With the Calgary Flames firmly out of a playoff spot to open 2026, some good news is a welcome sight for Flames fans. Two players are Cortina-bound, having been announced to represent their countries at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson has been named to Sweden's roster, and forward Martin Pospisil will represent Slovakia.
Andersson, the 29-year-old defender, will be a strong addition to Sweden's blue line - a blue line already stacked with names like Victor Hedman, Gustav Forsling and Rasmus Dahlin. He leads all Flames defencemen with 27 points this season, and ranks second overall on the team behind Nazem Kadri. Andersson has anchored the Flames defense for years now, providing offence from the back-end and is routinely matched up against opponents' top lines.
The big question is whether Andersson will even be a Calgary Flame by mid-February, as his name has been in trade talks all season as a big-name right-handed defender. If the Flames commit to selling soon, there's a good chance Andersson may be gone before the Olympics even begin, or soon after.
26-year-old Martin Pospisil is one of just seven Slovakian NHL players named to the country's Olympics team, and you can be forgiven if Pospisil slipped your mind - he has missed every game this season after being placed on the IR with an undisclosed injury in early October. Given he was named to the team, the Slovak management appears confident he will be healthy by next month, and will provide grit and physicality, while also offering some offensive upside.
What about Weegar?
Calgary defenceman Mackenzie Weegar has been one of the many names involved in a potential Olympics nod for the Canadian blue line, and was even invited to an Olympic orientation camp back in September for Hockey Canada. However, Team Canada elected to choose the exact same defence core as February's FourNations Faceoff, leaving Weegar off the roster. But not all is lost, as Weegar has revealed that he is on the country's injury replacement list. Should one of the Canadian defencemen get hurt, we may see Weegar don the red-and-white.
Flames bias aside, there is a strong case for Weegar to have been named to the starting Canadian Olympic roster, but it's too much of a good thing for Hockey Canada on the blue line. A strong offensive presence with sound defensive responsibility sounds tailor-made for Olympic hockey, but Weegar wasn't the only defender left off the lineup. Other notable omissions include the Capitals' Jakob Chychrun and the Islanders' rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer, in favour of FourNations' gold medallists Travis Sanheim, Thomas Harley, and Drew Doughty.
Other snubs?
The Flames, lacking elite talent, do not have many Olympic-calibre players on their roster sheet. However, some cases can be made for a couple of the team's centremen. Calgary captain Mikael Backlund isn't known for his offense, but does rank third on the team in points with 26 in 44 games while providing perennially strong two-way play. He has represented Sweden on a number of occasions, including 2016's World Cup of Hockey and winning a gold medal at the 2018 IIHF World Championships, but the 36-year-old remains without an Olympic nod.
Team leader in points Nazem Kadri has been vocal about his desire to represent Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but it's simply not in the cards. Despite strong offensive play into his mid-30s, Kadri has always been one of the longer shots to make the roster. Canada is rich in forwards, and with a roster that snubbed the likes of Connor Bedard, Mark Scheifele, Sam Bennett, and Wyatt Johnston, Kadri would have needed to somehow show that he was a stronger choice than any of them. Place Kadri alongside Toronto's John Tavares - important centremen producing well into their thirties, but ultimately not chosen to represent Canada on an Olympic stage.
While Calgary may not boast a deep roster of Olympic talent, two Flames still look to burn bright for their countries in Italy, with another waiting in the wings. And the Olympic break provides management the opportunity to evaluate the roster ahead of the Trade Deadline. With playoff hopes fading game-by-game, fans will be watching closely to see if the front office embraces its position and commits to a seller's mindset.