Team Canada is meeting in Florida to get as close to a finalized roster as possible. Other than making jokes about a 197-foot ice rink (we get it, Jeff Marek), talking points will be around Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard. I’ve talked about Bedard making Team Canada on my Substack, and my point still remains the same. Celebrini is more likely to make the roster over Bedard, and that’s fine.

While I’d argue that Bedard has a tougher supporting cast than Celebrini, both players bring different tool sets. And where Team Canada has a solid offensive top-six, Celebrini’s skill set in both ends of the ice probably suits what they want more than Bedard. Celebrini is also excellent in tight areas. Team Canada is trying to build out their bottom-six, and the smaller playing surface will probably dictate that decision. Bedard has certainly made improvements in the defensive zone, but his bread and butter is goal scoring.

It sounds like the decision could come down to Connor Bedard vs… Tom Wilson. Wilson leads the Washington Capitals in goals, but as Sam Fels points out, Team Canada might see him fit better on the smaller playing surface than Bedard. If this were typical IIHF 200 feet x 100 feet ice, I think Wilson gets scratched. But since this is closer to the NHL’s 200 feet x 85 feet (it’s 196 x 85), getting a Tom Wilson doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Also, during the last Winter Olympics, they used NHL ice and not IIHF ice.

More pressing on Canada’s plate is goaltending. Jordan Binnington has had a rough season in St. Louis with a .875 SV% (yikes). While he comes up big in important moments, his performance has cast some serious doubt on whether he’s their guy in net. An intriguing candidate is Logan Thompson, who’s having an incredible season with the Capitals. Thompson leads the league in goals saved above expected with 22.7 and is third overall in save percentage with a .925. Other goaltending candidates include the Colorado Avalanche’s Scott Wedgewood (.920 SV% and 11 goals saved above expected) and the Los Angeles Kings' Darcy Kuemper (.914 SV% and 14.1 goals saved above expected).