Ranking the likelihood of 2014 Olympians returning for 2026

Nov 19, 2025, 13:30 ESTUpdated: Nov 19, 2025, 10:20 EST

Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (91) battles for the puck with Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) during the third period at Scotiabank Arena.

Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

We are just a few months away from finally seeing NHL players represent their countries in the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. While some tournaments have tried to recreate the excitement (4 Nations Face-Off, World Cup of Hockey, World Championship), none comes close to watching the best players from every country (or, at least, what their management and coaches thinks their best players are) face off for Olympic gold.

A lot has happened since NHLers last played in the Olympics in 2014. Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar. Lionel Messi finally won a World Cup. Not only has One Direction disbanded, one member has tragically passed. A fricking pandemic happened for the better part of two years! Pokemon Go! Storm Area 51! Barbenheimer! Brat girl summer! And there were a lot of NHL players who played in the Olympics in 2014 who aren’t playing now.

But, there’s quite a few things that have remained the same. Taylor Swift is still dominating the charts. There’s a Hunger Games movie coming out in a year. Stranger Things is still releasing new episo… okay the show’s not that old. And Sidney Crosby is still making the NHL look silly.

By my calculations, there are 67 players still playing hockey who skated in the 2014 Olympics or were selected but got hurt prior to the tournament. Despite how old most of these players are at this point in their careers, some still have realistic shots of making the Olympics for 2026. Today, we’re going to look at who those players might be, tiering them into four categories based on likeliness. This means we won’t be perusing all 67 players, just the ones who fall into one of those four groups.

However, we’ll only be looking at the eight teams who were in the 2014 Olympics and will be in the 2026 tournament, which means Austria, Norway, Russia and Slovenia in 2014; and Denmark, France, Germany and Italy in 2026; will not be included. This will also only be comparing the 2014 and 2026 rosters, so players who played in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics like Brock Faber, Matthew Knies and Juraj Slafkovsky won’t be included. Additionally, current injuries will be given some consideration for their likeliness of making the Olympic rosters, but all cases are made under the condition they won’t sustain another injury in the next three months.

Locked in

Sidney Crosby, Canada – While Crosby isn’t the only player on this list already named to the preliminary rosters, he is probably the only (healthy) one still playing at an elite level. He’s the face of Canadian hockey, and has a spot on the team reserved for him until he retires. He’s about as locked in as you can get.

Zemgus Girgensons, Latvia – Considering some of the names in this section, Girgensons may come as a surprise. But, the Latvian player pool still isn’t a strong one to pull from, and Girgensons is a legend in his country, especially after how close Latvia came to dethroning Canada in 2014, so it makes sense to have him on the preliminary roster.

Radko Gudas, Czechia – Gudas was placed on injured reserve last week, so health concerns are a possibility heading into the tournament. But he was the only defenseman named to Czechia’s preliminary roster, and he’s one of only three NHL defenseman from the country, so there’s no way he’s missing Milan.

Roman Josi, Switzerland – Josi was a big reason why the Swiss were a tough out for Czechia and Sweden in 2014 as a 23-year-old, and he’ll be an important piece for them again as they’re set to go against Canada and Czechia in 2026. His game has taken a step back the past couple seasons, and there are some injury concerns with him, but he was named to the preliminary roster, so as long as he’s healthy by then, he’ll be in Italy.

Gabriel Landeskog, Sweden – Landeskog was a surprise selection to the preliminary roster in the summer, considering he had only just made his return to hockey after an almost three-year absence. But he’s one of only seven active Swedes from the 2014 roster (six if you don’t count Nicklas Backstrom), so Landeskog’s experience will be extremely valuable after winning silver last time around.

Nino Niederreiter, Switzerland – Niederreiter joins Josi as the only other Swiss player who played in 2014 to be selected to the preliminary roster, and it’s well-deserved. On top of still being a solid middle-six forward, he’s played in nine World championship for Switzerland in addition to the Olympics in 2014. He’ll make for solid insulation behind a younger forward core of Nico Hischier, Kevin Fiala and Timo Meier.

Ondrej Palat, Czechia – Palat was only just beginning his NHL career when he played in the 2014 Olympics for Czechia, but since then, he’s established himself as a perennial winner, nabbing two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even at 34, he’ll be a valuable member for the Czechs in February.

Tomas Tatar, Slovakia – The Slovaks have a limited pool of NHLers to choose from, and while Tatar is only in his first year away from the NHL, he is the only current non-NHLer named to the preliminary rosters in June. He’s not the up-and-coming scoring winger he was in 2014 with the Detroit Red Wings, but he has plenty of experience with Slovakia at the World Championships. He even played in the qualifiers this year, so he’ll be a big piece for the team.

Strong chance

Roman Cervenka, Czechia – Cervenka is one of the few non-NHLers (outside of his 2012-13 season with the Calgary Flames) who has a strong chance of cracking Czechia’s Olympic roster, and it’s well deserved. He’s been a loyal soldier for them, participating in four Olympics, 12 world championships, and even the World Cup in 2016. He had some excellent chemistry in the 2025 World Championship with Lukas Sedlak and David Pastrnak, which could be a game-changer for Czechia come February.

Kaspars Daugavins, Latvia – Daugavins had a brief taste at the NHL level in the early 2010s, but he has been a very productive player across several European leagues and, like Cervenka, he has been loyal to his respective country, playing in three Olympics, and 13 world championships. Daugavins captained Latvia in the qualifiers for this year’s tournament, and with Latvia’s biggest strength being chemistry, there’s no reason he won’t make the Olympic roster.

Drew Doughty, Canada – Only Doughty and Brent Burns remain from the previous core of Canadian defensemen from the 2014 Olympics (and even the 2016 World Cup of Hockey). While Burns is an above-average depth defenseman at this point in his career, Doughty is still very capable of playing at a high level, even competing for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He’s currently out for at least a couple weeks with an injury, so that may threaten his chances, but otherwise, he seems like the best option to bring as a veteran for Canada’s blueline.

Ralfs Freibergs, Latvia – Freibergs is another non-NHLer still kicking around in the Czech leagues, and while he’s far from a big-name defender, he’s one of Latvia’s best options. Like Cervenka, Freibergs has plenty of international experience, participating in Latvia’s last two appearances in the Olympics in 2014 and 2022, along with nine world championships. Like Daugavins, he was on the roster for the qualifiers, so why wouldn’t he crack the Olympic roster too?

Mikael Granlund, Finland – There may have been a point two or three years ago where Granlund wasn’t considered for Team Finland at a best-on-best tournament, but after the 33-year-old rejuvenated his career with the San Jose Sharks, he’s all but officially a lock. The Finns don’t exactly have a plethora of options to choose from for their roster, especially with Aleksander Barkov out of the picture, so they can’t be picky with a guy like Granlund.

Kristers Gudlevskis, Latvia – Now there’s a name that might send chills down a Canadian’s spine. Gudlevskis is best known for his performance in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Olympics where he stopped 55 shots before Canada finally snuck away with a 2-1 win. He likely won’t get a start if he does make the roster with Elvis Merzlikins and Arturs Silovs already making up Latvia’s tandem on the preliminary rosters. But with his experience in this tournament and his performance in the qualifiers, he’d be a great option as a third goalie.

Erik Karlsson, Sweden – There could be a situation where Karlsson’s age and defensive concerns lead Sweden to big-brain their way out of selecting him, but Karlsson’s start to this season has been too good for even that to be a concern. He’s not the annual Norris candidate he once was, but he’ll still be very strong in a top-four role, especially alongside an elite defensive defenseman like Jonas Brodin, Mattias Ekholm or Gustav Forsling.

Olli Maatta, Finland – When Maatta was last at the Olympics in 2014, he was in his first NHL season and considered to be one of the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ better prospects. He never lived up to that potential, but he’s solidified himself as a capable NHL defenseman, and with limited options on the blueline for Finland, it’s hard to see them passing on Maatta. He’s also third amongst Finnish defensemen in points since 2022, so he’s one of their better offensive options as well.

An argument could be made

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Sweden – Amidst a Toronto Maple Leafs team off to an ugly start to the season (particularly on the blueline), Ekman-Larsson has looked like one of Toronto’s better defenders. If he keeps up this play, he could possibly find himself in contention for Sweden’s roster, which Uffe Bodin actually did for Daily Faceoff’s Team Sweden roster projections on Tuesday. But if there’s one position that Sweden doesn’t need to worry about, it’s their blueline, so OEL will be in tough to make that roster.

Miks Indrasis, Latvia – Much like the other Latvians on this list, Indrasis has put in the hours with the Latvian national team, playing in the last two Olympics and 11 World Championships, as well as playing for the team in the recent qualifiers. However, Indrasis is more of a fringe player on Latvia’s roster and could get pushed out of the lineup come February.

Marcus Johansson, Sweden – Johansson has been as steady as they come throughout his career, and he’s actually off to a great start to the 2025-26 season with 17 points in 20 games, so it’s easy to see how he could get enough attention for the Olympics. But Sweden is also very deep on the wings, and he’d be beating out some talented forwards to make the team. He did crack Uffe Bodin’s roster in our projections, so it’s certainly a possibility, but I could just as easily see him being an odd-man out.

Patrick Kane, United States – There was plenty of talk heading into the season about Kane wanting to get one more run with U.S. in a best-on-best tournament, and his pedigree alone could be enough to justify it. But Kane doesn’t want to make the roster solely off pedigree and wants to earn his spot, which is a bit less likely. He’s still a highly skilled player and off to a great start with nine points in 11 games (when he hasn’t been hurt), but he would need a few more injuries up front to sneak in at this stage of his career, even if he was at the States’ orientation camp in the summer.

Ryan McDonagh, United States – Like Kane, McDonagh was at the orientation camp in the summer, so he’s certainly in the conversation. He’s probably the best option among the U.S. defensemen who last played in best-on-best, so if the States want a veteran option, he’d be the guy, especially since he’s still a capable shutdown option. But the States have so many choices on their blueline that McDonagh would need a lot to go his way to make the roster.

John Tavares, Canada – Considering what happened the last time Tavares played in the Olympics, maybe he and the Leafs don’t even want him in Italy in the first place. But Tavares’ stock has certainly been raised since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he’s actually tied for seventh in the league in points and first in goals since the NHL resumed play after the tournament in February. There’s still far too many great options up front for Canada to consider, especially with the starts Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini have had, but Tavares has certainly justified a spot there with his recent play.

Highly unlikely

Aleksander Barkov, Finland – Barkov is the only player who played in the 2014 Olympics and was named to the preliminary rosters in the summer to not be considered a lock on my list, and the reason is pretty obvious: he’s injured. At this point in time, the Florida Panthers will be lucky if he plays with them in the playoffs, so an Olympic appearance is a pipe dream. But Barkov hasn’t fully ruled it out yet, so there’s a chance he does pull off the comeback.

John Carlson, United States – Carlson finds himself lower on this list, less due to his own ability and more to the sheer depth of the U.S.’s blueline. He’s still a capable offensive defenseman and wouldn’t be out of place on the roster, especially as a veteran. But he’s a one-dimensional player at this stage of his career, and there are just far too many better options who can also defend better than him. Carlson didn’t even make the orientation camp in the summer, so unless he continues to build off of his 14 points in 17 games this season, it’s hard to see him impressing so much that he surpasses all the names ahead of him.

Matt Duchene, Canada – After putting up 30 goals and 82 points last season with the Dallas Stars, Duchene probably could have been one tier up on this list, as his play certainly left room for an argument if injuries to other Canadians came up. But it’s actually injuries that ruined his chance, as he’s been limited to just four games this season. With no apparent timeline for return, he may not even be healthy by the Dec. 31 roster deadline, never mind back at the level of play that could have maybe earned him a spot. Even healthy, it was a longshot.

Cam Fowler, United States – Like Duchene, an argument could have been made for Fowler to crack the U.S.’s roster as a veteran option after a resurgent season with the St. Louis Blues. But the Blues have been horrible to start this season, and while that hasn’t been due to Fowler’s play, it’s probably enough for him to be off the States’ radar entirely at this point, especially with all the talent they have on defense.

Jaromir Jagr, Czechia – I don’t even think Jagr wants to play for Czechia at his age, but let’s be honest, his legacy there is so large, you could see a world where they give him a spot off pedigree alone. It’s not happening, especially when he hasn’t participated in the last two tournaments when he technically could have, but how amazing of a story would this be?

Gustav Nyquist, Sweden – Nyquist was one of the league’s most surprising stories the last time the Olympics happened, as he scored 28 goals in 57 games in his first full NHL season (a mark which still stands as his career high). But Nyquist is not the same forward he once was, and even though he had a 75-point season just two years ago, his play since then makes it hard to justify putting him on a deep Sweden team. Even Johansson has the justification of a hot start. Injuries could pave the way for Nyquist to crack the lineup, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Corey Perry, Canada – Perry is far from the crash-and-bang, 30-40 goal-scorer who made Team Canada in 2010 and 2014, but he’s found a new niche as a bottom-six role-player in the NHL. He will still likely be kept out of consideration for another appearance in February, but he’s shown glimpses of goal-scoring talent over the past couple seasons, and he’s off to a great start with the Los Angeles Kings this year. Maybe Canada overthinks things and gives Perry a spot as a grinder option with some offensive ability, but even if they don’t go with the most skilled lineup, there are better choices among the role-players.

Steven Stamkos, Canada – If Stamkos was anywhere close to his normal level (or at least, a normal level relative to his age), I could see a world where Canada does right by him and adds him after a leg injury kept him out of his only other chance of playing in the Olympics in 2014. But he wasn’t even considered for the 4 Nations Face-Off after he took a step back last season, and he’s even worse this year. It’d be a great story, but it’s most likely not happening.

Jonathan Toews, Canada – He’s only 19 games into his NHL return after a two-year hiatus, and at 37 years old, he is far removed from the Toews who was a staple for Team Canada’s lineups. But considering Hockey Canada’s history of big-braining their rosters, would it be that outlandish for them to consider Toews for being a good soldier over the years? Probably, but I’m not ruling out the possibility.

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