Canucks Talk Team Canada Decisions and Pettersson’s Sweden Role
Feb 9, 2026
Kyle Bukauskas, Sportsnet reporter and 32 Thoughts co-host, files from Milan with roster analysis. He breaks down Team Canada’s line choices and goaltending race. He compares threats from USA, Sweden and Finland. He also discusses Elias Pettersson’s surprising third-line role for Sweden and what Olympic usage might mean for trade value and long-term roles.
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McDavid Needs An F1 More Than A Burner
- John Cooper prioritized an F1 forechecker for Connor McDavid over a pure speed winger to start the tournament.
- That explains Tom Wilson and Macklin Celebrini starting with McDavid as a complementary skill set choice.
Binnington Likely Opens, Then It's Merit-Based
- John Cooper appears likely to start Jordan Binnington in Canada's opener because of past performance.
- After the opener, goaltending will be entirely performance and result based.
Power-Play Chemistry Is The Big X-Factor
- A major question for Canada is how to make the stacked power play click with five elite puck carriers.
- Finding a shared operating brain among Crosby, McDavid, McKinnon, Reinhart and McCarr is the practical challenge.