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For a while, it appeared as if Macklin Celebrini and Sidney Crosby were shoo-ins to be linemates for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
They had played together for the Canadian national team before, and Crosby has expressed his admiration for the 19-year old star of the San Jose Sharks.
But for now, it looks like Celebrini has actually outplayed Crosby's current status.
In their first practice of the Olympics, Canada had Celebrini on the first line, while Crosby was on the third.
Celebrini lined up as the left wing alongside Connor McDavid and Tom Wilson.
Nathan MacKinnon centered the second line with Brad Marchand and Nick Suzuki.
That gave Crosby the third center spot with Mark Stone and Mitch Marner.
The fourth line had Bo Horvat between Brandon Hagel and Sam Reinhart.
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That left Sam Bennett and Seth Jarvis on the outside of the forward lines looking in at the moment.
Canada still has time to change things up, and it's powerplay units promise to be super-charged and likely include at least a couple of those centers together.
It really just speaks to Celebrini's rapid rise. He went from unsure to make the team, to not just on the team but alongside McDavid.
Crosby, the captain, will likely nudge for a few shifts with Celebrini.
At the end of the day, whoever Canada throws out there on the ice will be quite dangerous.
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