Olympics

Kyle Connor Benched: No Longer in Team USA’s Plans?

Kyle Connor of Team USA became a healthy scratch in the final preliminary game against Germany. Is he no longer in their plans?

by
NHL Trade Talk
February 15, 2026

Team USA made a surprising (maybe not) lineup change for their final preliminary-round game against Germany at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor was a healthy scratch, replaced by Utah Mammoth forward Clayton Keller, who makes his Olympic debut.

The move comes after Connor went pointless through the first two games, including a reported -1 plus/minus and limited ice time, despite Team USA’s strong starts over Latvia (5-1) and Denmark (6-3).

This is not the first time Connor has worked himself out of a lineup in international play.

Mike McIntyre, a beat writer for the Winnipeg Jets, posted, “And there it is. Just like at 4 Nations, #NHLJets forward Kyle Connor — who doesn’t have a single shot on net through 2 games — has played his way out of the U.S. lineup, at least for now.”

Coach Mike Sullivan opted for the switch to inject speed and creativity into the lineup. The hope is that Keller’s setup ability sparks the attack while preserving Team USA’s momentum, especially with the goal differential stats now becoming a factor.

Connor’s struggles in Milano Cortina may not come as a shock. For some reason, he has failed to meet the expectations of him as one of the NHL’s biggest goal scorers. Even elite offensive scorers can have off tournaments, but this is now the second time Connor has stood out for the wrong reasons. He remains one of the NHL’s premier snipers with multiple 30+ goal seasons, but these small windows in tournament play leave no margin for error.

Team USA remains a strong contender heading into the knockout stages, favored to beat Germany and secure the top spot in Group C. For Connor, the scratch is hopefully just a temporary setback rather than a permanent removal from the lineup.

Tournaments of this length reward players who respond under pressure and with depth, as the U.S. roster possesses. There might still be opportunity for Connor to reclaim his role when it matters most, but the games are starting to matter.

If he doesn’t get back in, one has to wonder how many more chances he’ll get to rep the United States on an international stage. At 29 years old, this might have been his best and last chance to be a difference-maker.

Next: Canadiens’ Slafkovský Outstanding on the Olympic Stage