When Team Canada revealed the preliminary roster heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, there was no mention of the gritty winger who has so often been the heartbeat of Canada’s biggest international wins.
At 37, with a résumé full of gold and playoff heroics, Brad Marchand might’ve expected at least a phone call. Instead, he watched as the names rolled out — Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.
Brad Marchand Left Out of Team Canada’s Preliminary Roster for 2026 Olympics
It’s not the first time Marchand has been left waiting on Olympic news. He was left off of Team Canada’s preliminary roster of six. This one may have stung a little more, not because his prime is behind him but because he’s still proving it isn’t.
This spring, Marchand has looked like the player Team Canada used to call without hesitation: twenty points in 22 playoff games; two overtime winners; a presence you feel in every shift.
BRAD MARCHAND 🫡
His @Energizer overtime winner gives the @FlaPanthers the Game 3 victory! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/lRMM1ph39h
— NHL (@NHL) May 10, 2025
However, the context matters. Before this postseason surge, he had three surgeries in the offseason (elbow, groin, and abdomen), a late start, and a regular season split between two teams, one of which ended with 51 points in 71 games. Maybe that led Team Canada to step back and reevaluate.
According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, it did: “I actually believe that he won’t be named today,” Johnston said earlier on the day of the announcement. “At his age and coming off a season where he did have injuries, you know, I think they’re just gonna want to take the next few months to see what he’s got in his game. He’s very much in the mix for a spot on the roster.”
Doug Armstrong, Team Canada’s general manager, echoed that sentiment. While Marchand’s playoff resurgence hasn’t gone unnoticed, Armstrong said the decision to include Sam Reinhart instead came down to balance and reliability, according to The Athletic. Reinhart’s been steady, strong at both ends, and delivered when it mattered.
It was enough to earn him that sixth spot, one that Marchand held just last year at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Marchand’s Olympic Dream Remains Within Reach
Marchand isn’t done. He’s said it before: representing Canada on Olympic ice means everything. “To be considered for that Olympic team is such a completely different level than anything you could ever really dream of when you’re younger,” Marchand said.
Despite being one of the league’s most consistent competitors, Marchand was denied the chance to compete at both the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics due to the NHL’s decision to skip those Games. Milan might be his last shot, and he knows it. That’s why these playoffs matter so much more.
There’s time left on the clock. Team Canada has until Dec. 31 to name its full 25-man roster. Between now and then, Marchand has one more chance to remind the community why, even at his age, he remains one of the most decorated and reliable performers in the sport.
