Nearly half the Florida Panthers roster is projected for the 2026 Winter Olympics

A fan account on X dropped a projection Tuesday that ties Florida's current core to February in Italy. It is not a roster, but it is the kind of post that gets people arguing in the comments.

The bigger point is simple, NHL players are officially going back to the Olympics for Milano Cortina 2026. That agreement was finalized in July, so the runway is real now.

The projection leans heavily on Canada with Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand all mentioned in the same breath. It also pegs USA names Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones, plus Gustav Forsling for Sweden and Anton Lundell for Finland.

As a Panthers watcher, it feels wild seeing this many sweaters and flags tied to one locker room.

Money talks too, because Reinhart's extension carries an $8.625 million average, and Tkachuk sits at $9.5 million. Those are star numbers, and stars get long looks in best on best tournaments.

Bennett's new eight year deal averages $8 million, while Lundell's extension comes in at $5 million per season. That range matters, because Olympic roles are usually built around value, not just flash.

Jones is the clean reminder that Florida has been all in for a while, since he arrived from Chicago in the Spencer Knight deal. If he is driving play against top NHL lines, he has a real argument for USA minutes.

What makes this fun is how the Panthers play, heavy entries, fast support, and defenders who close space early, which usually translates on bigger ice. The real milestone is when federations start releasing their first official lists, then we see which projections survive contact with reality.