Team Canada gets Josh Morrissey update as Brad Marchand sparks lineup debate

Feb 17, 2026 (9:09)

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Josh Morrissey looks ready to rejoin Team Canada, and Brad Marchand is back for the quarter-finals, the kind of news that flips a tournament mood in one morning.

Morrissey left Canada’s Olympic opener with an undisclosed injury and the blue line has felt tighter ever since.

When a puck-moving defender like Morrissey is missing, breakouts get louder, and the forwards end up skating for their touches instead of attacking.

Marchand, meanwhile, sat the last two games as a scratch, and now the lineup squeeze gets real.

Canada has won its group games, but the knockout round does not care how pretty February looked.

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Morrissey’s value is simple, he connects the first pass and keeps gaps tight so Canada can attack off stops.

If he is truly good to go, it also eases the minutes for the other left shots and cleans up pair usage late in games.

Honestly, this feels like the kind of move that either sparks the bench immediately or creates a brutal “who sits” debate that lingers all week.

Marchand has already posted 0-1-1 in one Olympic game, and his forecheck still drags defenders into mistakes.

The question is the fit, because someone who has been contributing has to come out, and that can sting in a room.

If coaches want Nathan MacKinnon going, they need him catching pucks with speed through the middle, not grinding for space along the walls.

A healthy Morrissey helps that plan because cleaner exits mean MacKinnon starts shifts on the hunt.

Wednesday’s quarter-final is where this gets judged, not in practice clips.

Canada has the talent, but now it has choices, and choices are where tournaments get won or blown.

Previously on HockeyLatest

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FEVRIER 17\|265 ANSWERS Team Canada gets Josh Morrissey update as Brad Marchand sparks lineup debate Should Brad Marchand stay in Team Canada’s lineup for the rest of the Olympics?
Yes	206	77.7 %
No	59	22.3 %
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