Jason Robertson and Adam Fox omissions from Team USA Olympic roster are baffling, defy logic

Team USA did it again.

The United States is sending a really good men’s hockey team to the 2026 Winter Olympics. I just want to start by saying that at the top. It is probably one of the best rosters they have ever had at the Olympics and one that could — and should — compete for a medal. It might even get a medal. It is by no means a bad team. Far from it. There are impact forwards, a Norris Trophy winning defenseman and elite goaltending that might be the best trio of any team in the tournament. They might have the BEST goalie in Connor Hellebuyck. It is a pretty clear sign that the American talent pool has grown significantly in recent decades, and is slowly but surely closing the gap between them and Canada.

The problem is the roster not only could be better, it should be better.

In short, the braintrust of the United States hockey program did it again. They galaxy-brained the process and allowed themselves to get cornered into the “right players, not the best players” nonsense that has infected them since they pulled off a miracle at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.

They have made decisions like this in the past. One of the most glaring came during the 2016 World Cup of hockey they made the inexplicable decision to leave Phil Kessel — fresh off a dominant Stanley Cup run with the Pittsburgh Penguins — off the roster and then watched as they team underachieved in the tournament due to a lack of offense.

Every best-on-best tournament they have appeared in over the past 30 years has resulted in them losing at some point in the medal round because they do not have enough goal-scoring. I have written about this in the past, but of the top major hockey powers the United States is one of the worst teams offensively when it comes to medal round games (when it is truly best against the best).

In the past, part of that has been due to the talent pool not being as deep as some of the other top hockey powers. That is no longer an excuse. The talent is there. The talent pool is deeper than it has ever been, and if they had simply taken their best players they could have built a roster that would have not only entered the tournament as a contender (which it still is), but perhaps one of the top-two favorites. Maybe even THE favorite.

The biggest omissions this time are Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson and New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. They are not only bad omissions, they are two of the most insane omissions I have ever seen for a roster or tournament like this.

Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield and Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat could also be included in this mix given their goal-scoring numbers and finishing ability, which the United States will at some point need.

Instead of taking more offensive punch, the United States doubled down on its 4 Nations Face-off team and tried to build an NHL-style team with role players and a checking, physical mentality. It did not produce a championship a year ago. It probably will not again. If I were a betting man I would wager a guess that goal-scoring will (again) be their ultimate undoing.

That is what makes the Robertson and Fox omissions (and to an extent, the Caufield and DeBrincat omissions) so absolutely baffling. No other team in the tournament has made decisions like this.

With Robertson, Caufield and DeBrincat not on the roster, that means three of the top-seven American-born goal-scorers in the NHL at the moment are not on the roster.

This is a nearly identical replay of the 4 Nations roster, which was compounded by them scratching Kyle Connor (their top-goal scorer at the time) for the Championship game.

They again came up one goal short in another low-scoring game against a top-tier team.

You would have hoped they did some soul-searching and took some lessons from the same type of loss they always have in these games.

Instead of taking any lessons from it, they doubled-down on the same flawed approach and took players like J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck over more talented and more productive finishers like Robertson, and inferior defensemen to Fox in Seth Jones, Noah Hanifin and Brock Faber.

Robertson is by far the worst of the omissions. Entering play on Tuesday he is the top-point producer in the NHL among American-born players. He is the second-leading goal scorer. Over the past two seasons he is third among American-born players in total offense and fifth in total goals. Over the past three seasons, he is second among American-born players in total offense and fifth in total goals.

How is there not a spot for this man on your Olympic team? How is he not only not on the roster, how is he not one of the first players to make it? How is he not playing on one of your top lines?

Just consider, for additional context:

• Canada’s top-point producer this season is Connor McDavid. He is on their roster. Canada’s second-leading goal-scorer is, again, McDavid. He is on their roster. Six of their top-seven goal-scorers are on the roster. The only omission is Morgan Geekie.

• Czechia’s top-point producer is Martin Necas. Its second-leading goal-scorer is David Pastrnak. Both are on their roster. Six of their top-seven goal-scorers for the season are on the roster. The only omission is Filip Chytil who is injured.

• All seven of Finland’s top NHL goal-scorers are on their roster.

• Sweden is taking five of its seven top-goal scorers and all of its top-four.

It goes on like this for every team that has a sizable NHL representation.

Let’s dig a little deeper into this.

Let’s talk about it.