Big Hype Prospects: Suvanto, Dagenais, Willis, Tomek
Pre-tournament action has kicked off at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship. This year will be a tournament to watch, with standout draft talent spread across a big group of contenders. This will be a last chance to convince the NHL scouts for 2026 NHL Draft talent, while many 2027 NHL Draft stars will be looking to snag early attention. To celebrate one of the top tournaments of the draft season, we will once again borrow MLB Trade Rumors’ Big Hype Prospect series to cover four names to watch.
Four Big Hype Prospects
Team Finland – Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
48 GP, 2 G – 9 A – 11 TP, 16 PIM, +3
Oliver Suvanto has held the attention of many scouts for the last two seasons. He is a strong and heavy center who checks a lot of boxes. Suvanto can win faceoffs and shut down opponents defensively. He plays a smart, heads-up game that switches from defense to offense quickly. But in the first pro season of his career, his offense struggled to stand out. Suvanto didn’t help his case at the 2026 World Junior Championships, where he scored only two goals in seven games. He has otherwise scored eight points in 13 international games with Finland this year – and undoubtedly stands as the team’s top center headed into the U18 Worlds. A point-per-game player in Finland’s U20 league last season, Suvanto has a proven oomph to his offense and an overwhelming two-way style. He could be the leader of a big tournament for Finland, or may string out doubts with another low-scoring tournament. The opportunity under the spotlight will mean more for Suvanto’s draft stock than many of his peers.
Team Canada – Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
62 GP, 30 G – 32 A – 62 TP, 31 PIM
There may not be a hotter draft prospect than Quebec’s Maddox Dagenais. The chippy shooter had 13 multi-point games after January 1st, en route to 20 goals and 43 points in the last 40 games of the season. Dagenais plays a straightforward game, dominating opponents with his downhill play-driving, quick cuts with the puck, and feisty physical strength. He can toss opponents off of him and plays with reckless abandon while diving into puck battles. That is both a pro and con for Dagenais, not helped along by questions around if he can really take over play-driving. That will make the U18 Worlds a golden opportunity for Dagenais, providing him a chance to build his high-energy style off of other Canadian stars. If he proves he can control play, Dagenais could be fighting for first-round attention at this tournament. After all, he brings the shooting, hitting, and swagger that many teams look for with their top pick.
Team USA – Brayden Willis, RW, U.S. National U17 Team (NTDP)
51 GP, 20 G – 28 A – 48 TP, 26 PIM
This will be a last showing for the 2026 class, and first impressions for much of the 2027 class. Team USA star Brayden Willis sits behind both groups, born one day into eligibility for the 2028 NHL Draft. He opened USA’s pre-tournament action on the top-line – carrying over momentum earned from a standout season with the U17 National Team Development Program. Willis proved to be the lineup’s workhorse, matching a chippy and confident style with lightning-quick reactions and skill. He is a dynamo who routinely connected with high-skill teammates like Carter Meyer – also on the U18 roster. Willis will play on house money by even stepping into the tournament lineup, getting an early chance to steer ahead of the 2028 class. He could build momentum if his confident and chippy game earns him some hard-earned scoring.
Team Czechia – Petr Tomek, LW, Energie Karlovy Vary (Czechia Extraliga)
51 GP, 13 G – 7 A – 20 TP, 12 PIM, +2
European fans were watching for one name on U18 rosters. 17 year old winger Petr Tomek has caught waves of attention over the course of his first season in Czechia’s top pro league. The challenge of a physical league and a skinny frame did not faze Tomek, who played with an overabundance of confidence and skill this season. He is a smooth puck-handler who knows how to slow down time as he enters the offensive zone to find shooting lanes and scoring chances. That helped Tomek notch eight points in 11 international games with Team Czechia’s U18 roster, and four points in four games with the U20 roster, earlier this season. He will enter the U18 Worlds as one of Czechia’s most dynamic, offensive talents. Paying off that standing with flashy scoring could go far in helping NHL scouts overlook his skinny build.
Snapshots: Team Canada, Hagens, Ott
Team Canada has secured commitments from several big-name players for the country’s team at the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships in Switzerland, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Per Dreger, some of the names include: Mark Scheifele, John Tavares, Robert Thomas, and Ryan O’Reilly, with more set to be named moving forward. This quartet of centers gives the country enviable depth at one of the game’s most important positions, and also means one or two of those names could end up playing on the wing. Canada last won an IIHF Men’s World Championship in 2023.
O’Reilly, who scored 74 points in 81 games for the Nashville Predators this season, has won gold at IIHF Worlds twice in his career, and has also won a silver medal at the tournament. He was also on last year’s Canadian entry into the tournament. Scheifele, 33, scored 103 points this season and won gold in 2016 and silver in 2017, scoring 21 points across 27 career games at IIHF World Championships. Thomas scored 64 points in 64 games for the St. Louis Blues this season but has not previously represented Canada on the country’s senior men’s side. Tavares, who scored 71 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs this year, captained Team Canada at the 2024 edition of the tournament, and also played at worlds in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He led the tournament in goals in 2010.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Boston Bruins star prospect James Hagens will most likely be in the lineup for the first game of the team’s upcoming series against the Buffalo Sabres, head coach Marco Sturm told the media today. Hagens, 19, has gotten into two career NHL games so far and has registered one assist, playing a third-line winger role alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Hagens scored four points in six games at the AHL level and managed 23 goals and 47 points in 34 games playing for Boston College this year. He’s been widely considered the Bruins’ top prospect since the team selected him No. 7 overall at the 2025 draft.
- The St. Louis Blues are expected to enter negotiations to retain Steve Ott as head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, beyond this season, per GM Doug Armstrong. Ott took over as Thunderbirds head coach in January, replacing Steve Konowalchuk, who began the season 13-18-6. Ott was able to deliver playoff hockey to Springfield, guiding the team to a 31-31-10 record as of writing, good for the final opening-round playoff spot in the league’s Atlantic Division. Ott was formerly an assistant on the Blues’ NHL staff and also had an 848-game NHL career as a player.
Brad Treliving, Jason Spezza To Manage Team Canada At 2026 World Championships
Hockey Canada has announced the management team for the 2026 World Championships. The group will be led by Brad Treliving and Jason Spezza. Treliving was recently ousted from his role as the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager while Spezza serves as an assistant GM for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The duo will be supported by Penguins GM Kyle Dubas and Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada’s senior vice-president of hockey operations. Dubas served as the GM of Canada’s 2025 World Championship squad, with support from Salmond.
This news will most notably represent another step up in Spezza’s managerial career. He is a veteran of 19 seasons and 1,248 games in the NHL. His career concluded with three seasons under Dubas’ management with the Toronto Maple Leafs, after Dubas signed Spezza to a one-year contract in 2019. Spezza retired in 2022 and joined Toronto as a special assistant to the GM on the same day. Dubas was let go from his role with Toronto one year later and brought Spezza with him through a move to Pittsburgh. Now, Dubas will hand off international, managerial duties to his protege after leading Canada to a quarterfinal loss at the 2025 World Championship.
Spezza will be supported by Treliving, who brings 11 years of NHL GM experience to the tournament. Treliving last supported the World Championships in 2016, when he served as a co-GM alongside George McPhee. Canada took home the Gold Medal that year, completing back-to-back championship wins thanks to a strong tournament from forward Derick Brassard. Treliving also supported the World Championships as an assistant GM in 2014, the summer before his first promotion to an NHL GM chair.
Together, the experienced Team Canada managerial group will be tasked with putting together a strong roster in a year where many World Championship stars will be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Canada will likely not be able to bring Sidney Crosby, Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, or Noah Dobson to the start of this year’s tournament. They will have access to budding stars Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, and Matthew Schaefer – though how ready the trio will be for even more games is yet to be seen. Canada could also bring John Tavares, Bo Horvat, Ryan O’Reilly, Brandon Montour, and Jordan Binnington back for another tournament. Horvat and Binnington joined Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, alongside Tom Wilson and Sam Reinhart – who also sit outside of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The roster could boast a lot of NHL talent, though without as much World Championship experience, under their new management this summer.
Doug Armstrong Steps Down As Team Canada GM
Following the 2026 Winter Olympics, Doug Armstrong has stepped down as the general manager of Team Canada’s Olympic men’s hockey team per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Armstrong led Canada to a silver medal finish at the latest Olympics, losing in a heartbreak overtime to Team USA. The tournament was led in scoring by two Canadian players – superstar Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini, the youngest NHL player to suit up for Canada’s Olympic men’s team. In an interview with LeBrun, Armstrong said that the result of the tournament was not why he was stepping down. Instead, he felt it was time for change:
I’ve enjoyed every aspect of it. Obviously, you wish you could go out on top. But it would be selfish to want to do it again. It’s such a great experience and I think more people should enjoy it.
Armstrong’s tenure in Canada’s upper management stretches all the way back to the 2002 World Championship, when he worked under Lanny McDonald‘s lead. He has since won seven Gold medals and six Silver medals at the World Championship. Armstrong also worked under Steve Yzerman to put together Canada’s Gold medal-winning rosters at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Throughout his reign over the country’s national team, Armstrong has been no stranger to bold decisions. He chose to ignore Celebrini’s age when rostering him for the 2026 Olympics and leaned on a goalie he could trust – the goalie who earned Armstrong his first Stanley Cup win, Jordan Binnington. Those patterns for bold decisions stretch back to the inclusion of players like Braden Schneider, Chris Kunitz, and Dan Hamhuis on international rosters. The decisions often benefited chemistry and morale where they didn’t boost the scoresheet – helping Canada continue blazing their trail of international success.
Naturally, the conversation will shift towards who will become Armstrong’s heir leading Canada’s men’s roster. The triple-gold-winning GM didn’t have any thoughts on immediate successors but did tell LeBrun that he thinks Sidney Crosby would be a perfect fit on the other side of his playing days. Armstrong praised Crosby’s “dignity and grace” on top of his wealth of hockey experience and drive to win. Where Canada tries to act professional and classy, Crosby takes it to another level. Armstrong said he also sees those traits in McDavid.
Armstrong will move forward with a focus on his final days in the St. Louis Blues’ GM role, which is set to turnover to Alexander Steen this summer while Armstrong moves into a full-time President of Hockey Operations role. Team Canada won’t need to worry about a replacement immediately, though they’ll have a great list of options available. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, and Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney were all assistants to Armstrong at the 2026 Olympics. The team’s management staff also employed Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas and up-and-coming managerial advisor Ryan Getzlaf.
It seems any of the reigning Silver medal winners could take on the big chair – with Nill and Sweeney offering experience, Dubas offering youth, and BriseBois offering unique approaches. Canada has also called on Yzerman, Shane Doan, and even Wayne Gretzky to manage international rosters. Their star-studded list of candidates will keep news around Team Canada exciting, even as they lose a core part of their management for more than 20 years.
NHL Announce 2028 World Cup Of Hockey
NHL general managers are convening in Palm Beach, Florida for a week of GM meetings beginning on Monday. A top agenda item will be preparing the announcement for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The tournament has been held three times between 1996 and 2016. It was most recently held from September 17 to September 29, 2016, in Toronto. The 2028 iteration of the tournament was originally announced in February 2025.
Despite claims that the tournament will move forward without IIHF involvement, the NHL has announced that they are partnering with the international body to help ensure players from outside the NHL can be made available per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen.
The league made the official announcement at 12:30 P.M. ET on Monday. In it, Calgary and Edmonton, Canada, and Prague, Czechia, were revealed as the hosts cities. The event will take place in February, 2028 – in the middle of the 2027-28 season. Prague and Calgary will each host half of the round robin section of the tournament, while Edmonton will host the semi-finals and finals.
Further, the NHL announced that the tournament will use NHL rules rather than international rules per LeBrun. Most notably, that will mean that overtime periods are five-on-five, rather than three-on-three.
The last iteration of the tournament brought together six countries – America, Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Czechia – as well as two specialized teams, one featuring talent from other European countries and another featuring the top U24 players in America and Canada. The resulting Team North America brought together many NHL superstars well ahead of their prime, including Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Aaron Ekblad, Nathan MacKinnon, and more.
Team North America posted a 2-1-0 record and scored an 11-to-eight goal-differential – but ultimately lost out to Russia’s fewer goals-against (five) in the standings. Russia lost to Team Canada in the first round of the knockout stage, while Team Europe beat Sweden on the other side. Canada would go on to win the tournament, proudly led by leading scorer Sidney Crosby. Alongside Patrice Bergeron, Jonathan Toews, Brad Marchand, and Carey Price – Crosby was able to lead Canada to a win over Europe’s Mats Zuccarello, Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, and Leon Draisaitl.
The next iteration of the World Cup of Hockey should similarly bring together world class talent in a best-on-best competition in the years leading up to the 2030 Winter Olympics. One questoin the NHL will need to be prepared to answer is if, and where, Russian talent will fit into the conversation. The country has been, and continues to be, excluded from all IIHF competition dating back to 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine. The NHL will not have to abide by the IIHF’s decision but has previously said that Russia is not expected to be invited to the event, however the NHL did not confirm this in their press conference following the official announcement.
If the NHL chooses to bolster the number of contending teams with another Team Europe or Team North America will also be closely followed. The league has no shortage of young talent breaking through – with stars like Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer even making their case for league-best titles.
2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey Medal Matchups Set
The stage has been set for the medal games for the 2026 Winter Olympic’s Men’s Hockey tournament. Team Canada was the first to seal a path to the Gold medal game with their 3-2 win over Team Finland on Friday. Soon after, Team USA earned the spot of contender with a confident 6-2 win over Team Slovakia. While the hockey world’s top rivals face off for Gold, the Bronze medal game will host the losing-parties, Finland and Slovakia.
A Canada and USA matchup seemed like the inevitable outcome of the NHL’s return to the Winter Olympics. After three tournaments without the world’s top talent, this year’s tournament has shown the next-level speed, skill, and strength that the NHL’s stars bring. Canada has been led by a superstar top line – with proven-greats Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon joined by Macklin Celebrini, the youngest skater to suit up for Canada at an Olympic men’s hockey tournament. Celebrini has played well above his age, leading the entire tournament in goals with five through as many games. He ranks second in total scoring with 10 points, behind McDavid’s 13 points.
With a robust cast and a confident goalie backing their top line, Canada won’t be an easy out. Team USA will attempt the feat with a well-rounded lineup, backed by reigning NHL Hart Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck, the first goalie to win the award since 2015. The Americans have spread their offense out, with each of Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, and Jack Eichel stepping up to drive play at any given time. Those drivers are flanked by impact scorers like Auston Matthews, Matt Boldy, and Zach Werenski – giving the United States a roster that brings 60 minutes of dangerous offense.
The Team Canada versus Team USA matchup will carry a bit more oomph after the USA women’s team beat Canada by a score of 2-1 on Thursday. During the game, USA captain Hilary Knight recorded her 33rd career point at the Olympics, surpassing Jenny Potter for the country’s women’s record. Knight still ranks behind Canadian star Marie-Philip Poulin‘s 39 career points, though the former prevailed in the Gold matchup.
Meanwhile, Slovakia will stand up to a tough test for the Bronze medal. They brought the fourth-fewest NHL players of any team at this year’s tournament. Despite that, a cohesive and physical front has led the Slovaks above usual-contenders Team Sweden, who brought a full roster of NHL talent. The Finns have 24 NHL players, one shy of a full roster, and have leaned on their stars to push a downhill offense. Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho have set a top pace, while Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell hold a strong line behind them. When the stars are off the ice, Erik Haula, Joel Armia, and Artturi Lehkonen have kept the tempo going. They will have to beat the Slovaks with skill in what should be a closely-fought matchup.
Team Canada and Team USA will compete for Gold at 8 A.M. ET on Sunday morning. The Bronze medal game will take place at 2:40 P.M. ET on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Geoff Burke-Imagn Images.
Canada’s Tom Wilson Will Not Face Suspension For Olympic Fight
There will be no supplemental discipline for the fight between Team Canada’s Tom Wilson and Team France’s Pierre Crinon at the end of Canada’s 10-2 win on Sunday per Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Olympic rulebook has long been strict about fighting, even calling it out as “not part of international hockey’s DNA”. Fighting majors result in automatic match penalties and are reviewed for supplemental discipline after the game. In this case, neither player will face a suspension for their actions, keeping two of the top enforcers in the tournament on the ice.
Wilson has been strategically rotated onto Canada’s top line for much of the tournament. His intense physicality has filled a gap next to superstar Connor McDavid and Canada’s youngest player, Macklin Celebrini. Wilson has earned three points in three games in that role, though he’s averaged less than 12 minutes of ice time a game – partially thanks to an ejection in the third period on Sunday.
Crinon has long been known as a bruiser. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defenseman currently has 66 penalty minutes in 29 games in France’s Ligue Magnus, the country’s top league. He served a seven-game suspension earlier in the league’s season for knocking out an opposing goalie with a punch during a scrum. Cronin racked up 95 penalty minutes in only 36 games of the 2023-24 Ligue Magnus season.
This decision will allow Wilson to stick with Canada as they head into the quarterfinals. At their current pace, Canada seems likely to face one of Germany, Latvia, or Czechia. Crinon will bring his enforcer presence to the qualifying rounds against Italy and Denmark.
Morning Notes: Crosby, Cossa, Carfagna
In a move that should not come as a surprise to anyone, Hockey Canada has named legendary forward Sidney Crosby its captain for the upcoming men’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Team Canada’s leadership group is rounded out by Connor McDavid and Cale Makar, who will each wear an “A” on their jersey for the tournament.
This is not Crosby’s first time captaining the Canadian national team. He captained the team at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, leading Canada to a gold medal. He also wore the “C” at the 2015 IIHF Men’s World Championship, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, last year’s 4-Nations Face-Off and last year’s World Championship. He’s widely considered to be among the greatest players in Canadian history, and owns one of the country’s most iconic hockey moments – his “Golden Goal” at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Now 38 years old, it’s entirely possible this is Crosby’s final Olympic tournament, and while McDavid is his obvious successor as captain, Crosby will at least get one more run to try to lead Canada to another gold medal.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- 23-year-old Sebastian Cossa, who was the No. 15 pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, is making a real push for consideration for an NHL roster spot, writes Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen. Cossa has gone 20-4-2 with a .928 save percentage on a juggernaut Grand Rapids team, the best season of his young pro career. While offseason acquisition John Gibson has been solid as Detroit’s starter (22-12-2, .904 save percentage), the grip of veteran backup Cam Talbot on an NHL roster spot is likely less firm. In 24 games this season, Talbot, who is 38 years old, has an .892 save percentage, which ranks inside the bottom-15 in the league among netminders with at least 20 games played.
- Another young player making a push for consideration to land on his team’s NHL roster is Edmonton Oilers prospect defenseman Damien Carfagna. The 23-year-old undrafted blueliner is playing his first campaign as a professional, and has scored 13 points in 40 AHL games for the Bakersfield Condors. The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell wrote that Carfagna “appears close to NHL ready” and could see a call-up to Edmonton thanks in large part to his skating, which Mitchell called “exceptional at the AHL level.”
Team Canada To Replace Injured Brayden Point With Seth Jarvis
After five days of practices, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point has determined he will not be healthy enough to join Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He has been removed from the roster and will be replaced by Carolina Hurricanes’ winger Seth Jarvis, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Point sustained a knee injury in Tampa Bay’s January 12th win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The injury knocked him off the ice until last Saturday, when he returned to practice with the hopes of working back to health in time for a trip to Milan, per Eduardo A. Encina of Tampa Bay Times. Despite that return, Point has determined he won’t be at 100 percent before games kick off. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois commended Point – and Tampa Bay teammate Anthony Cirelli – for their selflessness in giving up their spot rather than trying to play through injury in a text to LeBrun.
This switch will bring on some stylistic changes for Team Canada. Point is often used as a center, though seemed headed for a wing-role in Milan in part thanks to his 45.9 faceoff percentage this season. He is a reserved scorer who has managed 11 goals and 30 points in 37 games, typically finding his scoring chances from the slot. Jarvis has proven much more aggressive in recent years, typically operating as the first-man-in on Carolina’s forecheck and cutting his teeth in board battles. He has 69 hits on the season to Point’s four. Jarvis has also scored 25 goals and 43 points in 48 games, continuing his knack for strong scoring after cresting the 30-goal and 65-point mark in each of the last two seasons.
Both players found an impact for Team Canada at the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off. Point served up the lineup and managed two points in four games, while Jarvis defaulted to the bottom-six and scored one assist in three games. They were both on the ice for the tournament finale against Team USA, where Point’s 21 minutes of ice time ranked second on the offense behind only Connor McDavid. Jarvis played roughly 13 minutes in that game – second-lowest on the team ahead of Brad Marchand.
That deployment goes far in painting Canada’s view of the two stars. While Jarvis has acheived more success this season, he is still the junior to two-time Stanley Cup winner Point. Jarvis is six years younger and still carving out his presence in the NHL. This year’s Winter Olympics could go far in helping cement his status, especially after Jarvis only attended two tournaments with Canada – the 2019 World U-17 Hockey Championshp and Hlinka Gretzky Cup – prior to his selection to the 4-Nations roster. This will be his biggest stage yet and it comes at a perfect time. Jarvis is red-hot, with 10 points and a plus-eight in his last nine games, of which Carolina has won seven.
Notably, this decisions will leave Winnipeg Jets star Mark Scheifele and Chicago Blackhawks cornerstone Connor Bedard both at home. Scheifele hasn’t represented Canada internationally since the 2017 World Championship when he scored eight points in 10 games. Nearly a decade later, the Jets alternate captain is on pace for 40 goals and 100 points this season – so far at 27 goals and 68 points in 56 games. Bedard has offered plenty of offensive punch of his own, with 23 goals and 53 points in 43 games on a struggling Blackhawks offense. The duo are two of the league’s most skilled scorers but will be superceded by a winger who offers a bit more intangibles.
Photo courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.
Lightning’s Brayden Point Out Week-To-Week
Jan. 13th: Head Coach Jon Cooper spoke with the media ahead of tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Per beat writer Benjamin Pierce, Cooper articulated that they’ve avoided the worst-case scenario with Point, meaning Team Canada has as well. Cooper shared that Point is expected to miss the next few weeks with a lower-body injury.
Jan.12th: A star forward named to Team Canada in the upcoming Winter Olympics may have suffered a significant knee injury tonight, as Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point was helped off the ice in Philadelphia, and will not return, as confirmed by the team.
The incident was a strange play, in which Point banged home a rebound for the power play tally, putting Tampa up 3-0, but immediately after, Flyers defender Cam York landed on Point, making him come down awkwardly. York had been sprawling to try and clear the rebound.
Point immediately shook off his gloves and grabbed at his right knee, subsequently being helped off the ice.
The center missed seven games across November-December to close out 2025, but otherwise has been durable over the last three seasons, absent for just five regular season games over the previous last three campaigns. Turning 30 in March, Point has taken a step back from his usual elite scoring pace, with 29 points in 36 games, but still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Alberta native anchors the team’s first line as well as their top power play unit. He needs just seven more games to reach the 700 mark with Tampa Bay.
Returning from the injury in December, Point has been on a tear, with 19 points in his last 16 games, figuring to be fully healthy before tonight.
Currently second in the Atlantic, winners of nine in a row, Tampa has shown off their remarkable resilience despite missing players such as Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. They seem to be a lock to reach the playoffs for the eighth straight season, seeking to make another run after three straight first round exits. If Point has to miss significant time, it may force them to enter the center trade market, but the club lacks trade capital along with cap space, and may be forced to lean on more offense internally from Anthony Cirelli and Yanni Gourde.
Also impossible to ignore are possible implications for Team Canada, as the Olympic Games are set to start next month. If needed, the group would have an embarrassment of riches to choose from down the middle, the likes of Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Wyatt Johnston, or Mark Scheifele. GM Doug Armstrong would have no shortage of talent to choose from, but would need to select the player best suited for bottom-six duty.
Although the hope is that the star has avoided a major injury, there is reason for both Tampa Bay and Team Canada to be fearing the worst. Updates will be watched urgently, as the Bolts are back in action tomorrow at Pittsburgh.