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During the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year, Hockey Canada officials figured maybe three-quarters of the championship Canadian team would also play for Olympic gold at the Winter Games in February.

But with two additional spots available, the first few months of the NHL season are crucial to players on the Olympic bubble hoping to make the team and travel to Milan.

“Some players are going to rise up,†Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said. “Thereâ€s a lot of guys that didnâ€t make that team that are going to want to have a great October, November, December.â€

Armstrong, U.S. GM Bill Guerin and the other federations have until Dec. 31 to submit provisional rosters of 22 skaters and three goaltenders. The so-called long lists of 45 skaters and five goaltenders to choose from is due Oct. 15.

Expect some serious variation for the Americans in Milan, looking to win Olympic gold for the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980.

“We canâ€t really run it back with the same team — weâ€ve got to see whoâ€s playing well,†Guerin said. “Other guys are going to play their way on to the team. We had a bunch of guys that showed up for the world championships and produced our first gold medal there in 90-something years, and there are guys that have put themselves in a much better spot because of that. We just really have to start from scratch again and rebuild the team.â€

Some candidates on the edge:

Keller was not just one of the players in his prime who went to worlds and helped deliver the first U.S. title there since 1933. Utah’s captain also wore the “C†and was a point-a-game producer. Getting left off the 4 Nations team fuelled the 27-year-old centre.

“It definitely motivated me, for sure, and I wasnâ€t going to just let it harp on me and have a bad rest of my season,†Keller said. “I think it did the opposite for me.â€

Keller had 30 points in 26 games after the season resumed, followed by his success at worlds. Barring injury, he’s a good bet to play at the Olympics.

Injuries didn’t give Thomas a realistic shot to play for Canada at the 4 Nations, then he showed Armstrong — also his GM with St. Louis — what he could do when healthy. Thomas was the NHL’s top scorer after the break with 40 points, though he’s not satisfied with that success.

“I feel like most people look for people doing well, teams doing well — winners, and so I think thatâ€s how you focus on it,†Thomas said. “Get your team off to a really good start, win a lot of games and put yourself in a good spot in the standings, and I think that should speak enough on your impact for the game.â€

Thomas, 26, has an inside track to Milan but does not want it to be because he plays for Armstrong with the Blues.

“Heâ€s got a job to do,†Thomas said. “He canâ€t pick favourites. His name’s on the line at the end of the day, so heâ€s got to pick the best team.â€

Thompson was also on the U.S. world championship-winning team after he and Buffalo missed the playoffs. He had nine points, and his size at six-foot-six and 220 pounds makes him an ideal fit as Guerin and Co. build the team.

“I did feel like I should have been on the 4 Nations team,†Thompson said. “That gave me a bit of a chip on the shoulder the second half of the season and the summer of training and just kind of adds one more thing on your plate that youâ€re playing for.â€

Thompson has never played in the NHL playoffs because the Sabres have the longest active drought at 14 seasons. Given management wanting to see how guys on the bubble handle pressure situations, going to worlds could give Thompson’s case a huge boost.

A couple of years ago, 2023 No. 1 pick Connor Bedard looked as though he might be the youngest player for Canada at the 2026 Games. Bedard would need to light the league on fire with Chicago out of the gate to get back in that discussion.

San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, on the other hand, is another story. The 2024 No. 1 pick accepted Canada’s invite to worlds, played alongside Sidney Crosby and put himself right in the mix.

“I thought Celebrini had a fabulous tournament there coming in as a rookie, an 18-year-old,†Armstrong said.

It helps to have the seal of approval from Canada’s likely captain, who scored the golden goal in 2010 and was a big part of repeating as Olympic champs in 2014.

“I skated a little bit with him in the summer, too, in Halifax, and I want to say heâ€s even better than he was at worlds even over the couple months,†Crosby said. “I know heâ€s working hard. Iâ€m sure this is something thatâ€s on his radar, but yeah, I loved playing with him. I think that heâ€s just going to get better and better.”

Armstrong singled out Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Washington’s Tom Wilson as other players not at the 4 Nations who played well in the second half last season. Wilson would give Canada a big, physical puck retriever with wining experience, while Suzuki would probably have to stand out above the crowd to be considered.

Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield are intriguing talents up front for the U.S., figuring Chris Kreider and Brock Nelson are probably not going to make it. Patrick Kane also has an outside chance as an elder statesman if he gets off to a strong start.

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Chelsea’s activity in the transfer market during recent seasons has led fans of rival clubs to question how the Blues can afford such a volume of high-profile, expensive signings without contravening the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSR).

Under BlueCo ownership, the Blues have been able to sell the Women’s team and hotels on the Stamford Bridge site to sister companies, making sure they, technically, abide by English football’s financial controls.

In Europe, however, such deals would not count towards UEFA’s rules and player trading takes on greater importance.

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Chelsea’s finances under UEFA scrutiny

Enzo Maresca brings out the Conference League and Club World Cup trophies at Stamford Bridge (Image credit: Getty Images)

The ‘football earnings’ rule requires clubs to balance their spending with revenues. Clubs are obligated to limit their losses to €60 million over a three-year period, although this can be higher for clubs in good financial health.

According to Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Law, the Blues will need to be more business-savvy next summer as the club’s financial position comes under greater scrutiny by European football’s governing body.

Chelsea added big-money signing Joao Pedro to their squad this past summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

“Nicolas Jackson isn’t in their Champions League squad. So even if they sell Nicolas Jackson, he will not count [towards complying with UEFA’s rules],” Law said on the ‘London is Blue’ podcast.

“Because it has to be people who you have to balance against people who were in your squad. So, if [Chelsea] sell [Raheem] Sterling, if they sell Jackson, if they sell [Axel] Disasi, they’re not going to count.

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“So, if they bring players into a squad next summer, they’re going to have to trade again, and it’s going to result in first-team players having to be sold, basically. That makes life very difficult for next summer.”

Chelsea spent approximately £300m in the summer transfer window, recouping around £290m from player sales. Whether Enzo Maresca’s side are able to repeat their strong player trading performance in 12 months’ time is a different matter altogether, but could prove necessary.

Champions League participation is closely tied to stronger financial performance (Image credit: Getty Images)

Based on Chelsea’s most recently available accounts as at June 30, 2024, the club reported a pre-tax profit of £128.4 million, suggesting the organisation is in good financial health. This reflected a major improvement on the £90.1 million loss posted during the previous year.

Although, without the ‘repositioning’ of their Women’s team, which generated a £198.7m profit, Chelsea’s financial footing would not appear as secure.

Clubs competing in UEFA competitions must also adhere to the ‘squad cost rule’, which limits a club’s spending on wages, transfer fees (amortised over the contract length), and agent fees.

This spending is capped at 70 per cent of the club’s annual revenue, which fell to £468.5m during 2023/24, down from just over half a billion the season prior.

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