Insider Reveals Why Sam Bennett Was Left Off Team Canada's Roster

Friday, January 02, 2026
Team Canada forward Sam Bennett skates during 4 Nations Face-Off tournament game in 2025.

It was the biggest shock of all the players left off Team Canada's Olympic roster when Sam Bennett's name was missing from the list.

Ignoring everything Bennett has done in the NHL in the past year alone, Canadian hockey fans will remember the beautiful game-tying goal he scored against the USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off final game. He recorded six shots (most on the team) and five hits (most on the team) in that game. 

It's interesting to note that Bennett was a scratch to start the 4 Nations tournament.

Jon Cooper’s “fit” picks beat out Bennett, per Elliotte Friedman

Elliotte Friedman called Bennett’s omission the biggest surprise, and the way it’s been framed is pretty simple. The final call leaned heavily on head coach Jon Cooper’s preferences for the bottom of the forward group, where Canada wanted more specialized usage than another all-out wrecking ball. 

According to Friedman, it came down to two names for Canada's final roster spot: Sam Bennett or Anthony Cirelli.

In Friedman’s orbit of reporting and reaction, the idea is Cooper valued options like Bo Horvat, Nick Suzuki, and Anthony Cirelli because of the specific jobs they can fill in a short tournament. Faceoffs, penalty kill work, and versatility were treated like premium traits in those final slots, even if it meant leaving a proven big game monster at home.

Timing and roster construction squeezed Bennett out

The other part of the explanation is how early the framework was built. Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong indicated a lot of the roster architecture was discussed well ahead of the announcement, which naturally narrows the lanes for late momentum and hot streaks. 

That matters for Bennett because the argument for him is emotional and recent, including his reputation as a playoff difference maker, his Conn Smythe win, and the way he can tilt a game when it turns nasty. 

But the counter is that nobody “played their way off,” it was simply a tight numbers game where Cooper believed he had enough of Bennett’s style covered while prioritizing more role specific centers and matchup pieces.

As Friedman put it, Cooper made a lot of decisions a year ago, including staying with Jordan Binnington in net, who won Team Canada the 4 Nations, so he's earned his right to make his call, and only time will tell if it was the right one.

It's still a shocking decision.

Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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