Sabres news: NHL players back in the Olympics in 2022
Players that are part of the NHL will be back in the Olympics starting next year in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. The NHL and NHLPA reached an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) that was announced this morning. It will be the first Olympics since 2014 with NHL players, as there were no NHL players in the 2018 games. So we could see some of our favorite Buffalo Sabres players, along with players from around the league, represent their home countries in 2022.
https://twitter.com/IIHFHockey/status/1433812577725845516
This will allow many of the current younger superstars in the NHL to make their Olympic debut. Players such as Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Austin Matthews, and many other young talents across the league could be in line to represent their country at the Olympics for the first time in their careers.
In the last Winter Olympic Games, Team Russia defeated Team Germany 4-3 in overtime. The game-winning goal was scored by Kirill Kaprizov, who had not made his NHL debut at the time of his gold-medal clinching goal in 2018.
Countries such as Canada, the USA, and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will likely be some of the favorites going into the tournament. Countries like Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic will also field some quality teams.
As for the potential Buffalo Sabres we might see representing their home countries in 2022, that could be a limited number. Of players that are currently on the Sabres roster, only a few seem to be a lock to make the Olympics. Jack Eichel should certainly be on Team USA. Other players that could get selected to play for their country could be Victor Olofsson and Rasmus Dahlin for Sweden, and potentially Henri Jokiharju for Finland.
What would be considered a successful season for the Sabres?. dark. Next
This is great news for fans of the sport, and also for the players as they get a chance to represent their home countries on the world’s biggest sports stage.