Lack of skill a glaring issue on Canada’s blue line

Canada announced its roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, revealing that all the defenders on the country’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster from last season have been brought back.

Some notable omissions include the Washington Capitals’ Jakob Chychrun and the Edmonton Oilers’ Evan Bouchard, both of which are in the top-10 for points among defenders in the league.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and DFO managing editor Matt Larkin discuss Canada’s blue line and whether there’s enough skill on it.

Tyler Yaremchuk: There’s not a lot of dynamic skill here on the blue line, and when you think about a forward group that’s Uber-talented and has all these game-breakers, my philosophy for building this blue line would have been: I want the guys who are the best suited to make good plays and get the puck to my skilled forwards.

If Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon are carrying the puck up the ice, you’re not getting scored on in your own end. That’s why I’m disappointed not to see one of Chychrun or Bouchard.

Matt Larkin: I agree, and I’m disappointed twofold because a lot of these guys that were left off the team that have that dynamic skill are also better defenders.

Chychrun, if the season ended today, would be right there in the Norris Trophy vote. He can shoot the puck like Colton Paraynko can, and he can defend better than he can – and that applies for Bouchard and Matthew Schaefer.

The idea (with Schaefer) was, “OK, he’s an 18 year old, this would be a lot to put on his plate, and he might not be ready for the trench warfare of a tournament like this that’s so competitive,” but I just don’t agree. I think he’s one of the eight best defenseman in Canada right now, and that includes play in his own end.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…