Seven Ottawa Senators who could play in the 2022 Olympics

There are seven Ottawa Senators who can make the 2022 Olympics:

From a fan perspective, perhaps no news from the agreement was as tantalizing as the plan to return to the Olympics in 2022. Although nothing is set in stone as the league and the IOC have yet to reach an agreement, it’s impossible not to get excited about NHLers heading back to the games after sitting out in 2018.

As national teams and fans alike begin to mentally piece together their rosters, let’s take a look at seven current Ottawa Senators who may represent their countries in Beijing, as well as a completely unscientific analysis of their odds.

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%

Rudolfs Balcers (Latvia)

The biggest question here is whether or not Latvia will make the tournament. Unlike Canada and eight other nations, Latvia did not get an automatic slot in the 2022 Men’s Olympic hockey tournament. Instead, they will have to go through a qualifying tournament next summer.

If they do make it, Balcers should be a no-brainer to make the team, as he’s one of only three Latvian skaters in the NHL, the others being Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons and Pittsburgh’s Teddy Blueger. Given his play at the NHL and AHL level since coming over in the Erik Karlsson trade, it’s not unfathomable that he may in fact be Latvia’s best player by the time the Olympics roll around.

Olympic Chance: 30%

Brady Tkachuk (USA)

In his first two years in the league, Tkachuk has established himself as one of the game’s top young players. Scoring over 20 goals and topping 40 points twice, the second year without playing alongside the likes of Matt Duchene or Mark Stone.

Looking back at 2014, however, and the youngest American forward was 23-year old Derek Stepan. Tkachuk will still only be 22 in February 2022 and will be competing with more experienced young wingers Brock Boeser, Alex DeBrincat, Kyle Connor, brother Matthew Tkachuk, and more. Brady may have to wait until the 2026 Olympics to be ready to join that group. That said, teams are starting to value younger players more, and the potential declines of older wingers such as Blake Wheeler and Anders Lee may very well open the door for Brady to join his brother on Team USA.

Olympic Chance: 45%

Artem Anisimov (Russia)

Many may be surprised to see Anisimov on this list, given that he’s played mostly unremarkable bottom-six minutes for Ottawa this season, and I was certainly not expecting to be making the case for him. A quick glance at Russia’s depth chart, though, and Anisimov starts to look like he may have a legitimate shot.

While Evgeni Malkin should be a shoo-in to centre the top line, the centre position starts to look a lot dicier after that, especially since Evgeni Kuznetsov is currently ineligible due to a four-year ban for testing positive for cocaine. Options other than Anisimov include former Senator Vladislav Namestnikov, Ivan Barbashev, and Vladislav Kamenev. Pavel Datsyuk could be an option from the KHL, but he’ll be 42 come the Olympics and hasn’t necessarily been tearing it up in Russia since leaving the NHL.

Something major that is in Anisimov’s favour is that he was on Russia’s 2019 World Championship roster and, and while that isn’t a true best-on-best tournament, that’s a pretty good indication that, at least for the moment, he’s firmly part of the national team’s plans. Anisimov also represented Russia on home soil in Sochi in 2014.

Olympic Chance: 60%

Nikita Zaitsev (Russia)

Much of what was said about Anisimov can also apply to Zaitsev. Like his compatriot, Zaitsev may not jump out as an obvious Olympian but has a solid case to be included on Team Russia in 2022. Zaitsev was also part of the most recent World Championship roster, which gives a pretty good indication that his country thinks highly of him.

The biggest knock against Zaitsev is that, when compared to Anisimov’s centre position, there’s a lot more depth in Russia’s blueline ranks. While the only serious competition for Zaitsev among right-handers in the NHL is Colorado’s Nikita Zadorov, the KHL is home to the likes of Slava Voynov, Igor Ozhiganov, and recent Sens signee Artem Zub. If Russia opts to eschew handedness in favour of more overall talent, that puts Zaitsev up against Dmitri Orlov, Vladislav Gavrikov, Dmitri Kulikov, and more.

Olympic Chance: 50%

Marcus Hogberg (Sweden)

Continuing along the lines of unassuming candidates, given that Marcus Hogberg has only played 28 NHL games and has a .901 save percentage, you’d be forgiven for not thinking of him as a possibility for one of the top national teams in the world. That said, Hogberg’s raw numbers don’t take into account that he played behind an oftentimes porous Ottawa defence corps, and routinely made game-saving saves amid defensive collapses, as seen below.

Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom appear to be fairly safe bets to make the team, but with Henrik Lundqvist nearing 40, the third spot may be wide open. Hogberg will have stiff competition from the likes of Linus Ullmark, Oscar Dansk, and current teammate Anders Nilsson, but at 25 he still has plenty of room to develop. If by 2022 he’s even a below-average NHL starter, that could put him in a great spot to make the team.

Olympic Chance: 30%

Conclusion

While seven Olympians seem like a lot for a team that’s finished 31st and 30th the past two seasons, there’s a strong case to be made for all of them. This list is far from exhaustive, as other names considered include Mads Søgaard (Denmark), Colin White, Josh Norris (USA), the aforementioned Artem Zub (Russia), Christian Jaros (Slovakia), Lassi Thomson (Finland), and more. Any of these players or the ones deemed longshots, could surprise and make the team, just as those who appear to lock today could suffer setbacks or be surpassed by youngsters having breakouts.

While the 2022 Olympics aren’t all that far away, there’s still time for players to make their cases to be part of their countries quests for gold in Beijing.