Jon Cooper says Team Canada's roster decisions down to 'photo finish'

There is no shortage of options for Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper to consider for February's 4 Nations Face-Off.

The head coach admits that it is going to be a tough call on some of the final decisions that he will have to make come decision day on Dec. 2.

"We're a few days away, really. If this was a horse race, it's a photo finish," Cooper told reporters on Saturday. "That close. We have to be right? We're close, but it's been a super cool process.

"It's amazing the work that's been put in by management, and it's been an extremely thorough process."

That includes talking to other teams to see what they can learn about their players especially some that might be on the roster bubble.

While getting an opposing team to offer information might be tough, Cooper has been happy with how open the dialogue has been.

"It's been a wonderful experience just being around some general managers and coaches in this league that are the best of the best," Cooper said. "To hear their minds, their thoughts and there's a camaraderie too. There's a common bond that we're not wearing the flag. It's been rewarding and educational to see how people do things and see their thoughts and perspective."

One of the coaches offering his advice is Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube who has a couple of players on his team who will be content for Canada's roster.

"We talked about players a little bit. I do talk our players up," Berube said with a smile. "He's been asking about players and how they would fit in certain situations. When you are building a team with star-oriented players, you have to see if guys can do other things like kill penalties or check well. Not everyone can play on the top line."

During an appearance on the Real Kyper & Bourne radio show on Wednesday, Canada's 2026 Olympic team general manager Doug Armstrong said that the management group has collectively seen between 160 and 180 live games to inform their final roster decisions.

"What I learned under Steve Yzerman is that when you're picking, say, the last four or five guys on the roster, you don't want to jam a square peg into a round hole. It's a style of player," Armstrong said. "So we really need the coaches to understand why we have these players slotted the way we have them and make sure they see that same value in them."

With forwards Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid and Brayden Point and defenceman Cale Makar already on the roster, Canada is sure to have enough offensive firepower to win the tournament when the roster is announced on Sportsnet on Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

However, the additional 14 skaters that earn a spot will come from a combination of their team fit and skill.

While choosing just 20 skaters to make it past Canada's final cut will be no easy task, there is perhaps no larger dilemma facing Armstrong than who will be wearing the maple leaf between the pipes.

Armstrong pointed out that the days of deciding "who will back up Carey (Price)" are no longer, but did point to the success of Canadian goaltenders in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as something that hockey fans north of the border can hang their hat on.

"Right now, there's really no alpha male in Canada goaltending. I sort of laugh, the Canadians and the Americans have the most difficult (goalie) decisions for different reasons," the president of hockey operations and general manager of the St. Louis Blues said. "One of the stats — if you dig deep enough, you can always find something that you can sell — is that I think it's the last 10 Stanley Cups, it's either been a Canadian goalie or a Russian goalie that's won it, and Russia's not in this tournament."

Regardless of who ends up wearing the red and white come February, Armstrong and the rest of Canada's brain trust have their work cut out for them, with just a few days until the roster submission deadline on Dec. 2.