Team Canada demotes winger off Connor McDavid’s line during Game 2
Photo credit: Geoff Burke - Imagn Images
Connor McDavid’s line has been absolutely dominant so far at the Olympics, but Coach Jon Cooper is already making adjustments.
At the end of Game 1 Connor McDavid had heaps of praise for both of his linemates, Macklin Celebrini and Tom Wilson. There was a solid case to keep the line together, but Canada is looking for better combos already.
Unreal. Both of them were amazing. Wilson is just a forechecking dog, so hard on guys, created so much space out there, it was fun. Celebrini was really impressive. Kept so many plays alive. He was dangerous, a great player.
- Connor McDavid
- Connor McDavid
Team Canada demotes Tom Wilson during Game 2 of Olympics
Near the end of the first period, Canada removed Tom Wilson off McDavid’s line, demoting him down to the third line with Brandon Hagel and Nick Suzuki.
Nathan MacKinnon was moved up to the first line with McDavid, creating an absolute superline that will be indefensible by any team in the tournament.
Wilson has been great for Canada so far in the tournament, creating so much space for his linemates as McDavid said. It may not really be a demotion for Wilson, but rather a way to get the third line going more. Suzuki had been struggling on the wing, and now moves back to his natural position at centre.
With the way Canada is evenly rolling their lines so far, this is lineup move that makes their team better and deeper. Wilson will add a lot to the bottom-six, while MacKinnon playing with McDavid is an unbelievable threat.
As the tournament progresses Canada will likely still make more lineup tweaks, trying to find the ideal combos that will secure them a Gold Medal.
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Team Switzerland sends a message to Team Canada before Olympic matchup
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