Two Boston Bruins players snubbed from the 2026 Winter Olympics
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Milan Cortina tournament is finally bringing NHL players back to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, and this week's roster drops made it feel real. For Boston, it's equal parts pride and frustration.
The good news is the Bruins will be everywhere.
David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha were named to Czechia's early Olympic group, while Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman are on Team USA's official roster.
Henri Jokiharju also landed on Finland's roster, and Elias Lindholm made Sweden's team, giving Boston a nice little international footprint.
Two Boston Bruins players snubbed from the Olympics
As a Bruins fan, seeing Lindholm left off Sweden's blue line just feels wrong.
Sweden's roster includes names like Filip Gustavsson in net and defense options such as Philip Broberg and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but not Lindholm. If you're Boston, the only silver lining is the extra rest for a guy who logs heavy minutes when healthy.
Up in Canada, Brad Marchand making the roster over fringe candidates is no shock, but Morgan Geekie staying off the list still hurts for some fans.
NHL.com even floated Geekie as a «sleeper» pick earlier, yet Canada went with a heavier, grind-first bottom end.
Czechia hasn't rolled out a full roster yet, but Pastrnak and Zacha being early locks tracks with how central they are to that program's scoring.
Meanwhile, the Bruins' crease gets a boost in reputation with Swayman headed to Italy.
Now it turns into a balancing act for Boston. The Olympics are a dream, but the Bruins need points now, and every roster decision adds another layer to the second-half storyline.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 2 | 126 ANSWERS Two Boston Bruins players snubbed from the 2026 Winter Olympics Do you think leaving Lindholm and Geekie off their respected rosters is going to be a mistake? | ||
| Yes | 72 | 57.1 % |
| No | 26 | 20.6 % |
| Time will tell | 24 | 19 % |
| Unsure | 4 | 3.2 % |
| List of polls | ||