Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was passed over for Penguins legend Sidney Crosby as Team Canada captain in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Crosby is a fine choice. The 37-year-old has done it all in his NHL career. The only thing he hasn’t done is put the pads on and play goal. Something like that would be akin to position players pitching in baseball.
Be that as it may, Crosby is essentially bidding farewell to an illustrious international career with Canada. His most notable moment was the winning goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. That’s the stage that’s precisely set for McDavid. He will likely be Team Canada’s captain in 2026 at the Winter Olympics in Italy.
While the NHL has yet to officially confirm that NHLers will take part in the 2026 Olympics, it’s a pretty sure bet they will. That’s what the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament is all about. The NHL is testing the waters to see how much a two-week layoff could impact revenues. If everything goes well, the NHL will allow players to represent their countries in 2026. By then, Crosby may not be on the roster anymore. He, along with other players like Brad Marchand may not get a call-back.
That’s not an indictment of their talent or track record. It’s just pragmatism. Crosby will be 38 next season and in the final year of his contract. So, what better way to pass the torch onto Canada’s next Team Canada captain than ushering McDavid’s entrance into the world’s biggest international ice hockey stage?
Connor McDavid to centre Team Canada’s top line at 4 Nations
NHL.com did a thought experiment in which it projected Team Canada’s four lines for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The top line looked as scary as any we’ve ever seen. McDavid is expected to centre Sam Reinhart and Nathan MacKinnon.
That’s arguably the best line Canada has ever put together since the Wayne Gretzky-Mario Lemieux-Dale Hawerchuk line from the 1987 Canada Cup. Lemieux’s goal against the Soviet Union in the final game is still something worthy of watching. Check it out if you haven’t already seen it hundreds of times.
The McDavid-MacKinnon combination is something likely to keep opposing coaches up at night. I wouldn’t be surprised if the coaching staff for the US, Finland, and Sweden are already taking Stresstabs given the prospect of facing the two-headed hydra monster that is McDavid-MacKinnon. Oh, and that Reinhart guy, he’s awesome, too.
On the whole, McDavid, looking somewhat out of place with an A instead of a C on his sweater, should be the player to watch. He’ll play well with MacKinnon. Depending on how things go, the Oilers could go ahead and mortgage the farm to reunite McDavid and MacKinnon in Alberta. With the salary cap going up the way it is, pulling off a trade like that would be an intriguing thought.
Recent Posts