NHL rumors: Sam Bennett, Connor Bedard among potential Brayden Point Olympic replacements

The 2026 Olympic Games in Milan are just weeks away, and a recent injury has rocked Team Canada. Despite a good report from Jon Cooper on Tuesday, Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point may miss the tournament. If he cannot make it, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Sam Bennett and Connor Bedard will be among the forwards considered.

“We’ve worked a (reserve) list that we think checks a lot of different boxes,” Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong told LeBrun. “So if this player gets hurt, and he performs a certain role, what replacement do we want? We’ll want to make sure we keep as many options available so that we take the player that’s playing the best in the area we need him.”

LeBrun fleshed out the list, “Sam Bennett, Connor Bedard, Wyatt Johnston, Mark Scheifele, Seth Jarvis and Travis Konecny are among those on the reserve list, according to league sources.”

Pairing up Armstrong’s comments with LeBrun’s list easily eliminates Konecny and Jarvis. They play wing for their NHL teams, and Canada will want to take another center to replace Point if they can.

Bennett was a great player for Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after that. Bedard has all the upside in the world, as he was on a 100-point pace before a shoulder injury derailed his season. Both Canada and Team USA were built with a defensive game in mind, which could swing the momentum to Bennett.

But Canada is hoping Point can play at the opening game in just under a month. They have won each of the last two Olympics with NHL players while also winning the World Cup and 4 Nations in between. Point’s playoff excellence should help him significantly in the Olympics, if he can get healthy in time.

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