Which Toronto Maple Leafs Will Be Playing In The 2022 Olympics?
The NHL announced that their players will be returning to play in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014.
Although injuries are a risk, this will be a joyous occasion for many Toronto Maple Leafs players who will get to represent their country for the first time at the Olympics.
The Olympics are the most prestigious event in sports and although it’s supposed to be the best amateur athletes in the world representing their countries, having professional athletes for the hockey portion is the way to go.
If you’re going to have a world-class event, it only makes sense to have the best players in the world representing their country.
When the Olympics had non-NHL players in 2018, the tournament didn’t have the same allure as it did in the past.
You want to see Sidney Crosby play for Team Canada and score five-hole against Ryan Miller for Team USA, not Wojtek Wolski trying to score on Ryan Zapolski.
Yes, google those names. Those are real people who represented Team Canada and Team USA at the last Olympics.
The NHL currently has an amazing group of players that were too young to represent their country in the 2014 Olympics and it would have been a shame if we didn’t get to see them in the 2022 Games.
If that was the case, it could have been possible that we never see Connor McDavid wear a Team Canada jersey at the Olympics or see if Leon Draisaitl could follow in his father’s footsteps representing Team Germany.
By 2022, hopefully the Toronto Maple Leafs have won a Stanley Cup, but even if that’s not the case, here are a few players that we’ll most likely see at the Olympics.
Team Sweden
William Nylander
Nylander is the only lock to represent Sweden at the 2022 Olympics. He will either find himself on the first or second line, but will be a key contributor if Sweden is going to win another Olympic Gold Medal.
If he’s paired up on a line with Elias Pettersson or Gabriel Landeskog, that will definitely be fun to watch when the Olympics come around in two years.
Andreas Johnsson
Although he’s far from a lock to make the team, the way his game is currently progressing, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t part of the team.
Johnsson is a proven 20-goal scorer in the NHL and can play a shut-down third line role if needed as well.
He was the 13th highest Swedish goal-scorer in the NHL in the 2018-19 season, but by 2022, I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked the top-10 and played his way onto the Olympics team.
Rasmus Sandin
Led by Victor Hedman, Team Sweden is very strong defensively and obviously if the tournament started today, Sandin would be too raw to make the roster.
However, veteran defensemen Anton Stralman and Alex Edler will be two years older by the time the Olympics come around, which could make room for Sandin.
This is definitely the biggest stretch of the three to make the team, but if Sandin is playing regular NHL minutes and is a top-four NHL defenseman for Toronto by selection time, he may make the team as a bottom-pairing defenseman.
The Rest of Europe
Team Switzerland
Denis Malgin
As only one of 15 players from Switzerland currently playing in the NHL, you’d have to imagine that Malgin will be a lock for Team Switzerland.
Team Finland
Kasperi Kapanen
With so much speed and the ability to play the penalty-kill, while scoring 20 goals in the NHL, Kapanen should fall perfectly as a second or third-line player for Team Finland.
Mikko Lehtonen
He’ll be on the fence, but it all comes down to what he can do in the NHL. If he can show that he’s a proven NHL defenseman, then that should be good enough for him to make Team Finland.
Team Russia
Alexander Barabanov
Similar to Mikko Lehtonen, if Barabanov comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs and scores 20-plus goals in the NHL for the next two seasons, we could very well find him playing for Team Russia.
Other Potentials
Freddie Andersen (Team Denmark)
Martin Marincin (Team Slovakia)
Denmark and Slovakia haven’t yet qualified for the Olympics yet. For the Toronto Maple Leafs sake, it would be much better if Andersen didn’t go over to China for the Olympics and used the two weeks for rest.
Team USA
Auston Matthews
Unless Justin Holl elevates his game drastically, Auston Matthews will be the only Toronto Maple Leafs player on the current roster representing Team USA at the 2022 Olympics.
There’s not much that has to be said here.
Matthews is the best player on the Toronto Maple Leafs and arguably the best pure goal-scorer in the world. He’ll be the main reason if Team USA has a chance to win a Gold Medal.
Team Canada
Mitch Marner
Similar to Matthews, Marner is a superstar and his play-making ability will be incredible for Team Canada.
We’ve already seen what Marner can do when he plays with great centre’s like John Tavares and Auston Matthews, so whichever centre he gets to play with the at the Olympics will be smitten.
Whether it’s Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, Sidney Crosby, or maybe even John Tavares, Marner will be apple-picking in China.
John Tavares
Some people don’t think he’s going to make the team, but personally I think we will see Tavares in the next Olympics.
Tavares has Olympics experience, and although that experience comes with the pain of getting injured in 2014, it’s still valuable experience.
His hockey IQ is so high that he could play wing on this team and be okay, so unless the coaching staff is looking at Tavares to play wing instead of centre, that’s the only way he’s making this team.
Zach Hyman
If Mike Babcock was still the Team Canada coach, Hyman would be on this team in a heartbeat. I mean, nobody loves Hyman more than Babcock.
But seriously, Hyman has a chance at making this team.
If we look back at past Team Canada teams, somebody like Brenden Morrow sticks out as a similar type player as Hyman. Morrow played a gritty and tough style of hockey and on a team that will be filled with huge skill, Hyman could be a player that plays penalty-kill and gets pucks in the corner.
He’s already proved that he can hold his own with some of the best players in the world (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander), so why not add him?
Morgan Rielly
Rielly is one of the best defenseman in the NHL and will be a lock for Team Canada in 2022.
He’ll be entering his prime right as this tournament starts and will be a key piece on the first or second-pairing.
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Rielly will join a number of other young defenseman who will be making their Olympics debut, most likely alongside players like Dougie Hamilton and Cale Makar.