 2030?
The 2026 Olympics have begun to fade in the rearview mirror. But it won’t be long until we start speculating on the 2030 Winter Games. In fact, let’s do it right now.
Instead of playing the hindsight game, identifying which players should’ve made their respective teams, let’s play the foresight game. Fill in the blank: ________ didn’t make their country’s Olympic team but will play a major role in 2030.
MATT LARKIN: It’s easily Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders for me. Seeing Macklin Celebrini dominate for Canada at 19 even among superstars, and how badly his dynamism was needed, we Canadians could only wish Schaefer’s mad-dashing skills were on hand in Milan. That’s OK. He’ll be a major component of the next team – probably in time for the 2028 World Cup, actually – and should make the Canadian blueline far more skilled and dangerous.
STEVEN ELLIS: I don’t see how the Montreal Canadiens’ Lane Hutson won’t be there for the United States. He’s such an explosive skater with incredible puck skills. He can slow the game down when needed but can ramp up the energy, too. In the end, I’m not sure the Americans needed him in Italy, but he’ll absolutely be useful on the team’s second power play. He’s been outstanding at just about every national team event to date, and I would fully expect the same at the Olympics.
SCOTT MAXWELL: Schaefer and Hutson are two of three obvious omissions from their respective teams, so I’ll mention the third: the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard. While not many anticipated Bedard’s absence from Canada would be felt at the Olympics, it became more obvious as the playoffs played out that they needed another elite scorer on the team, as Sidney Crosby’s injury and the struggles to find a linemate for Nathan MacKinnon basically made them a one-line outfit. Bedard would have allowed Canada another option for an elite linemate for MacKinnon or an effective replacement for Crosby on the third line. This is why you bring as much skill as you can, folks, because even if you have the perfect player for a role, injuries happen and then you don’t have a replacement for them. Regardless, Bedard is an obvious choice to make the 2030 team, as his trajectory has him as one of the game’s best by that point. His skill should have been undeniable for Canada already, but it certainly will be in four years.
PAUL PIDUTTI: He’s dropped off the map from only playing 29 games this season, but I think Logan Cooley will be a much-needed injection of youth and speed to the next American Olympic team. When you win an event, all roster construction criticism understandably falls off the table. But for long stretches in the gold medal game, USA looked glacially slow and incapable of generating a scoring chance. The slowest go-to American players, most notably the Tkachuk brothers and Jake Guentzel, had little impact in that game as it was played at extreme pace. By 2030, Cooley will be 25 and in his seventh season and, with a max skating speed in the 99th percentile of skaters per NHL Edge data, he’ll offer something fresh as much of the roster’s forward core moves into its 30s.
MIKE GOULD: Here’s a fun one. Connor Hellebuyck is obviously coming off an incredible performance with Team USA in Milan, but he’ll be 36 in 2030. It might be the right time for him to hand over the reins to one of the up-and-coming American goaltenders in the league, and who better to take on that responsibility than Dustin Wolf? The Gilroy, Calif., product has been terrific behind a porous Calgary Flames defense in his young NHL career and should only become more comfortable at this level as the Flames improve over the coming seasons. Wolf will likely also be tapped to gain crucial international experience at the World Championship in the near future. He’s the clear heir apparent between the pipes for Team USA and could take part in multiple Olympic tournaments in the future.
ANTHONY TRUDEAU: The NHL’s embargo of the 2018 and 2022 Games wasted Sweden’s chance to strike during Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson’s Hall-of-Fame primes, and coach Sam Hallam’s bungling roster management killed any hope for a last hurrah in Milan. Now, an aging Swedish blue line must reload ahead of 2030. Simon Edvinsson probably should have gotten a look this year, but Hallam passed him over even before an injury ruled Edvinsson out. Still, Edvinsson has already arrived as a legit top-pair defender who’s capable of soaking up brutal matchups and chipping in secondary offense. The towering Detroit Red Wing’s success beside Mo Seider has, for now, returned Detroit to relevance. By the time Edvinsson is 27, he should be one of the league’s most trusted shutdown options.
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