Penguins' Captain Leads List of Olympic MVP Candidates

With NHL action halted due to the 2026 Winter Olympics, all eyes shift to Italy and the hockey contest underway. With NHL players back at the international even for the first time in over a decade, the race for the gold medal and the MVP of the tournament is a much more heated one.

How could it not be, when so many of the greatest hockey players in the world are all going against one another? With so many options, who will come away as the best player and most valuable player at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Choosing someone like Colorado Avalanche anchors Cale Makar or Nathan MacKinnon, or Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, would be a great bet, but these three players are the most likely to take home that honor.

Sidney Crosby - Captain Canada's Final RIde?

The return of NHL players to the Olympics means the world may have its final chance to see Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby don the Maple Leaf. Crosby's age-38 season has been a thing to marvel at, recording 59 points in 56 games.

The top two center positions are locked in by Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon, which could kick Crosby to the wing. It doesn't really matter where he ends up playing, however. A lineup with Sidney Crosby in it has a shot to win and a player you can count on in crunch time. Sixteen years after scoring the Golden Goal at Vancouver, Crosby is looking for an exceptional swan song on the international stage.

Connor Hellebuyck - Backstopping United States' Gold Medal Aspirations

Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team United States goalie Connor Hellebuyck (37) makes a blocker save against Team Canada in the second period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images | Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

It hasn't been a banner year for Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but for a United States squad with lofty expectations, the veteran puck-stopper remains their best bet.

Last year, Hellebuyck put together one of the best regular seasons by a goalie in NHL history, collecting the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie and the Hart Trophy as the league MVP.

If the United States makes any noise at this tournament, they need Hellebuyck to return to his 2024-2025 form. Through 36 starts this season, he has a 13-16-7 record with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. It has been an uninspired first half statistically, but he was excellent in net last year at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Combine that with a much better lineup in front of him, and Hellebuyck could take over the MVP race at the Olympics.

Mikko Rantanen - the Finnish Final Boss

It's been almost a year since the Dallas Stars acquired forward Mikko Rantanen, putting division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche, and the rest of the NHL on notice for the top team in the league.

Through 54 games this season, he's a top scorer once again for Dallas with 20 goals and 49 assists for 69 points. Finland is challenging for a medal, and could even be a darkhorse candidate to win it all. To do so, Rantanen needs to be the Finnish force he's expected to be.

Rantanen is also coming into the Olympics with some better health than he did for last year's 4 Nations Face-Off. That injury clearly hampered his first major international contests, limiting him to a single assist in three games for Finland.

Looking to make up for it, Rantanen's game could be on display with his blend of speed and size. As Finland tries to take down the superpowers, all eyes are on Rantanen.

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