Rosters for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Olympics continue to take shape, with half of the participating countries naming three players to their rosters.
NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Each country was required to submit a list to the IIHF of three players who - provided they remain healthy - will be included on the final rosters.
Here are the first three players of each team so far:
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will be away from the team while voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league announced Thursday.
Price's wife, Angela, posted the following message on Instagram.
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said Price will be away from the team for a minimum of 30 days but it "could be longer," according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
"Today, I'm not thinking about Carey Price the goaltender," Bergevin said. "I'm thinking about Carey Price the human being."
Bergevin did say he's confident Price will be back at some point this season.
Price, 34, was integral in helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final last season, posting a .924 save percentage in 22 playoff games.
Jake Allen will likely handle starting duties until Price is able to return. The 31-year-old has started 298 games in his career and owns a .912 save percentage.
The recently acquired Sam Montembeault and 2017 seventh-round pick Cayden Primeau make up the depth behind Price and Allen.
To prepare for the 2021-22 NHL season, theScore is rolling out all the fantasy hockey advice you need to dominate your draft and win your league. Make sure to check back for updates right up until the regular season begins on Oct. 12.
Leading up to the start of the 2021-22 season, theScore is counting down the top-100 players in the game today, as voted on by our NHL editors. Injuries affecting players entering the season have been taken into consideration. We'll reveal 20 players every day until the top 20 is unveiled Oct. 11.
100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1
100. Zach Hyman, Edmonton Oilers
Codie McLachlan / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The former unsung engine of the Leafs' top six, Hyman is bringing his much-needed skill set to the Oilers. With the winger on the ice at five-on-five last season, the Leafs controlled 52% of shot attempts and 63% of the high-danger chances.
99. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Hughes should take another step forward during his third NHL campaign after the center's average ice time increased by over three minutes to 19:04 in 2021. The 20-year-old clearly possesses the ability to center the Devils' top line, and now he just needs to catch up to the league's speed and physicality.
98. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Larkin produced an extremely underwhelming campaign last year, but he remains the focal point of the Red Wings' offense as the club continues its rebuild. He's the team's captain and could have some of the best linemates of his career in 2021-22, so expect Larkin to bounce back in a big way.
97. Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild
Spurgeon doesn't get the attention he deserves as one of the league's best defensive defensemen. He's as consistent as they come, and the blue-liner needs to be recognized across the hockey world for his unique skill set.
96. Jake Muzzin, Toronto Maple Leafs
It's hard to find anyone who disapproves of Muzzin's game. He's a physical and nasty defenseman, which pleases the old-school crowd. But he's also an analytical darling thanks to his superb underlying metrics.
95. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
A key component of the Sabres' blue line, Dahlin must prove he’s worth every penny of his new three-year, $18-million deal. He received more ice time down the stretch under head coach Don Granato last season, so the stage is set for the talented defenseman to show he's up to the challenge.
94. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
The Kuznetsov who surpassed the 80-point plateau in 2017-18 has come and gone, with the Capitals forward's per-game production declining in each of the three seasons since then. But the veteran has still proven he can make an impact when healthy.
93. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
If it wasn't for Kirill Kaprizov's fantastic season, Robertson would have been a shoo-in for the Calder Trophy last year. The Stars rookie dazzled while scoring 45 points over 51 games. Now can he avoid the dreaded sophomore slump and keep it rolling in Dallas?
92. J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks
Miller endured a tough season defensively in 2020-21, but he's still a strong offensive contributor and a key piece of the Canucks' identity. He's registered 118 points over 122 games since joining the club in 2019.
91. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Shesterkin has appeared in just 47 career games, but the netminder has demonstrated he belongs on this list with a .921 save percentage over that span. Taking over as the heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist in a market like New York can't be easy, either.
90. Bo Horvat, Canucks
Rich Lam / Getty Images Sport / Getty
If there's anyone who can lead the Canucks back to the playoffs, why not captain Horvat? He finished fourth on the team with 39 points over 56 games, even amid Vancouver's struggles last season.
89. Samuel Girard, Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar rightfully gets most of the attention among the Avalanche's blue-liners, but Girard is impressive in his own right. The 23-year-old posted elite underlying numbers in 2021, and he's steadily improved offensively over his four NHL seasons.
88. Torey Krug, St. Louis Blues
Krug quietly produced a solid first campaign with the Blues, managing 32 points in 51 games. He comes exactly as advertised, and is a good puck-moving defenseman who's reliable at both ends.
87. David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Perron quietly goes about his business with the Blues while finding the scoresheet an awful lot. He ranks 11th among all left-wingers in points since rejoining the club three seasons ago.
86. Tyler Seguin, Stars
Seguin was limited to just three games last season due to injury, but he's still one of the league's most dangerous shooters when healthy.
85. Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
Suzuki led the Canadiens this past postseason with 16 points over 22 games. The 22-year-old is lethal and ready to handle big moments as Montreal's No. 1 center.
84. Tyler Toffoli, Canadiens
Toffoli unexpectedly ranked seventh in the NHL with 28 goals over 52 games in 2021, doing nearly 30% of that damage against the Canucks. Still, he was on pace for 37 goals over 82 contests, and while the 29-year-old will likely regress against stiffer competition, the winger is an established scorer.
83. Ryan Ellis, Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers desperately needed blue-line help, so they made a great decision to snatch Ellis in a trade. The 30-year-old plays both sides of the puck extremely well, and he can help out on the penalty kill and power play. He'll be a fantastic complementary piece to Ivan Provorov in Philly.
82. Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
Forsberg missed 17 games for the Predators last season and still finished one back of the club lead in goals. He's a supremely talented player who could put up monster numbers with some adequate linemates.
81. Adam Pelech, New York Islanders
Pelech's name being included on this list will surprise casual fans. He isn't flashy, but the rearguard is an absolute rock on defense. Don't be surprised if he makes Team Canada's Olympic squad.
Subban's skate clipped Reaves' leg as they went into the corner for a loose puck. Reaves, 34, fell awkwardly and couldn't put pressure on his left leg as he left the ice.
Byfield, 19, is entering his second professional season after getting drafted second overall by Los Angeles in 2020. He posted 20 points across 32 AHL contests in 2020-21 while adding an assist over six games with the Kings.
The plan is to ease Price back into the lineup. The veteran goaltender isn't expected to practice with the team before Montreal's season opens Oct. 13.
Price is also healing from offseason knee surgery. The 34-year-old was sidelined through the summer after having an operation on a torn meniscus.
Jake Allen will assume Montreal's starting job with Price out.
Price posted a .901 save percentage in 25 regular-season starts in 2020-21. He elevated his game significantly in the playoffs, registering a .924 clip in 22 contests as the Canadiens lost in the Stanley Cup Final.
Alex Ovechkin has won the Rocket Richard seven times over the last nine seasons, with the shortened 2021 campaign serving as one of the lone exceptions.
Is there value in backing Ovechkin to reclaim his throne, or has his time passed?
We'll examine that and more as we dive into our best bets.
PLAYER
ODDS
Auston Matthews
+350
Leon Draisaitl
+700
Connor McDavid
+750
Alex Ovechkin
+1000
David Pastrnak
+1200
Alex DeBrincat
+1700
Kirill Kaprizov
+1700
Kyle Connor
+1700
Mika Zibanejad
+1700
Nathan MacKinnon
+1700
Brayden Point
+2000
Mikko Rantanen
+2000
Nikita Kucherov
+2000
Sebastian Aho
+2000
Aleksander Barkov
+2500
Brad Marchand
+2500
Jake Guentzel
+2500
Max Pacioretty
+2500
Patrick Kane
+2500
Nikolaj Ehlers
+3000
Steven Stamkos
+3000
Artemi Panarin
+3500
Bryan Rust
+3500
Elias Pettersson
+3500
Mark Scheifele
+3500
Patrice Bergeron
+3500
Sam Reinhart
+3500
Elias Lindholm
+4000
Gabriel Landeskog
+4000
John Tavares
+4000
Jonathan Huberdeau
+4000
Mark Stone
+4000
Sidney Crosby
+4000
Only displaying players with odds 40-1 or shorter
Auston Matthews (+350)
Matthews is the NHL's best goalscorer. He leads all players in tallies over the last three seasons and has netted 18 more than anybody at five-on-five since 2019.
Goals count the same regardless of game state, of course, but it's important not to be one-dimensional. Matthews doesn't rely on power-play opportunities as heavily as others. He can score consistently without them, or when things aren't clicking on the man advantage. That helps separate Matthews from everyone else. And if Toronto's power play, which ranked 15th in goals per minute last season, gets better, it'll only raise Matthews' already high ceiling.
His wrist shouldn't be a problem following offseason surgery, and we should expect a motivated Matthews after another excruciating playoff disappointment.
Alex Ovechkin (+1000)
I realize Ovechkin is getting up there in age and is no longer in his prime, but this line feels disrespectful to arguably the best goalscorer we've ever seen.
The guy is 36, and yet only Matthews has scored more goals per game over the last two seasons. That's right: just one player was more efficient on a per-game basis than Ovi, while nobody generated more shot attempts.
Despite his absurd track record of scoring goals, and his unrivaled shot volume, the odds imply Ovechkin has a 9% chance of leading the league in tallies. That feels very low, especially considering he's chasing Wayne Gretzky's scoring record. Ovechkin will be pushing for each and every tuck he can get.
Sebastian Aho (+2000)
If you want to go value hunting and back a bit of a wild card, Aho may be your guy.
He's not necessarily someone you think of as an elite sniper, but he has the numbers to back it up. Only seven players have scored more times over the last two seasons.
It's no coincidence that Aho has ranked so high. In fact, he was unlucky not to finish higher. Aho generated more expected goals than all but three players (Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, and Brady Tkachuk) during that time. Yes, he even finished ahead of Ovechkin.
Goals usually come to those who are best at generating chances, and very few have matched Aho in that regard. If you think the best is still to come for the 24-year-old, there's value in backing him here.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
