Thomas Chabot (Canada)
We’ll start off with the player who could have the biggest potential impact in Beijing. Chabot signed an 8-year extension with Ottawa prior to the 2019-20 season, and in year one the team was sure to try and make every dollar count. The 23-year old led the league in ice time averaging an even 26 minutes a night. His 39 points in 71 games on the blueline for the 30th-place Sens weren’t the eye-popping numbers some may have hoped for, but given the circumstances and the minutes he ate for the team, his performance this season was star-calibre.
Canada also has a lack of overall talent on the left side of the blue line, with only Morgan Rielly looking like a sure-thing with just over a year and a half to go until the games. Other options include Shea Theodore, Josh Morrissey, Mark Giordano, Ryan Ellis, and others. Even if you don’t believe Chabot will be the best of that bunch by 2022, it’s very likely that he’s able to beat out some of them for a spot on the team, and if he continues to put in the stellar nightly performances he has so far in his career, he may be the go-to defenceman for Canada.
Olympic Chance: 85%