Tkachuk brothers’ health, Canada goalies among 10 Olympic storylines to watch

The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 begin with Opening Ceremonies on Feb. 6.

The men's ice hockey tournament will start with preliminary-round games Feb. 11, with the gold-medal game scheduled for Feb. 22.

This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics since Sochi in 2014.

In the Olympics, each team carries 25 players -- traditionally 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies.

Here are 10 storylines to follow 100 days from opening face-off in Milan.

1. Health of Tkachuks a concern for the United States

Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk each are out with an injury, but each likely will be playing in the NHL before the Olympic break. Still, their health is a consideration for U.S. general manager Bill Guerin.

Matthew has not played this season after surgery in August on a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury. The Florida Panthers are hoping the forward will be back sometime in December, but his return date might spill into 2026.

Brady also is expected to be out until at least December following surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb Oct. 16. The Ottawa Senators have said the timeline for his return was 6-8 weeks.

So, yes, the United States should have the Tkachuk brothers on the ice in Milan. They were two of the first six players named to the preliminary roster in June. But nobody associated with USA Hockey will feel confident about their availability until they each are back playing in the NHL.

2. Canada's goaltending worries continue

Jordan Binnington answered Canada's goaltending question at the 4 Nations Face-Off with a dominant performance that solidified the St. Louis Blues goalie as the favorite to be the No. 1 going into the Olympics.

But Binnington has struggled early this season, going 2-4-1 with a 3.27 goals-against average and .863 save percentage through his first eight games, including six starts.

Adin Hill, Canada's No. 2 at the 4 Nations, is out because of a lower-body injury and the Vegas Golden Knights have said he's out week-to-week. Sam Montembeault, the No. 3 at the 4 Nations, also is off to a slow start with the Montreal Canadiens.

Their play potentially is opening the door for Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals to make the Canada roster. Thompson is 5-2-0 with a 1.44 GAA and .939 save percentage in seven starts.

3. Finland Plan B without Barkov

Finland was dealt a massive blow during the preseason when Panthers center Aleksander Barkov sustained a knee injury that required surgery which will keep him out for the regular season. Barkov was Finland's captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off and likely would have been again at the Olympics, along with being its No. 1 center.

Now Finland not only has to find a replacement for an irreplaceable player like Barkov, but it must reconfigure its depth chart, too.

The good news is Finland still is strong at center with Roope Hintz (Dallas Stars), Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes), Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers) and Mikael Granlund (Anaheim Ducks). However, Aho, Hintz and Granlund all spent time on the wing at 4 Nations, and one could be there again in the Olympics.

Not having Barkov limits Finland's ability to move centers to wing and vice versa. It also will be interesting to see how the Finns replace him on the roster.

Canadiens forward Patrik Laine, who played for Finland at the 4 Nations, is out 3-4 months because of a core muscle injury, putting his availability in question too.

The Finns are used to having to adjust because of injuries. They went into the 4 Nations Face-Off with three of their top six defensemen having to withdraw (Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars; Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers; and Jani Hakanpaa, Stars).

4. Celebrini's push to make Team Canada

Macklin Celebrini isn't a longshot anymore to make Canada's roster. The San Jose Sharks’ 19-year-old forward might even be a favorite at this point considering his hot start to the season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 10 games and is tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring. He has 11 points (five goals, six assists) during a six-game point streak, including a hat trick and five points against the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Celebrini would be the first teenager to play for Canada in the Olympics since NHL players started participating in 1998. He was 7 the last time NHL players went to the Olympics in 2014.

He has less of a resume than many of the Canadian forwards he is competing against, and that makes him arguably the most intriguing Canadian player to watch ahead of Olympic rosters being announced in just over two months.

5. Kane's attempt to make one final Olympics

Patrick Kane is hoping to represent the United States in the Olympics for a third time after playing in 2010 and 2014.

He got off to a good start with five points (two goals, three assists) in his first five games with the Detroit Red Wings, but his road to Milan hit a detour recently because of an upper-body injury that has kept him out of six consecutive games.

Assuming the 37-year-old forward can return soon, he should resume his push toward an Olympic roster spot and American history.

Kane needs 27 points to pass Mike Modano and become the all-time leading scorer among U.S.-born players in NHL history. He also needs six goals to become the fifth U.S.-born skater with 500.

His chances of making it to a third Olympics would get a boost if he can set the record and hit the 500-goal milestone before rosters have to be submitted, but first he has to get back in the lineup.

Explore NHL.com's Coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026

6. Landeskog building his game

Despite missing the past three regular seasons because of multiple knee surgeries, Gabriel Landeskog was named to Sweden’s preliminary roster in June with the hope that not only would he be healthy, but his game would be peaking by February.

Sweden general manager Josef Boumedienne told NHL.com in July that he wants more grit and the ability to play a heavier game than the Swedes showed at 4 Nations. He thinks Landeskog would have made a difference there and will make a difference in Milan.

The Swedes and the Colorado Avalanche are hoping Landeskog shows more in the next few months than he has in the first few weeks of the season.

Landeskog hasn't been an impact player yet for the Avalanche, though he is playing a solid role as a depth forward. The key will be for him to increase his production, his impact and his ice time in the coming months so he can go into the Olympics as an impact player for Sweden.

Landeskog still is getting reaccustomed to the grind of playing an NHL season. Watching him as he does will be a major storyline for Sweden.

7. Watch this Blackhawks pair

The Olympics might not be out of the question for Chicago Blackhawks forwards Connor Bedard (Canada) and Frank Nazar (United States) if they continue in the direction they've been going since the start of the season.

Bedard and Nazar each attended their respective Olympic orientation camps in August and now they're the two biggest reasons Chicago fans have early-season hope for a better-than-expected season.

In 10 games, Nazar has 11 points (five goals, six assists) and a plus-6 rating while averaging 19:26 of ice time per game, and Bedard has 12 points (six goals, six assists), and a plus-4 rating while averaging a team-high 21:53 of ice time. That included four points and his first NHL hat trick in a 7-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

The Blackhawks are 5-3-2.

8. Stone's injury and what it means for Canada

Mark Stone is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The Vegas Golden Knights forward already has missed four games.

Stone had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in the first six games of the season. It was an impressive start for a player who is motivated to play in the Olympics after representing Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. But now he's out and it's unclear when he'll be back.

Stone's chances of making Canada's Olympic roster likely won't be hurt assuming he returns in the relatively near future. Canada general manager Doug Armstrong told NHL.com this week that Stone's resume as a veteran player who has won the Stanley Cup and the 4 Nations Face-Off will carry him.

But if Stone is out longer term or his injury ends up being recurring, it could leave enough doubt in the minds of Armstrong, coach Jon Cooper and the rest of Hockey Canada's brass to leave him off the roster.

9. Vejmelka, Dobes pushing for Czechia's net

Lukas Dostal was named to Czechia's preliminary roster in June, but the Anaheim Ducks goalie is far from a lock to be the No. 1.

Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth and Jakub Dobes of the Montreal Canadiens have had better starts to this season than Dostal.

Vejmelka is 6-2-0 with a 2.75 GAA and .892 save percentage in eight starts. Dobes, who is technically the backup to Montembeault in Montreal, has been performing like a No. 1 with a 6-0-0 record, 1.97 GAA and .930 save percentage in six games.

Dostal hasn't disappointed with the Ducks (3-3-1, 2.84 GAA, .906 save percentage), but Vejmelka and Dobes have been better. If that continues it'll bode well for Czechia, a team that will need A-plus goaltending at the Olympics to contend for a medal.

10. Swedes need more from Zibanejad, Pettersson

Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks arguably are Sweden's top two centers, but they were not on the preliminary roster.

Forwards Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs), Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings) and Landeskog were.

It would be shocking if Zibanejad and/or Pettersson were not on the Olympic team, but the Swedes left that door open when they didn't name them to the preliminary roster. And their play at the start of the season hasn't exactly confirmed them as Olympic locks.

Pettersson at least has come on of late, including a three-point game against the Canadiens on Saturday. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 11 games.

Zibanejad has been generating chances and arguably has been the Rangers' best forward, but his production is lacking. He has six points (four goals, two assists) in 11 games this season.

Sweden will be watching Pettersson and Zibanejad, hoping they pick it up as the season progresses. The Swedes need them.