Steve Dangle predicts $42,000,000 Oilers D-man to get Team Canada nod for 2026 Winter Olympics

The 4 Nations Face-Off teams in February are gearing up to confirm their final rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Team Canada named six stars: Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart. They are its initial six players who are guaranteed to be at the tournament. It's expected that most of Team Canada's 4NFO players would be retained after a successful campaign, winning gold against Team USA in the final.

However, Canada could make minor changes to its blue line, according to SDPN's Steve Dangle. He believes Evan Bouchard might get a nod, replacing either the Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Sanheim, LA Kings' Drew Doughty or the Winnipeg Jets' John Morrissey.

"On D, you're not kicking out (Jonathan) Toews," Dangle said on Tuesday (09:00). "You're not kicking out (Cale) Makar because Toews goes with Makar. You're not kicking out (Colton) Parayko. I don't think you're kicking out (Thomas) Harley because he was so good despite only being a replacement player.

"To me it comes down to (Travis) Sanheim, (Drew) Doughty and maybe even (Josh) Morrissey."

Dangle also discussed potential pairings.

"(Shea) Theodore, if he's healthy, to me is in," Dangle said. "Does that give you room to create a pair that is Theodore-Bouchard? Toews-Makar, Harley-Parayko, Bouchard-Theodore and who gives a darn what order you put them in? That's the great thing about best-on-best. You can create like lines one through four."

Bouchard signed a four-year $42 million contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers on June 30. He was the second-highest points-scoring Canadian defenseman last season with 67 points in 82 games, behind only Cale Makar.

Steve Dangle comments on Brad Marchand's leadership being crucial for Team Canada

While discussing the changes to the forward lines, Steve Dangle brought up the question marks surrounding Florida Panthers' Brad Marchand, who turned 37 last season. Players like Nick Suzuki and Mark Scheifele are both waiting to represent their country, but according to Dangle, Marchand is a must-have.

"There has been some talk about Brad Marchand because of his age," Dangle said on Tuesday (11:00), via SDPN. "They won. And now him and (Sam) Bennett play together on the Panthers. Not on the same line, mind you, but they won on the same line at the Four Nations Face-Off. The Olympics are longer.

"Here's the thing. He was with the Four Nation team as a depth guy, but as a vet to keep things loose. That was a charged tournament with a lot of pressure. And he kept it loosey-goosey, making all sorts of jokes and doing all the dirty work. I don't know how you don't bring him."

Marchand was crucial not just to Canada, but also to the Panthers after he was traded ahead of the deadline by the Boston Bruins. He was a key member of the team in the playoffs, showcasing his leadership skills.