Sidney Crosby and Team Canada could get their revenge against Team USA sooner than you think
|
Sam Walker
Feb 26, 2026 (3:31 PM)
|
|
Photo credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Sidney Crosby going down hurts, but it also sets up a Team Canada revenge angle against Team USA, and the Tkachuk brothers might be waiting in May.
The 2026 IIHF World Championship runs May 15 to 31 in Switzerland, and the playoff picture is already whispering rematch.
If NHL stars say yes, it is the cleanest path to Canada vs USA again, with all the old bruises.
Pittsburgh is hanging onto second in the Metro at 29-15-12, and the cushion is thin in the East.
Now the nightmare part, Crosby is on IR with a lower-body injury and the talk is at least four weeks.
That puts the Penguins in survival mode, and it nudges Crosby toward a spring decision point.
He had 27-32-59 before the break, and he still drives their pace every shift.
Canada's possible cast almost writes itself if seasons end early or exits come fast.
Sidney Crosby and Team Canada stare at Team USA
You can feel Canadian fans grinding their teeth, because that Olympic finish still stings and nobody wants to let it sit for a year.
Tom Wilson and Bo Horvat would bring bite, while Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand would make every scrum feel personal.
Sam Bennett can live at the net front, and Drew Doughty can still run a shift with one hard stop.
In goal, Darcy Kuemper is a name that fits, and Jordan Binnington never turns down chaos.
On the blue line, Josh Morrissey and Colton Parayko add that heavy, clean structure Canada leans on.
Team USA has its own returning headline, starting with Auston Matthews at 26-23-49 and Jack Hughes riding that Olympic momentum.
Then come Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk, the kind of brothers who turn a game into a grudge in five minutes.
Brady is at 14-23-37, and if Connor Hellebuyck is available between the pipes, the confidence spikes.
Trades and opt-outs will thin the list, but the promise of a rematch can change a lot once clubs pack up.
For fans, it would feel like the sequel drops the moment the last NHL horn sounds.
Also read on Sunrise Hockey Insider :
Florida Panthers have a new number-one trade chip one week from the deadline
Florida Panthers have a new number-one trade chip one week from the deadline