Projecting 8 Penguins in 2022 Olympics, Several Pens on the Bubble

The new four-year NHL CBA extension, which players and owners reached on Monday, will allow players to sweater-up for their country in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, in Beijing and Milano, respectively. We’re projecting eight Pittsburgh Penguins will suit up for their country in the games, which are a nifty perk for the players who agreed to return to play amidst the global coronavirus pandemic. The players will live in the NHL bubble cities for two months or more, so Commissioner Gary Bettman can award the 2020 Stanley Cup.

Bettman will award it, right?

It’s nearly 18 months away, but the Canadian media is already speculating about the potentially loaded Team Canada. We can end the guessing and assume Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby be a part of Team Canada in Beijing. But will he be the captain?

Evgeni Malkin will assuredly be one of the headliners on Team Russia, with Alex Ovechkin, a few more NHL’ers, and the rest of President Vladimir Putin’s KHL All-Star team with CKSA Moscow.

Those are the easy choices. However, the Penguins could have as many as 10 players in the Olympics, but we project eight with a couple of close calls.