When Canada's original roster was announced for the Winter Olympics on New Year's Eve, many Caniacs, me included, were disheartened by Seth Jarvis being omitted from the team. After all, it's not as if he hadn't done everything he could to earn his spot. Ultimately, we'd resigned to the fact that it just wasn't in the cards.
A lot can change in a month, and injuries are bound to happen. Tampa Bay's Brayden Point has been out with a lower-body injury for a few weeks, and it was announced on Thursday that he wouldn't be able to participate in Italy. While several players were more than worthy of taking his spot, it is now reserved for Jarvis, who has officially been named to Team Canada's roster.
It felt like the injury that he suffered on December 19 against the Florida Panthers was going to be the nail in his coffin to prove that he should've been named to the team, so when the announcement came around, we knew what was about to happen. He'd been on Canada's 4 Nations team, and he played in almost every game, but the emergence of several young stars pushed him down the order.
I won't pretend that this was a major injustice that has now been corrected. Jarvis is an outstanding player, but the player pool for Team Canada is incredibly deep, especially up front. He wasn't even the first injury replacement. That Jarvis was even being considered in the first place was incredible. I hate that it comes at the expense of a player's health, but that's how it goes sometimes.
As for his playing time, I'm not sure how much of the ice Jarvis will see in Italy. He's probably going to be a healthy scratch for the majority of the tournament, but I would imagine Head Coach Jon Cooper will try to get everyone on the roster some time, like he did during the 4 Nations. I could see him getting some fourth-line minutes and a little penalty kill time, if the moment needs it.
In the end, this has to be an incredible moment for Seth Jarvis, and I know that the Caniacs are over the moon in excitement for him. Team Canada will play in Group A, along with Czechia, Switzerland, and France, opening against the Czechs on Thursday. They are expected to finish at the top of the group and will be one of the top contenders for the gold. Now, they'll have a Hurricane among them.