With NHL officially committed to Olympics, many Blackhawks could be in the mix

NHL players are officially heading back to the Olympics in 2022.

A joint announcement Friday by the NHL, the players’ union and the International Ice Hockey Federation cemented what the three parties had been planning for months.

After skipping the 2018 tournament, NHL players will now make up the majority of the rosters of the 12 teams qualified for the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. Canada, the United States, Germany and host China form Group A; Russia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Denmark form Group B; and Sweden, Finland, Slovakia and Latvia form Group C.

Several hitches remain, however. It’s expected that only vaccinated players will be allowed to participate, and there will be no insurance for COVID-19 infections. The window will be tight, too. Participating players will fly to China on Feb. 6 — the day after the NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas — and will be needed back in North America for the resumption of the NHL schedule Feb. 23.

But the involved parties are going to make it work. And from a local perspective, the Blackhawks might be one of the best-represented NHL franchises at the Olympics.

Seven players on the Hawks’ roster are likely to make their respective countries’ rosters, and a few others also could be considered. Here’s a look at those players’ situations.

Likely Olympians

Patrick Kane — USA

Kane will be 33 by February, but he remains one of the centerpieces of the projected American team. The Buffalo, New York, native had five points in six games in the 2010 Olympics when the United States earned a silver medal, then four points in six games in the 2014 Olympics as the U.S. team finished fourth.

The 2022 U.S. team will benefit from having two of the best young centers in the world — Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel — as anchors, and it’ll be fun to see what Kane can do alongside one of them.

Alex DeBrincat — USA

There’s a very real possibility DeBrincat, a Michigan native, could be the opposite winger on Kane’s line. Max Pacioretty is the only other American winger with an argument to earn first-line minutes over one of them.

The on-ice chemistry and off-ice friendship between DeBrincat and Kane have blossomed in recent seasons, but being Olympic linemates would top any of their shared experiences. With no offense to Pius Suter, their most frequent center last season with the Hawks, flanking someone like Matthews could push their games to another level.

Seth Jones — USA

Jones just missed Olympic selection in 2014, when he was a rookie in the NHL. The U.S. defensive corps has gotten stronger since then, and some very good players will inevitably miss the cut again, but Jones should have an inside track to make the team.

The Texas native will compete against — but probably ultimately play alongside — Charlie McAvoy, John Carlson, Ryan McDonagh, Jaccob Slavin, Jeff Petry, Ryan Suter, Quinn Hughes, former Blue Jackets partner Zach Werenski and reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox.

Marc-Andre Fleury — Canada

After sitting idle behind Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur but technically winning a gold medal with Canada in 2010, Fleury was snubbed from the 2014 roster in favor of Luongo, Carey Price and Mike Smith — and he was upset about it at the time.

Eight years later, however, Fleury and Price — even at 37 and 34, respectively, by February — are shoo-ins to backstop the 2022 Canadian Olympic team. A roster loaded with many of the best players in the game, from Connor McDavid to Sidney Crosby to Nathan MacKinnon, should make life pretty easy for them.

Dominik Kubalik — Czech Republic

Kubalik actually participated in the 2018 Olympics because he was playing in Europe at the time. He scored two goals in five games on a Czech team consisting entirely of non-NHL players.

Much has changed since then, in Olympic hockey and in Kubalik’s career, but one thing won’t: He’ll be an important player for the Czechs again in 2022. He was their leading scorer at the World Championships this summer, although that team didn’t feature such stars as David Pastrnak, Jakub Voracek and Tomas Hertl.

Philipp Kurashev — Switzerland

After breaking out as an NHL rookie last season, Kurashev — who has Swiss and Russian ancestry — climbed into a top-six role on the Swiss team at the World Championships.

As a result, he’s on track to make his Olympic debut for Switzerland next year. With Roman Josi on defense and Nino Niederreiter, Kevin Fiala, Timo Meier and Nico Hischier up front, the Swiss team has some big-name talent at the top of the roster but will struggle with depth.

Lukas Reichel — Germany

Reichel has yet to play an NHL game — although that might change between October and February — but will almost certainly represent Germany in Beijing. In the World Championships, the 19-year-old top prospect ranked third on the team with six points in nine games.

The Germans boast a fantastic goaltending duo in Philipp Grubauer and Thomas Greiss, and Leon Draisaitl will be one of the best forwards in the tournament, but they, too, will struggle with depth.

Possible Olympians

Kevin Lankinen — Finland

Between Juuse Saros, Antti Raanta, Kaapo Kahkonen, Joonas Korpisalo, recovering-from-surgery Tuukka Rask and Lankinen, the Finns will need to leave several very good goaltenders off their Olympic roster.

But Lankinen’s previous success on the international stage, heroically leading Finland to a gold medal in the 2019 World Championships, and domestic popularity through his Finnish book club will make him difficult to exclude.

Jonathan Toews — Canada

Considering how Toews’ availability for the Hawks this season remains a mystery, his availability for the Olympics is practically impossible to forecast.

It’s plausible the 33-year-old center will cherish a three-week break in February to rest his body and prepare for the stretch run of the NHL season, especially having already won gold in 2010 and 2014. But if Toews does want to participate, he could crack the Canadian lineup yet again.

Connor Murphy — USA

The Americans’ loaded defensive corps makes Murphy’s road to Beijing difficult, but injuries and opt-outs could open a spot for such a reliable player. Murphy, an Ohio native, held a captain or alternate-captain role on U.S. teams at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Championships.