MILAN
It seems that Team Canada had hoped Jordan Binnington’s display at the 4 Nations would quell the ongoing chatter about their goaltending situation, but that’s not the case. Goaltending remains a significant question mark for Canada, a country known for legends like Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, and Roberto Luongo. The team is still mum on naming a starter among Binnington, Logan Thompson, and Darcy Kuemper.
“I’m not going to announce it to you guys here,” coach John Cooper mentioned after Wednesday’s practice, although it appeared there would be a rotation among the three goalies.
“I love you all, but that is not happening. The players will find out tonight,” Cooper added.
He also noted there’s a “very good chance” Canada will use two different goalies in their first two games against the Czech Republic on Thursday and Switzerland the following day.
The real narrative here might be how much weight Cooper and his team place on Binnington’s past clutch moments—like in the 4 Nations Finals and Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals—versus his shaky .864 save percentage this season with the Blues.
“He proved everything I felt about him,” Cooper remarked regarding Binnington’s performance at the 4 Nations. “On the biggest stage, he delivered. I’ve seen that before. There are only a few players who get that, and he came through when we needed him.”
2026 Winter Olympics
While Thompson was not part of the 4 Nations team after moving to the Capitals from assistant coach Bruce Cassidy’s Golden Knights, he’s been performing well this season, boasting a .912 save percentage in Washington. On the other hand, Kuemper, a Stanley Cup winner with the 2022 Avalanche, is sitting at a .900 save percentage with the Los Angeles Kings.
However, with how things are unfolding, it wouldn’t be shocking if Binnington ends up leading the warm-ups on Thursday.
“We just got back last January,” Canadian GM Doug Armstrong, who also holds the same role in St. Louis, noted. “I was so relieved to hear the same thing and see how it turned out.”
