Just like last February, Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson, and Avalanche net minder Mackenzie Blackwood have been left out of the Team Canada Olympic training camp roster, and have been beaten out by Sam Montembeault, Jordan Binnington, and Adin Hill, but last year’s performances suggest team Canada have made a mistake by snubbing the two goalies once again. Binnington managed to get Canada over the line in the four nations, but will he still have that fuel during the Olympics?
Logan Thompson really found his form in Washington last season, the same with Blackwood after his trade from San Jose, but both were subsequently left out of the four nations faceoff roster, and were not really ever considered at all. Although Jon Cooper and team Canada felt the St Louis Blues Jordan Binnington was the best of the bunch, Thompson and Blackwood really put their skills on show during the latter part of last season, and is a big shock that they were snubbed from even making the Canadian Olympic orientation camp.
In terms of stats, Thompson and Blackwood both recorded better goals against average compared to Binnington and Montembeault, also beating out the two in save percentage. Aside from their stats, it was understandable for Blackwood to be left out due to the lack of top tier hockey playing time during his time with the Sharks, but a snub from the training camp alone is a surprise given the discourse around Binnington’s play in the four nations.
Although Binnington played all four games and Sweden, Finland, and the United States all rotated goaltenders during the four nations, Binnington still only managed a GAA of 2.37, and had a .907 save percentage. Of course Canada stuck with Binnington and there were a lot of defensive obstacles along the way, but some of his performances were just not fully up to standard. In the ned, Jordan Binnington was the hero with a spectacular final game showing for team Canada, but can they hold on to the thread for that much longer?
Thompson and Blackwood will 100% be focused on the upcoming season, and may not even see the snub as a surprise, but with Montembeault and Hill not really showing anything outstanding as backups, Thompson and Blackwood would have added some much needed competitiveness to the Canadian goaltending room, and may end up being a big regret for them come the Olympics.
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