With the National Hockey League and NHLPA announcing today that they have agreed to terms with the IIHF on Olympic participation for the 2022 Beijing Games, the February schedule for at least a few Tampa Bay Lightning players likely just got a little bit more hectic. That’s the price you pay for having a really solid hockey team with lots of international depth; the Olympic games have the potential to turn into a bit of a Bolts showcase.

For Team Canada, Brayden Point is probably the only true sure-thing on the Lightning roster. As more and more hockey fans have learned over the course of the last two postseasons, he’s once of the game’s brightest stars. He plays solid hockey at both ends of the rink, and seems to have a knack for delivering in the biggest moments; outside the Stanley Cup Final, there is arguably no bigger moment than at the Olympic games. It’s a tournament made for a player like Brayden Point.

I’d argue that Steven Stamkos still has a very good shot at being named to the team in a bottom-six role, even if not an absolute lock to make it. He might not be the same goal scoring threat that he once was, but he’s still a very strong contributor and has a decade-plus-long reputation he can ride on to make the Canadian squad.

Even if Tampa’s pool of Canadian riches might be (relatively) shallow, they make up for it in other areas. Take the Russian Olympic Committee, as an example, who are likely to take Andrei Vasilevskiy as their starting goaltender, Nikita Kucherov as their star forward, and Mikhail Sergachev as one of their best defensive assets. When you consider the role that Kucherov and Vasilevskiy, in particular, have had in taking the Lightning to two straight Stanley Cups, it’s fairly reasonable to think that Russia will be a very tough out at this Olympic tournament.

Outside Sergachev, the Lightning appear to have another handful of defenders slated to make Olympic teams. Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh will hold guaranteed roster spots for Sweden and the United States, respectively. And Erik Cernak should have a very good shot at locking down a spot with Team Slovakia. All in all, the Lightning’s entire top-four could see Olympic ice time. What an abundance of riches this Bolts team is blessed with on the blue line.

The last major piece who should stand a very good chance at making it to Beijing is Ondrej Palat with the Czech Republic. He may not play the high-skill game that thrives in best-on-best international competition, but he’s undoubtedly one of the better Czech players in the league today. Combine his unparalleled work ethic with the opportunity to represent his country, and you can almost guarantee that Palat will rise to the occasion.

When you tally up the names above, the Lightning have nine players who should be in line to make Beijing teams. That’s an impressive total from a lineup of 19 on any given night. With almost half the roster likely to be in action, the Bolts showcase at the 2022 Olympic Games will make putting up with the time zone difference quite worth it.

As always, thanks for reading.

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