Team Canada continued its dominant run through the group stage with a commanding 10-2 win over France, moving to 3-0 and all but locking up the top seed heading into the knockout round. But while the offense was firing on all cylinders, one name was conspicuously absent from the lineup for the second straight game: Brad Marchand.
Head coach Jon Cooper addressed Marchand’s status following the win, confirming that the veteran winger is expected to be available for Canada’s quarterfinal matchup. That’s welcome news for a team already rolling, and it could give them an extra gear heading into the medal rounds.
Marchand hasn’t seen game action since Canada’s tournament-opening win over Czechia, where he logged just 9:29 of ice time, recorded two shots, and finished with a plus-one rating. Since then, he’s been sidelined-but not idle.
Prior to the blowout win over France, Marchand skated for about 40 minutes and, according to Cooper, looked sharp. That’s a promising sign for both Canada and the Florida Panthers, who’ve had to navigate his absence down the stretch of the NHL season.
Despite missing 11 games for Florida this year, Marchand has still managed to rack up 25 goals and 25 assists, sitting second on the team in points. That kind of production speaks volumes about his impact, even if his presence at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year was relatively quiet-just one goal in four games.
Canada’s offensive explosion against France only reinforces how deep and dangerous this roster is. With 10 goals on the board and a perfect 3-0 record, they’re in pole position to claim the top seed for the knockout stage. The only team with a shot at matching them is the United States, but they'd need to hang 11 goals in their next game to edge Canada on goal differential.
As for what’s next, Canada will face the winner of a qualification round game in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. From there, it’s a quick turnaround: the semifinals are set for Feb. 20, and the gold medal game is just two days later, on Feb. 22.
If Marchand is back in the lineup and close to full speed, Canada’s already lethal attack could become downright overwhelming. They’ve shown they can dominate without him.
Adding a player of his caliber back into the mix? That’s a luxury few teams can match.