Jon Cooper said the quiet part out loud about Bedard Olympic snub

Connor Bedard had a unique second chance to make Canada’s Olympic team. Unfortunate injuries to Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli of the Tampa Bay Lightning opened up two spots in Team Canada’s forward group.

That could have been Bedard’s best shot at making the Olympics. Instead, Team Canada selected Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes and Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers to make the trip to Milano-Cortina.

While both players are fine choices, Blackhawks fans and fans around the NHL were left wondering why Canada chose to pass on one of the game’s most fascinating young forwards.

Well, the answer isn’t hard to grasp. In fact, Team Canada coach Jon Cooper basically said the quiet part out loud in a recent press availability. Insider Elliotte Friedman picked up on this, quoting Cooper in his 32 Thoughts blog.

Specifically, Cooper stated that Jarvis and Bennett made the cut because they had been a part of the 4 Nations Face-Off squad from last season. That participation is something that weighed heavily on the decision to include them this season.

“And familiarity is a real thing…Would we have loved to have kept the 4 Nations team and just added two guys? For sure. Because when you win with people, you know them, you trust them, you want to keep going through a wall for them.”

In other words, Cooper doesn’t know Bedard, so he doesn’t trust him. While it’s a coach’s prerogative to pick players he knows and confides in, wouldn’t it behoove Team Canada to pick the best players available? They chose Macklin Celebrini, someone Cooper doesn’t know very well, so why not Bedard?

Cooper didn’t mean to offend anybody with his comments. But it’s plainly evident that getting on Team Canada’s Olympic roster this time around means players must have some sort of relationship with Cooper.

Team Canada may regret passing on Bedard

Bedard will likely be a fixture in 2030. By then, established stars like Sidney Crosby will not likely be playing anymore. Current superstars like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon will be in their mid-30s, potentially sliding a bit down the trough.

In four years, the NHL will likely belong to guys like Celebrini and Bedard. They stand to be the heirs to the current crop of superstars.

But that’s four years down the line, and I don’t know about anyone who can predict the future.

What’s real is the present. And in the present, Team Canada may regret passing on Bedard. Of course, it’s evident that this iteration of the Canadian roster was created to play in a slogfest against the United States.

That’s why the Canadian side included Tom Wilson. It’s also the reason why Bennett got the call.

But think about overtime. This year, the Olympics will feature 3-on-3 overtime. That’s a direct holdover from the NHL. That's why, if and when games get to overtime, wouldn’t it be fantastic to deploy Bedard over the boards?

Perhaps that point goes back to what Cooper said. He doesn’t trust Bedard to go over the boards during overtime of a gold medal game against guys like, say, Auston Matthews or Dylan Larkin.

We won’t know what scenario plays out until it does. In the meantime, Blackhawks fans can expect to see Connor Bedard at the Olympics in 2030. The World Cup of Hockey slated for 2028 should give Bedard an opportunity to accrue much-needed trust with Team Canada’s coaching staff.