There is no question Bedard and Celebrini have done all they can to make the team, but for Canada it comes down to value and role, building a team that can roll four distinct lines, that has enough skill, speed, size and grind, and not just an overload of one or two of those attributes.
How many games will Matthew Tkachuk play before the Olympics?
Outdoor hockey in Miami, Jan. 2, 2026, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers against the Original Six New York Rangers, one day shy of six weeks before the United States plays its first game in the Olympics — oh what a stage that would be for Matthew Tkachuk to make his season debut.
The Panthers play the Rangers in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2 (8 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SNW, SNO, SNE, TVAS). It wouldn’t be surprising to anyone if Tkachuk, the Panthers magnetic forward, is eyeing that game to play for the first time since last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
USA Hockey certainly would welcome a Tkachuk return on Jan. 2. That would give him as many as 18 games to ramp up to be at peak Tkachuk level in the Olympics. The U.S. opens the tournament against Latvia on Feb. 12.
But it’s far from a guarantee that Tkachuk will be back for the Panthers on Jan. 2. He practiced with the Panthers on Monday for the first time since surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia on Aug. 22. When asked Sunday if Tkachuk would play in the Winter Classic, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “It has been six months since he has played in a hockey game. As much as we like the spectacle of it, as much as we would love him to be a part of it, it would be great for the game to see him out there. But the Florida Panthers need him healthy and need him for the rest of the year.”
Whether it’s Jan. 2, Feb. 2 or somewhere in between, Tkachuk’s spot on Team USA is guaranteed unless he has a setback. But the more he plays before the Olympics the better he and USA Hockey will feel about his role in the tournament.