Finland’s Best Player was Juuse Saros
As the 2026 Winter Olympics approach the semifinal round, TSN Director of Evaluation Craig Button joined SportsCenter with Sarah Davis and was asked who the most dangerous players are from Canada and Finland.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
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Sarah Davis: “Okay, Craig. Now, let’s shift our focus to the semifinals, starting with Finland.”
Craig’s Button: Juuse Saros is a great goaltender, and the only one who can win a game. And in Finland, short-handed, outside of (Aleksander) Sasha Barkov, they get a lot of offensive weapons, and they know how to play as a unit, but when they break, Juuse Saros can be that guy. And if you’re thinking about an upset at the Olympics in these types of competitions, you need a goalkeeper who can stand on his head. Juuse Saross can do all that and more. So you have to find a way to solve him when you’re in Canada, but Juuse Saros has to be the most dangerous player in Finland.”
NHLRumors.com Note: Saros has been the reason why Finland has reached this point. He made a mistake in the quarterfinals that could have cost Finland against Switzerland when he turned the ball over. However, he settled down and allowed his teammates to come back in the third period. Juuse Saros was supposed to be Finland’s best player so that guys like Arturri Lehkonen, Miro Heiskanen, Sebastian Aho, Anton Lundell, and others could provide big moments.
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Davis: “Okay, let’s finish with Canada, Craig. It looks like a two-horse race between Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebriani, given how much they’ve done in this tournament. Are you going with the youth or the experience?
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Button: “Oh, Connor McDavid all the way. He’s the best player in the world, and he’s taken the Olympic stage, and he’s owned it. He’s in control of everything. He’s in control. From the first shift of the first game, he set the tone physically, he’s been dangerous every time he’s off the ice. And you don’t see how big these games have been. The violet reduction in Connor McDavid in the absence of, possibly, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid will be asked to do more.
NHLRumors.com Note: It’s Connor McDavid all the way, and it’s not even close. Shipping to Canada. McDavid tied Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu’s record for most points in a single Olympics by an NHL player with 11. There is a good chance that he will break the record in the semifinals. Behind him is Macklin Celebrini with nine points as a 19-year-old. Mitch Marner and Nick Suzuki also came up big. Not to mention Jordan Binington made the save he needed, but it’s McDavid all the way because of what he can do with his speed and puck skills.
The semi-final between Canada and Finland will take place on Friday morning. It will be tough for Canada as they will be playing without Sidney Crosby.
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