Around the NHL with Elliotte Friedman: Team Canada Selections & Snubs

Elliotte Friedman, Sportsnet NHL insider and host of 32 Thoughts, joins guest host Justin Cuthbert and Mike Futa in-studio to break down Team Canada's roster choices for the 2026 Winter Olympics. They guys dive into the most intriguing decisions including Sam Bennett's omission, the reasoning behind selecting proven penalty killers, Thomas Harley's upside, and Mark Scheifele missing the cut. Friedge also takes us behind the scenes of Canada's selection process, before discussing some more players on the outside looking in and Tom Wilson's opportunity ahead. Later, they debate who should slot in alongside Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby respectively, highlight Drew Doughty's complete level, and outline what Jordan Binnington needs to do to retain his starting job. The boys wrap up the Olympic chat with thoughts on the team's top power play unit and the difficulty of leaving skilled players at home. Elliotte touches on Brad Marchand avoiding a suspension after elbowing Montreal's Mike Matheson, the Maple Leafs announcement that Dakota Joshua and Chris Tanev will both miss a significant amount of time, and Toronto's commanding win last night over the Devils. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.