NHL and Olympics Rumours aren’t totally on topic, but hey, when it comes to Team Canada and potential line combinations for the upcoming tournament, we think the skate fits. We got word from a couple of the big reporters, you know, the insiders that typically bring us rumours anyway. So, no more pulling out napkins and feverishly scribbling down the latest combos that come to your mind at 1 a.m. on a Friday. We now have actual line combinations, from the great minds of head coach Jon Cooper and the rest of the Team Canada staff. This is our coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Canada early look: Crosby between Stone & Marner: McDavid between Celebrini & Wilson; MacKinnon between Marchand & Reinhart pic.twitter.com/AEmwLVJ145
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 8, 2026
NHL and Olympics Rumours Gives Team Canada Forward Line Combinations
Rumour: It isn’t so much rumour, as reality in what Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman were watching from practice. The rumour part is more about what will become reality. What tricks might head coach Jon Cooper have up his sleeve before Thursday.
Analysis: A few possible surprises, and let’s wait no more time to discuss.
When it comes to best-on-best, everything is just a little different. The intensity is heightened, there’s more at stake, and you are surrounded by the best of the best. Cooper described the speed of the practices for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with Team Canada, as the fastest he’d ever seen, just like from the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he was on the coaching staff of Team North America. So, having the privilege to coach the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Colton Parayko, and oh yeah, Auston Matthews.
Plus, in terms of the actual lines, you need chemistry. It is so much about where they play for their respective NHL teams. The easy example is centres often jumping to the wing. But it is more about first liners in the NHL, being seen on the fourth line. We have seen the Olympics give rise to a few pretty wicked fourth lines, in particular for Canada.
Now, as far as the practice goes, of course there are 14 forwards, so maybe not everything aligns fully.
Connor McDavid had a couple of interesting pieces. Macklin Celebrini has really impressed. Not just extraordinary scoring ability, but his off-ice maturity in the sense of respecting the history of the sport and recognizing where he fits and that he is an ambassador for hockey. You can tell he is special.
But his speed, creativity, and ability to play a 200-foot game would potentially be a fit with McDavid. Also, perhaps akin to the Zach Hyman factor, Tom Wilson could play a similar role. Wilson is another who exerts maximum effort, we could see this combo working.
Another player we are all concerned over how he does, Sidney Crosby. He of, just being named captain fame. Sid was out there with another expert at one-on-one puck battles, Mark Stone. They were out there along with a pro at creating space, Mitch Marner. Marner is one of the best playmakers and smooth passers in the league, and has been for a few years, at least. That would be a very talented combination, one that could showcase Stone’s skills. As a line, it would be pretty complete, you would say. Negative weak links. They are so good, they make your strengths work against you somehow.
It appears the Nova Scotia connection is alive and well, just not all of it. Crosby being the missing piece. Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand were out with two different forwards. Sam Reinhart and Nick Suzuki each had a crack with the East Coast duo. In any case, this could indicate that MacKinnon and Marchand is a combo we will see, but who the third is, unknown…
Good leave ’em guessing, coach.
To round out the forwards, Bo Horvat was skating with Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning guy, Brandon Hagel, and Sam Reinhart.
The extras were the last additions to the roster in Seth Jarvis and Sam Bennett. They were the injury replacements for Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli.
It is important that those fourth liners accomplish two things. One, the trio that they have the most chemsitry with and could have the potential to be difference makers. Lots of these games, the top six will cancel each other out. It often comes down to these unsung hero guys to step up, when it matters most. Also, they want to work on the penalty kill alignment, you know, if they could.
Cellebrini-McDavid-Wilson a line in practice right now for Team Canada 🇨🇦
MacKinnon between Marchand and Suzuki.
Crosby between Stone and Marner.
Horvat between Hagel and Reinhart.
Bennett/Jarvis— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 8, 2026
Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
